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You waited months to get a taste of NFL football, and you got it from two of the most legendary teams in the sports world, even if it wasn’t the more enticing outing of the two in Win 16 -3 from the Pittsburgh. Steelers over the Dallas Cowboys. As this year’s preseason kicks off, it pits the veterans who are in the bubble and emerging talent against each other, and two players who are preparing to do great things for their respective organizations have been put on the table. take center stage Thursday night – namely the first round picks Micah Parsons and Najee Harris.
Parsons got his feet wet with a fumble recovery before being pulled out early, and Harris finished his first preseason game in the NFL with seven runs. From there, it was all about seeing if the Cowboys quarterback unit is solid behind Dak Prescott, and it proved that most of it is – the key word here being “mostly.” The Cowboys got more proof that Garrett Gilbert is what they want at QB2, but Cooper Rush has shown why he could stay a little longer in August, especially after seeing sophomore quarterback Ben DiNucci continue his 2020 struggles in a situation where he simply cannot afford it.
And for the Steelers, who are in a similar QB situation behind Ben Roethlisberger, it was Josh Dobbs who threw their only pass touchdown while Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins failed in this regard, although no quarterbacks of Pittsburgh did not launch an interception. In the end, it was a messy, low-scoring game for much of the deal – until the Cowboys got messier and the Steelers took full advantage.
Why the Steelers won
If you can still take the ball, you will probably win the game. Granted, the goal for both teams was to get away in good health and get as many rookies, bubble guys, and deeper films as possible, but there’s always a win-lose column. in August – even if it is removed in September. The Steelers earned the win due to mostly poor play from Dallas third-string quarterback DiNucci, who was responsible for many poor second-half shots, sometimes made worse by the Cowboys’ inability to keep the edges of the offensive line to regularly collapse. It’s also a nod to the Pittsburgh defense, as a pocket doesn’t collapse if there’s no one good enough to force it.
And when the Steelers gained momentum in the second half, they never looked back, adding points to make sure DiNucci and the Cowboys didn’t make a comeback in the preseason.
Why the Cowboys lost
Simply put, there was no offense, or rather there was a complete absence of big plays that forced the outcome. Gilbert was effective except for a fumble in the red zone – ending his night with 104 passing yards on 9 on 13 passes, and Rush at least kept pace with 70 passing yards on 8 on 13. , but none have been started. nor run for a touchdown and the only points scored in the first half were a placement (the only one) by the punter turned kicker but still also the punter Hunter Niswander. The offense was inept and the special teams weren’t much better, with the latter also allowing a big comeback that helped the Steelers put more points on the board.
There are positives to take from this game for Dallas, but their saves’ ability to score was not one of them, and it put too much pressure on the defense to make a play after Parsons and Co. left the match. .
Turning
There were hardly any points on the board at this point, but the Cowboys had at least a 3-0 lead. That was until DiNucci sailed that pass into a ton of cover and rookie safety Donovan Stiner put it in his pocket – the interception allowing the Steelers to take a 6-3 lead (before Sam Sloman miss the extra point).
Game play
It wasn’t a game filled with highlights, but the Steelers had most of them. The aforementioned interception could easily have been the game of this game as well, but kudos to Pittsburgh for turning an excellent Rush off pitch Malik Turner into a forced fumble and immediate recovery. Takeout was the name of the game for Mike Tomlin’s group on Thursday.
Parsons wants more
“It was bittersweet not to have played a lot … I’ll be inspired by that.” – Micah Parsons
And after
The Cowboys prepare to face the Arizona Cardinals on August 13 at State Farm Stadium, while the Steelers prepare to take on another NFC East foe on August 12 when they visit the Philadelphia Eagles.
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