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Of course, the competition for the backup quarterback was also in the spotlight, which is somewhat ironic considering most of the hopes that whoever wins the hotly contested battle will never set foot on the field once the regular season has started. And in that battle, Garrett Gilbert got the go-ahead and worked the first two possessions, making a compelling case by completing 9 of 13 attempts for 104 yards and a 93.1 passer rating.
“We did a good job with some things,” said Gilbert, “but there are some things we can work on and improve on.”
Trying to keep pace, Cooper Rush, despite heavy pressure, finished the first half with 8 for 13 for 70 passing yards and a score of 75.8. As protection up front only worsened over the last two quarters, Ben DiNucci struggled and was unable to keep the attack going. He finished with 89 yards and one interception on 7 of 17 passes, his only highlight on a 27-yard scrum.
Among the rookies, Nashon Wright showed that the Cowboys brain might know something when they surprised more than one by picking him in the third round of this year’s draft. He finished with five tackles, the team’s best, while using his long frame to display impressive covering skills.
Now it’s a good start to your career. With most of the defensive starters expected on the field for the Steelers’ opening series, rookie linebacker Micah Parsons, the team’s first draft pick, came across a failed transfer on his first fumble.
“It was good,” Parsons said. “It was bittersweet not to have played a lot. It felt like it was a good experience to get my feet wet and get a feel for the game.”
Taking over on the 48-yard line from Pittsburgh, Gilbert then led the offensive until the opponent’s 11, a pass to Rico Dowdle by choosing 12. But there, the unit stalled, the Cowboys in front of themselves. settle for a 29-yard field goal from Hunter Niswander taking the lead early.
Gilbert continued to impress on the Cowboys’ next possession, leading his team to the Steelers 10-yard line as the clock ticked down in the second quarter. The quarterback was good on 6 of 7 attempted passes for 70 yards, which included completed passes for gains of 21, 13 and 17. Once again, however, Dallas was unable to enter the zone. goals, but this time Niswander’s 29-yard try was gone. wide left.
With Rush then taking over for the remainder of the quarter, the Cowboys continued to rack up yards but no points against the Steelers defense. A Malik Turner fumble after a 20-yard completion interrupted another practice and a desperate 52-yard field from Niswander in the dying seconds of half-time was far from the uprights. At the break, Dallas had 217 yards offensive and 13 first downs against 123 and six for Pittsburgh, respectively.
The rest of the game was left to DiNucci as quarterback and the players who fought for a spot on the Dallas roster. Unsurprisingly, the Cowboys’ game mirrored the largely inexperienced crew.
Pittsburgh took the lead within 15 minutes, thanks to a 33-yard punt return and an interception from DiNucci. The former led to a 4-yard touchdown run with the extra point missed, while the latter resulted in a 48-yard field goal and a 9-3 Steelers advantage going into the final quarter.
When Pittsburgh then scored with 8:44 left in the fourth on a 5-yard touchdown pass, the game was essentially over for everyone except the players who were still fighting to make a good impression.
Offensively, there wasn’t much to say, but at least the Cowboys defense made one last fight. A missed punt return was ripped off by Pittsburgh on the Dallas 25-yard line, but on the Cowboys fourth and 1-5, the defense held, a Steelers’ pass attempt falling incomplete. Call it a final hurray in what could be described as a typical preseason affair. Of course, it was a preseason football game with the ups and downs that the first outing of the show schedule can bring. But hey, it was still a football game, something Dallas Cowboys fans had been eagerly awaiting for nearly eight months.
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