The season continues to fly by as we’ve reached week five. Here’s everything you need to know about the Dallas Cowboys visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers!
What: Dallas Cowboys 2-2 at Pittsburgh Steelers 3-1
Where: Acrisure Stadium Pittsburgh, PA
When: Sunday October 6th 2024 820pmET
Weather: 70 degrees and 85% chance of rain. Winds to 8mph
Wagering Information: Steelers -2.5 O/U 44
Last Week: Dallas defeated the NY Giants 20-15 while the Steelers lost in Indy 27-24
TV:Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analysis), Melissa Stark (field reporter)
TV Coverage in Your Area (courtesy 506sports.com): National Television Audience
Radio: Steelers Nation Radio/WDVE Rob King (play-by-play), Craig Wolfley (analysis)
Max Starks (field reporter) NOTE: This is the first game since the retirement of Bill Hillgrove.
Head Official: Shawn Hochuli. A financial advisor during his down time, Hochuli is of course the son of legendary NFL official and noted biceps guru Ed Hochuli. He is in his seventh season as a head official and last oversaw a Steelers’ game in December of last year in Seattle. His crew had a total of six accepted penalties in the Steelers’ 30-23 win.
Key Injuries/Game Status (courtesy steelers.com) PIT: No. 3 QB Russell Wilson (Calf) – Questionable, No. 30 RB Jaylen Warren (Knee) – Out **No. 49 LB Jeremiah Moon (Ankle) – Questionable, No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith (Groin) – Out, No. 81 TE MyCole Pruitt (Knee) – Out, No. 84 RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson (Ankle) – Out, No. 99 DT Larry Ogunjobi (Groin) – Questionable DAL: No. 21 CB Caelen Carson (Shoulder) – Questionable, No. 3 WR Brandin Cooks (Knee) – Out, No. 11 LB Micah Parsons (Ankle) – Questionable
Injury Notes: Moon is inside the 21-day window to return from IR… Najee Harris will carry the load with both Patterson and Warren (why wasn’t he put on IR??) out for this one… The OLB rotation will again be key once again as Highsmith remains out… Parsons’ designation is curious. Most do not expect him to play.
2024 NFL Ranks:
Total Offense: PIT 24th DAL 12th Passing Offense: PIT 22nd DAL 4th Rushing Offense: PIT 10th DAL 32nd
Total Defense: PIT 2nd DAL 28th Passing Defense: PIT 9th DAL 20th Rushing Defense: PIT 3rd DAL 27th
AFC North Rankings: Pittsburgh 3-1, Baltimore 2-2, Cincinnati 1-3, Cleveland 1-3
This Week in the AFC North: Cleveland at Washington 1pmET, Baltimore at Cincinnati 1pmET
What You Need to Know: The Cowboys (189) and the Steelers (166) have played the most primetime games in pro football since 1970… Since the merger in 1970, the Steelers are 54-18 in home primetime games which is the best winning percentage in the NFL… The Steelers are 98-68 in all primetime games… Chris Boswell was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for September… The Steelers’ defense has allowed just one rushing TD though the first four games.
Tomlin Time: Mike Tomlin is 2-2 all-time versus the Cowboys… He has 28 home primetime victories which is more than any coach since 2007… Dallas Coach Mike McCarthy has defeated 30 NFL teams in his career during the regular season. The two he hasn’t are Green Bay and Pittsburgh… Tomlin has 100 one-score victories during his career which places him fifth among all coaches since 1970.
Dallas Cowboys Names to Know: QB Dak Prescott, WR CeeDee Lamb, RB Ezekiel Elliott, K Brandon Aubrey, TE Jake Ferguson, CB Trevon Diggs, G Zack Martin, T Tyler Guyton, DT Mazi Smith, LB Eric Kendricks
What’s at Stake: For Dallas, the NFC East has suddenly become more interesting with Philadelphia struggling and Washington surging. They need a win to keep pace. The Steelers need to right the ship after a mistake-filled game in Indy.
All-Time Series: Dallas leads 17-16, Steelers lead all-time in Pittsburgh 8-7.
Last Meeting: November 2020 in Dallas. Steelers 24-19.
Postseason History: Steelers lead 2-1
Steelers Game Highs vs DAL: PASSING: 408 yards Ben Roethlisberger 11/13/2016 RUSHING: 179 yards Franco Harris 11/20/1977 RECEIVING: 161 Lynn Swann 01/18/1976 (Super Bowl X) SACKS: 2.0 Keith Willis 10/13/1985 and
James Farrior 10/17/2004 INTERCEPTIONS:1 19 times Last: Minkah Fitzpatrick 11/08/2020
Check out the latest Steel City Blitz Steelers Podcast for more on the Steelers.
Three Things We Need to See for a Steelers’ Victory:
1. Win the Battle of Attrition. Both teams are banged up with key players unavailable to each team. This is where your depth is tested. If Cordarrelle Patterson and Jaylen Warren can’t go, can Aaron Shampklin or Jonathan Ward provide something in reserve? Will Nick Herbig hold up better against the run this week in place of Alex Highsmith? Does Micah Parsons’ backup make big plays? The best players always shine, but the depth pieces that struggle are always under the microscope. The subs that perform better will lead to a win.
2. Fast Start… PLEASE! We all know the game plan. Run the ball, take time off the clock and let your defense win the game in the fourth quarter. That’s all fine and good but is it too much to ask the offense to come out firing on all cylinders? Is a deep shot to George Pickens – even if incomplete – such a bad thing? Arthur Smith has to get this offense going earlier. It puts less pressure on Justin Fields and it forces the defense to have to cover the whole field rather than constantly stacking the box.
3. Weather the Weather. The forecast is not good. An 85% chance of rain and the potential for it to be heavy at times means ball security becomes paramount. Both Dak Prescott and Justin Fields have been known to put the ball on the ground so a wet pigskin magnifies this. Keep an eye on both kickers as well. Chris Boswell will have an advantage simply because of his experience both in the stadium and on grass. Brandon Aubrey is an outstanding kicker but rarely deals with the elements. The team that handles the elements better will win.
The ‘X’ Factor: Each week I will select a player from each team who I believe will need to play above and beyond in order for his team to win.
X-Factor Steelers: Chris Boswell. The AFC Special Teams Player of the Month is currently the team MVP right now and he’s going to be called upon this week to deliver.
X-Factor Cowboys: Jake Ferguson. For all of the attention on CeeDee Lamb, the Steelers cannot forget about Ferguson who is a huge threat in the middle of the field. The Steelers are notorious for giving up big plays to tight ends and that can’t happen this week.
Prediction: The Steelers have to be primed to bounce back from a really ugly performance that saw them get steamrolled in the first half. They are at home, against a hated opponent and in primetime. No reason to not be prepared for this one. It won’t be pretty by any stretch but I think Najee Harris bounces back and the defense makes just enough plays to stymie Prescott.
Steelers 20 Cowboys 16
Season Prediction Record: 3-1
