The Dallas Cowboys will face the Pittsburgh Steelers on the Steelers’ dwelling for the primary time since 2016, when Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott had been of their rookie season and delivered maybe the very best recreation of their careers, pulling out a 35-30 victory.
The Cowboys and Steelers are two of the NFL’s most beloved and winningest franchises, with a complete of 11 Lombardi Trophies between them. They’ve met 3 times within the Tremendous Bowl, with two wins for the Steelers (Tremendous Bowl X and XIII) and one for Dallas (SB XXX), and have met a complete of 33 occasions of their historical past, with 17 wins for Dallas and 16 for Pittsburgh.
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Now, after they meet for the primary time in Prime Time since 1982, issues appear to be totally different for Prescott and Elliott, because the staff arrives decimated to the sport at Acrisure Stadium. Along with the already notable losses on protection (Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland), veteran huge receiver Brandin Cooks will likely be added to the offense.
The Cowboys are going through a troublesome blow with veteran huge receiver Brandin Cooks being sidelined for over a month. He had a process on his knee that sadly led to an an infection, requiring one other surgical procedure. Consequently, the staff has made the choice to position him on injured reserve.
In line with NFL guidelines, gamers on injured reserve can return after 4 video games, which suggests Cooks will not be eligible to play till the sport towards the Eagles on November tenth. This implies he’ll undoubtedly miss the upcoming video games towards the Steelers, Lions, 49ers, and Falcons.
How will the Cowboys reply?
With out Cooks, the staff will likely be trying to different gamers to step up. Jalen Tolbert is more likely to tackle an even bigger function alongside CeeDee Lamb. We will additionally anticipate to see extra taking part in time for Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, and rookie Ryan Flournoy, who hasn’t seen motion within the first 4 video games. Moreover, the staff has Jalen Cropper and Kelvin Harmon on the apply squad as potential choices.
Cooks’ absence will certainly be felt, particularly given his sluggish begin to the season with solely 9 catches for 91 yards and one landing within the first 4 video games. Nevertheless, there’s nonetheless hope for his return to kind, as demonstrated by his enchancment final 12 months after an identical begin.
The staff stays optimistic about Cooks’ potential influence as soon as he is again in motion. As coach Mike McCarthy put it, “We’re assured that Brandon will come again sturdy and make a major contribution to the staff as soon as he is totally recovered.”
Dallas has received 6 of the final 10 video games towards the Steelers.
