With 20 seconds left, Prescott throws a touchdown ball to Tolbert, helping the Cowboys defeat the Steelers 20–17.

Pittsburgh (AP) — Dak Prescott veered more to his left and then back again. What was a few more seconds on an apparently interminable night going to hurt?

With 20 seconds remaining, the NFL’s highest-paid player gave Jalen Tolbert a money throw that gave the Dallas Cowboys a 20-17 victory early on Monday. Watt and the rest of the Pittsburgh defense was closing in.

For the past three and a half hours, Prescott had alternated between spectacular and perplexing plays, missing one tackle and tossing two picks in an attempt to nearly single-handedly keep the Pittsburgh Steelers in the game.

However, Prescott calmly led the Cowboys 70 yards in 15 plays when Dallas (3-2) got the ball back down four with 4:56 remaining. Prescott even quickly recovered from a fumble by teammate Rico Dowdle, which occurred as Dowdle attempted to jump into the end zone. After an incompletion, Prescott completed his 352-yard performance to lead the injured Cowboys to their second straight victory. The heads-up play gave Dallas two more chances.

Prescott stated, “We discuss it, remaining impartial, being resilient, and realizing there will be ups and downs, ebbs and flows.” “We simply are who we are. If we persevere, we have a chance to succeed. This one was excellent.

After starting the season 3-0, Pittsburgh (3-2) lost its second straight game. This time, the team played a lackluster game, especially on offense, on a night when inclement weather caused the first kickoff to be delayed by almost 90 minutes.

After a while, the skies cleared. The Steelers were mostly lost throughout the game, especially offensively, as they only managed 226 yards against a defense without injured starters Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.

QB for the Pittsburgh Steelers Justin Fields stated, “I think the recurring thing is just shooting ourselves in the foot.” “False starts, penalties—it all comes down to execution.”

After Tolbert’s game-winning touchdown, Pittsburgh regained possession of the ball, but a lateral-fest ended in failure, and the Cowboys stormed onto the field in triumph. The game ended just one minute before one in the morning.

With 87 yards of running, Dowdle gave the league’s poorest rushing attack a lift. On the third play of the fourth quarter, he added a sliding 22-yard touchdown reception to finish a 16-play, 90-yard drive that put Dallas ahead 13–10.

With roughly ten minutes remaining, it appeared that could be sufficient until Prescott heaved a deep ball into double coverage in an attempt to deliver the game-winning punch. The Steelers labored to gain 63 yards in 12 plays, the final one being a 6-yard shovel pass from Fields to tight end Pat Freiermuth that gave them the lead. Instead, it landed up in the arms of Pittsburgh’s Joey Porter Jr.

Fields struggled with accuracy, finishing only 15 of 27 throws, but throwing for 131 yards and two touchdowns. He also gained 27 yards on the ground. Russell Wilson, who won the starting job during training camp, has been out of the lineup for five weeks due to a calf injury. Fields’ inconsistent play has allowed head coach Mike Tomlin to explore inserting Wilson back into the lineup the following week in Las Vegas.

Fields remarked, “We just missed shots and shot ourselves in the foot again.”

Mistakes by Prescott, who stumbled while being sacked by T.J. Watt and Nick Herbig to end one drive deep in Pittsburgh territory in the first quarter, cost the Cowboys repeated opportunities to give themselves some early breathing room. With 109 games played, Watt became the second-fastest player in NFL history to reach 100 career touchdowns after the half-sack.

Another chance to score was blown by Prescott in the second quarter when he fired a late throw to Cee Dee Lamb in the end zone, allowing Pittsburgh CB Donte Jackson to intercept the attempt and keep the Steelers in contention.

For a large portion of the evening, Dallas’ errors—the Cowboys were also flagged 11 times for 87 yards—allowed Pittsburgh to stay in the game.

Prescott led another late game-winning drive, giving the Cowboys a boost after consecutive losses to New Orleans and Baltimore had shaken them—just as he did during his first trip to Pittsburgh as a rookie eight years ago.

Behind a depleted offensive line, Prescott demonstrated why he’s a crucial part of the team’s foundation. On a night when Dallas’ defense performed admirably without its key players, Prescott bought enough time to help steer the season in a positive direction.

Prescott said, “We had a play call we love and are confident in, regardless of the defense. Tolbert got open on the left, the offensive line did a great job, and I just had to make the throw.”

INJURIES

Cowboys: DE DeMarcus Lawrence was replaced by Marshawn Kneeland early in the game, but Kneeland did not return after suffering a knee injury.

Steelers: Herbig appeared to sustain a significant right hamstring injury, limping off the field in the third quarter. Jeremiah Moon was the last remaining outside linebacker after DeMarvin Leal exited with a stinger in the fourth quarter.

Another Key Player Removed From Team Prior To Week 6 Matchup Against Detroit Lions Due.

Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is still listed as out due to injury, therefore Micah Parsons, a two-time first-team All-Pro linebacker, may remain out of the lineup for a little while longer.

But in what would be his season debut, star cornerback DaRon Bland might make a comeback for the Cowboys on Sunday in their Week 6 game against the Detroit Lions.

The #Cowboys designated All-Pro star CB DaRon Bland to return from IR and there is a chance they could activate him this week against the Lions. They will determine that later in the week.

Bland is coming back from a foot injury. Big for the Dallas D. pic.twitter.com/vo4JzhOtX3

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) October 9, 2024

The Athletic’s Jon Machota reports that Mike McCarthy, the head coach of Dallas, stated that the defensive back, 25, will practice on Wednesday but would be limited in the number of pitches he took.

Bland’s foot stress fracture has prevented him from playing this season. Despite this, the 2022 fifth-round pick was among the team’s finest players in 2018, recording an NFL-high 209 yards and a league-leading nine interceptions. Bland had 15 passes defensed and returned five of his interceptions for touchdowns, which also led the league. In addition to being named to the Pro Bowl, he was a first-team All-Pro and placed sixth in the AP Defensive Player of the Year vote.

Bland contributed to the Cowboys finishing the season with the fifth-ranked defense (18.5 points allowed per game), along with Lawrence, Parsons, and company.

Bland’s return should be monumental, regardless of whether it occurs on Sunday against the Lions or during the team’s Week 7 bye.

Dallas’s 2024 points allowed per game (24.2) dipped to 23rd in the NFL, and the team have a difficult schedule ahead of them.

The Cowboys host the Lions of quarterback Jared Goff in Week 6 and then have a bye. In Weeks 8 and 9, they go on the road to play the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, respectively. After hosting the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans, McCarthy’s team travels to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Commanders, who have the best offensive in the league.

I can’t wait for Bland to return.