The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys are ready to face off in a historic matchup. Two of the NFL’s most iconic franchises will play in a regular-season Sunday Night Football game for the first time.
The Steelers are coming off a tough 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, who raced ahead to a 17-0 lead before the Steelers knew what hit them. Meanwhile, the Cowboys might have fixed some things, but they lost star pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence in the process. That is on top of the fact that cornerback DaRon Bland is already missing.
While sitting at 2-2, the Cowboys’ stars, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott have played well. Prescott is posting better numbers this year, than in any other year (fifth in passing yards) and is on pace to throw for over 5,000 yards on the season.
With the Steelers-Cowboys matchup being one of the week’s most anticipated clashes, here are the keys for Sunday’s clash for Pittsburgh.
Players on the Spot
Running back Najee Harris is the top player to watch for the Steelers. Dallas’ rushing defense has struggled; though they had a bounce-back week against the New York Giants last week, allowing just 26 yards on 24 carries.
Harris is looking for his bounce back after managing just 19 yards on 13 carries last week in Indianapolis. Justin Fields can help chip in with the rushing attack that ranks last in success rate on early downs, and just 28th in success rate overall. If Pittsburgh can run the ball, the Steelers can take the wind out of Dallas’ sails and keep Prescott and Lamb on the sidelines.
If Pittsburgh wants to succeed running the ball, the schematics will change. Either way, Harris is the key to this offense, moving the ball consistently against an undermanned Cowboys front.
On defense, there’s also a nice path for success for Pittsburgh. The Cowboys’ offense won’t be able to consistently protect Prescott against the Steelers’ impressive defensive line. While Lamb will get his – and could even take over the game at times – the Steelers should finally be able to find some sustained success running the ball on the ground. Harris and Fields should be a duo that gets going, and the Steelers should be able to grind out some long drives that eventually turn into touchdowns.
Don’t be surprised if…
Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys try to copy what the Colts did on offense – almost to a tee. Indianapolis’ use of motion is unlikely to show up as much in Dallas’ offense. Still, they will move Lamb around the formation and into the slot where Joey Porter Jr. is uncomfortable playing compared to outside cornerback. Dallas will likely run out of stacks and condensed formations to get free releases for Lamb and natural chips on T.J. Watt, too.
If the Steelers continue to come out in their basic spot drop Cover 3, Prescott and Lamb can mash it; but the Steelers might not want to leave Lamb singled up in man coverage. That is the problem the Steelers face, even if the Cowboys have struggled to run the ball.
If Lamb and Prescott take over the game and dictate everything, the Steeler’s defense could struggle to slow down what the Cowboys do through those two guys once again.
Do not let CeeDee and Dak take over
The Steelers, under all circumstances, can not let Lamb and Prescott dominate this game. Prescott still ranks in the top-10 in every meaningful passing metric, including success rate. Lamb is among the top separators in the NFL and is a hyper-efficient wide receiver. He is second in yards per route run in the NFL.
Take Lamb’s target share, which is one of the highest in the league, at face value, too. The Steelers may have Porter Jr. follow Lamb, but this feels more like a matchup where Pittsburgh actively goes out of their way and bracket a player.
However, it is not that the Cowboys do not have other weapons. Tight end Jake Ferguson is a talented player; and even without Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert and Kevontae Turpin can be productive. Yet, Lamb is one of those rare players who can blow up a whole game plan by himself. He is in the elite of the elite of tier for wide receivers.
The Steelers’ defense got exposed against the Colts, too. There is a blueprint to defeat their spot drop Cover 3. When Pittsburgh ran Cover 3 in the first half, Indianapolis averaged over 11 yards per pass until the Steelers finally switched to man coverage for the rest of the game.
Prescott is plenty accurate and proficient enough to make a massive difference. He can run and add another dimension to the game with his prowess. If the Steelers can at contain Prescott and Lamb, they can slow down a Cowboys offense that ranks last in rushing.
