Rapid Reaction: Cowboys Come Up Just Short Against Steelers
The Dallas Cowboys were so close to pulling off the biggest upset of the 2020 NFL season in Week 9. They came up just short against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Accordingly, they may have some hope for the division, but the chances are bleak. Garrett Gilbert played with poise for the most part. Their special teams […]
The Dallas Cowboys were so close to pulling off the biggest upset of the 2020 NFL season in Week 9. They came up just short against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Accordingly, they may have some hope for the division, but the chances are bleak.
Garrett Gilbert played with poise for the most part. Their special teams unit was flawless. Most importantly, the defense had its best showing of the season. It was the perfect storm for Dallas to come out with the shocking win over the only undefeated team in the league entering the game. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, that was not the case.
The Cowboys controlled basically the entire first quarter but could only muster up three points. The defense held the Steelers to only 25 yards in the first quarter as well. It was easily the most impressive period for Mike Nolan’s unit so far this season, considering the opponent. On the first Dallas drive, Garrett Gilbert led the offense down the field, going 3/4 for 39 yards. Greg Zuerlein hit a 38-yard field goal to open the scoring. Gilbert later connected with CeeDee Lamb to give Dallas a 10-0 lead.
Everything was going right for America’s team, which has not been the case for much of this season. The first four Pittsburgh drives led to no points, but they finally got on the board with a 75-yard touchdown drive midways through the second quarter. They also closed the first half with a 59-yard field goal from Chris Boswell to make it 13-9 at halftime.
The second half was a different story, but the Cowboys showed more heart than they have at any other point in the season. Greg Zuerlein connected on two more field goals in the third quarter to extend the team’s lead to 19-9. That lead shrunk just a play into the fourth when Ben Roethlisberger threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to Juju Smith-Schuster. Boswell’s extra point was blocked by Tyrone Crawford, so the lead remained at 19-15.
The Steelers added a field goal to make it 19-18 after Minkah Fitzpatrick intercepted Garrett Gilbert. It proved to be a costly one for Gilbert, especially after he had played a solid game up to that point. Pittsburgh went 79 yards just minutes later to take a 24-19 lead on an Eric Ebron touchdown.
The Cowboys offense sputtered on the following drive, ending in a turnover on downs. Luckily, their defense gave them one more opportunity to win the game when they stopped the Steelers on their final drive that was turned over on downs as well. Gilbert led the offense 58 yards in just 38 seconds, but there just was not enough time for Dallas to get into the endzone.
The Cowboys fall to 2-7 after this heartbreaking loss.
Featured Image via USA Today Sports
