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Week 9 in the NFL brought us what projected to be an easy win for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who traveled to AT&T Stadium to take on the struggling Dallas Cowboys.
To just about everyone's surprise, it turned into an interesting game on Sunday, as the Cowboys led through the end of the third quarter before the Steelers were able to score 15 unanswered points in the fourth to ultimately give them a 24-19 victory to remain the only undefeated (8-0) team in the NFL. The Cowboys dropped to 2-7.
Here are five takeaways from Sunday's game.
5. Dallas' offensive line is still a problem
Running back Ezekiel Elliot's lack of performance is partly due to the Cowboys' offensive line problems. The team has unfortunately been hit with several big injuries to their starting offensive line, as they have five linemen currently on the IR.
It also explains why newly appointed starting quarterback Garrett Gilbert was forced to rush three times and sacked twice in the game. However, some credit should be given to the offensive line, as they went up against a top-5 ranked defense in the league and only allowed two sacks on Gilbert. But if they want the run game to get going, they have to open pockets for Elliot to explode.
4. Dallas D able to stop Steelers' run game
The Steelers' backfield was rather quiet, and it was thanks to the Dallas defensive line. They limited starting running back James Conner to just 9 rushes for 22 yards. In total, Pittsburgh was limited to only 46 rushing yards from six different players on Sunday. The Dallas defensive line -- which was impacted by trades and roster cuts recently -- deserves a "Best Performance" award for this single reason.
3. Good old Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger showed why no one should doubt him, especially when the team is trailing by 10 points coming into the fourth quarter.
Roethlisberger completed 29 of 42 passes for 306 yards with 3 touchdowns and no picks. He threw two crucial touchdown passes that eventually led to a Steelers' win, including this spectacular play by tight end Eric Ebron.
Despite the injuries and his age, the 38-year-old Roethlisberger continues to show why he belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I would not be surprised if he chooses to come back next year again, considering the way he is playing this season.
2. Garrett Gilbert isn't that bad
Cowboys' head coach Mike McCarthy's decision to name Garrett Gilbert the starting quarterback due to the fact that he has more experience than rookie Ben DiNucci certainly paid off on Sunday.
While Gilbert was not "amazing" statistically, he was not anywhere near being horrible either, considering what he is playing with. Gilbert completed 21 of 38 passes for 243 yards, with one touchdown and a silly end zone interception.
Gilbert certainly trusted the supporting cast around him, utilizing receivers Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and tight end Dalton Schultz wisely. It seems like Gilbert has earned the spot for the foreseeable future and could possibly lead the Cowboys to some wins this season.
1. Anyone can beat the Steelers
The game on Sunday showed us why any team in the NFL could beat the Steelers (minus the New York Jets).
As repeatedly stated, a team that was 10 points behind coming into the fourth quarter was able to win by luck yet again. A team that allowed the Philadelphia Eagles (who lost to Washington in Week 1) to score 29 points on them, only win by 4 points against the Baltimore Ravens (despite multiple turnovers from the Ravens' offense) and gave the Tennessee Titans their first loss of the season (after Roethlisberger threw an interception into the end zone, giving the Titans the ball but only to fail in the comeback).
It cannot be a coincidence that the Steelers continue to win close games against their opponents, outside of the Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns.
The Steelers face the Bengals next week, and then the struggling Jacksonville Jaguars. We'll see in the coming weeks how close these games will be before they face the Ravens on Thanksgiving Day.
