COWBOYS (7-1) VS. STEELERS (4-4)
SUNDAY, 4:25 P.M., HEINZ STADIUM, PITTSBURGH uTV: FOX, DIRECTV 715
Announcers: Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews
With rookie QB at the wheel, Dallas has yet to encounter a major pothole on its road to the top of the NFC, cruising past the overmatched Cleveland Browns last week for its seventh win in a row. Prescott was, as usual, nearly flawless, ringing up a 141.8 passer rating, pulling him up to fourth in the league for the season at 104.2. continues to rehab his injured back as he works toward his return, which seems to be taking longer than originally expected. Owner-general manager
who once adamantly said that Romo would not lose his starting job, isn’t saying anything.
Pittsburgh got QB back three weeks after knee surgery, but the result wasn’t quite what the Steelers hoped. What they got was a horrid performance — not only from Big Ben but from the rest of the offense, too — in an ugly loss at the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers’ third consecutive defeat dropped them out of the AFC North lead.
Elliott, Dallas’ other rookie phenom, has run for an NFL-best 891 yards at 5.0 yards a carry with seven touchdowns. Bell, who coming into the season was considered perhaps the best all-around back in the league, had a huge debut after serving a three-game suspension but has averaged 3.6 yards a rush since, including 2.3 against Baltimore. A strong ground game would help the Steelers’ offense immensely as they try to keep up with the clock-chewing Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott averages 5.0 yards per carry.
Cowboys.
With him at his play-extending, gunslinging best, the Steelers are a legitimate AFC contender. Without him or with a limited version of him, they’ve lost three in a row and looked bad doing it. Last week, Roethlisberger was brutal through three quarters, going 8-for-18 for 54 yards. But he passed for 210 yards in the fourth quarter. Pittsburgh needs that Roethlis-
WHO WILL WIN AND WHY
berger to show up Sunday.
Dallas is the most balanced of the top offensive teams. The Cowboys, who lead the league in rushing yards (165.2 a game) and attempts (278), run on 51.6% of their offensive plays and throw on 48.4%. The Cowboys are productive when they throw, ranking third in the league with 7.9 yards per pass play (including sacks).
KEYS TO THE GAME
1. Secondary concerns: Dallas CB Morris Claiborne (groin) and S Barry Church (broken arm) missed last weekend’s game and are likely out for this one. The Cowboys held up well against Cleveland, but Steelers WR
and potentially a healthier Roethlisberger could spell trouble. Pittsburgh is concerned about the performance of CB
who was burned for a 95-yard TD by Mike Wallace, and S whose tackling was an issue.
2. Keep it clean: Mistakes have hurt the Steelers lately. They’ve committed 23 penalties in their past two games, including 13 for 99 yards against the Ravens. That’s uncharacteristic for a team that until then had averaged 5.3 penalties a game.
3. Turnovers: Neither team turns the ball over much — Dallas’ six is tied for third fewest in the league while Pittsburgh has committed 10 — but neither is particularly adept at taking it away, either (Dallas 10 takeaways, Pittsburgh nine). Because turnovers will be hard to come by, each one has a greater chance to become a huge swing in a tight game.
Andy Friedlander