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Ron Jenkins / Associated Press
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still undefeated. It was not easy on Sunday, however.
Despite trailing 13-0 in the first half, the Steelers (8-0) remained the only undefeated team in the NFL, beating the Dallas Cowboys 24-19, led by Ben Roethlisberger’s three touchdowns.
This was not good news for Pittsburgh – Roethlisberger entered the locker room at the end of the first half with a left knee injury. The good news is he was able to come back in the second half and led a winning practice late in the fourth quarter, although his health was a scenario in Pittsburgh this week.
Garrett Gilbert looked better at the Dallas quarterback than Ben DiNucci a week ago, but not good enough to beat the much-vaunted Steelers defense.
Nonetheless, Gilbert played well enough to leave the Cowboys with an interesting choice between Gilbert and the veteran. Andy dalton. They start their week off with a 2-7 record as their playoff hopes continue to falter.
Key statistics
Ben Roethlisberger, PIT: 29 of 42 for 306 yards and three scores
JuJu Smith-Schuster, PIT: Six catches for 93 yards and a touchdown
Minkah Fitzpatrick, PIT: Six tackles, one interception, one fumble recovered
Garrett Gilbert, DAL: 21 of 38 for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception
Ezekiel Elliott, DAL: 18 carries for 51 yards; two runs for 18 meters
CeeDee Lamb, DAL: Four receptions for 71 yards and one score
The ball seems to find Minkah Fitzpatrick
Last season, Fitzpatrick recorded five interceptions and two fumble recoveries in 14 games with the Steelers. He’s not been on that pace this season, with just one interception in the team’s first seven games.
But on Sunday a groped lamb entered his arms:
And a wandering Gilbert pass also did:
In the right place, at the right time – Fitzpatrick tends to appear in these positions.
Both of those games were huge, not only leading to six points for the Steelers, but also wiping potential points off the board for Dallas. Roethlisberger’s winning record at the end of the fourth quarter was huge, but he wouldn’t have been in that position without Fitzpatrick’s two turnovers.
The Cowboys Keep Finding Ways To Lose
CeeDee Lamb scoured the ball one minute from the end of the first half, leading to a Steelers basket. Gilbert threw an interception in the red zone in the fourth quarter that led to three more points. Mike McCarthy chose to throw a basket in the third quarter instead of going for a 4th and inch. Had they gone, continued their practice and scored a touchdown, those extra points would have allowed them to potentially throw a winning field goal in the dying seconds when they made it to the Pittsburgh 23-yard line.
Dallas was also injured with untimely penalties that wiped out big plays throughout the game. And he had two drives in moments of decline to score a winning touchdown with about two minutes to go and couldn’t capitalize.
It is a bad football team that lost an extremely winnable game. Dallas put on an excellent defensive performance against a Steelers team that played their worst offense of the 2020 season. A win was in hand, and Dallas gave it up.
That, in many ways, has been the story of the season for this team. There is talent throughout the list. There were also last year. And yet, when the game is on, this team finds ways to lose. Coaching decisions remain highly questionable. One would imagine that Jerry Jones will take a long look at this organization in the week off.
And after?
The Steelers host the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 15 at 4:25 p.m. ET. The Cowboys have a bye before heading to Minnesota for a clash with the Vikings on Nov. 22 at 4:25 p.m. ET.
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