Jordan DeFigio, @fidgenewton
An age-old showdown: one of the most successful franchises in NFL history, multiple dynasties and Lombardi trophies, America's Team - going up against the Dallas Cowboys.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Cowboys at 4:25 ET on Sunday, November 8th at AT&T Stadium and will be broadcast on CBS.
MATCHUPS AT A GLANCE
Dallas is currently 2-6 and sitting at 3rd in the NFC East. The cards are certainly stacked against them, too. They've lapped the quarterback depth chart after losing Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury and Andy Dalton because of a positive Covid-19 test. After Ben DiNucci struggled in his debut against the Eagles, they've officially named Garrett Gilbert the starter.
But the Steelers shouldn't expect to waltz to a victory tomorrow. They will be without Tyson Alualu, who has been a key piece of the defense, especially in their attack on the ground game. The Cowboys' offensive line is weak and riddled with injuries, and it's likely that running back Ezekiel Elliott will either be playing through a hamstring injury or out completely. That would mean backup Tony Pollard would get the start.
Making things look even bleaker for Dallas.
But the Steelers are coming off their worst game against the rush last week, giving up a total of 265 yards on the ground between J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Lamar Jackson. Of course, Baltimore has one of the most air-tight offensive lines in the NFL (proving it matters less who's carrying the ball and more who's blocking for it). The Steelers will need to shut down the run and leave the ball in the hands of Gilbert, who has had an underwhelming career since entering the league in 2018.
That assumes the secondary will be able to lock down matchups between Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and rookie CeeDee Lamb and avoid any and all unnecessary and, quite frankly, stupid penalties. Be it flags thrown for pass interference, holding, or horse collar, the secondary has struggled to maintain tight coverage while being disciplined.
On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys' defense ranks last in points allowed. And for a Steelers team that has averaged 30.1 points pregame, the offense could be set to have an even higher scoring outing tomorrow. Leighton Vander Esch had surgery on his broken collarbone and returned to the lineup a little less than a month ago, and DeMarcus Lawrence has still been returning to form while recovering from a knee injury. He certainly played his best game against the Philadelphia Eagles and he was a key reason why.
The Cowboys may be trending up.
But they only have so much room to grow before they hit their very low ceiling.
JORDAN'S PREDICTIONS
I was so, so very wrong in my guess for the outcome of last week's game so I'm going to ignore my gut altogether and head out on that limb. With the slew of injuries and struggles the Cowboys have faced so far this season, I think the Steelers will have a blow-out similar to that against Cleveland just a few weeks ago.
Even with the game in Dallas.
The Steelers will win somewhere in the realm of 41-6, moving to 8-0 on the year.
FINAL MUSINGS
Dallas head coach, Mike McCarthy took a leap and compared his team to the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers, what with the carousel of starting quarterbacks and overall woes. Football is a game of mental chess. And I'd be willing to guess that this juxtaposition, albeit quite the reach, didn't go without being filed away in the minds of every Pittsburgh Steeler. I think they will go out there wanting to prove that only they could do what they did last year.
Up against it.
Coming out at .500.
Pittsburgh and Dallas will always be a rivalry with history. And it should be a hell of a great game.
What are your predictions for the game tomorrow? Let us know in the comments below.
#SteelerNation
