Nick Harris: Five things to watch when Dallas Cowboys face Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday

The Dallas Cowboys are back on the road following an extended period of rest after their Sept. 26 win on the road, as they will make the trip to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers on Sunday Night Football.

While the Cowboys will be looking to ease the struggle from key injuries, specifically on the defensive side of the ball, the Steelers will also work to find some rhythm on their offensive line following key injuries to their own trench group.

The Steelers look to rebound after a failed comeback attempt resulted in the team’s first loss of the season against the Indianapolis Colts last week, while the Cowboys will look to build their first winning streak of the season. Here are five things to watch in Sunday’s game that could determine the outcome.

Injury Bug

Not only are the Cowboys dealing with extensive injuries to defensive ends Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, but pessimism is starting to grow around the potential availability of rookie cornerback Caelen Carson, sources say. Carson missed the week 4 matchup against the Giants with a shoulder injury, and concern remains about his status for Sunday night.

In addition, the Cowboys were dealt an unfortunate blow earlier this week in Brandin Cooks developing an infection in his knee after an injection went bad following the team’s win in New York.

“It’s part of your season every year,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “When you do have your big name players go out, it’s really an opportunity for your young guys. It’s something that you’re really prepared for.\u0009

Fortunately for Dallas, the Steelers are also dealing with key injuries as they will be without rotational running back Jaylen Warren for the second consecutive week with an ankle injury. They will also start rookie right guard Mason McCormick for the first time after multiple injuries up front had created problems for the protection unit.

Weather the Storm

Rain is expected to impact Sunday’s game, as a 50-percent chance of thunderstorms will arrive around kickoff time. Traditionally, rain forces teams to take the air out of the ball and focus on the ground game, which could give the Steelers – the No. 1 team in the NFL in rushing attempts entering week 5 – the advantage given their physical nature in the run game.

For the Cowboys, while they did limit the Giants to just 26 yards on the ground last week, that result looks like an aberration compared to the previous run defense efforts that allowed 557 yards in three games.

On the offensive side, the Cowboys rank dead-last in rushing yards entering week 5 behind a trio of running backs in Rico Dowdle, Ezekiel Elliott and Deuce Vaughn. If the game gets sloppy and is resorted to focusing on the running game, things could spin out of Dallas’ favor.

“It’s something we’re cognizant of,” McCarthy said. “We did wet ball drills last week and we’ll do it again [Saturday] to make sure we’re ready there. Conceptually, you don’t have to get out a whole lot, but we’re aware of it…We’re definitely watching the forecast.”

McCarthy Homecoming

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy will return to his hometown of Pittsburgh where he said he will have roughly 30 family and friends in attendance in one of the suites in Acrisure Stadium.

“Of course, it’s always great to go home,” McCarthy said. “But I think one of the best compliments I could receive is when I do run into even strangers back there, they tell me, ‘If we were going to lose one, I’m glad it was to you.’ I think that speaks to being from them. We’re a fraternity. A lot of pride being from there, and it’s always held true.”

A place that is still near and dear to his heart, McCarthy will use the extra downtime on Sunday morning to visit his mother and grab a home-cooked meal before making his way to the stadium to take on the team he grew up rooting for.

McCarthy is still searching for his first victory back in his hometown since he became an NFL head coach, although he will always hold a Super Bowl win in 2011 over the Steelers when he was the head coach in Green Bay.

Dak’s Time

With injuries growing abundant on both sides of the ball, all eyes will be fixated on Dak Prescott to lead the Cowboys through a gauntlet of teams in the upcoming weeks, beginning with this trip to Pittsburgh.

“I can tell you my best is damn sure [coming], I’m on the brink of it,” Prescott said on Thursday. “I feel like I’m stepping into that. It’s damn sure coming.”

Prescott is fourth in the NFL in passing yards going into week 4, and has been mostly productive when asked to turn up the tempo with the passing offense in the season’s first quarter. With a running game that continues to show no signs of life compounded with injuries causing the offense to pick up a little more slack in the coming weeks, it is incumbent upon Prescott to take his game up a notch to keep Dallas in the winning column moving forward.

Steel Elite

While the Steelers defense has had its ups-and-downs over the course of the past decade, the consistent factor that has remained has been physicality and toughness, starting with their personnel up front.

Expect the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, T.J. Watt, to go after Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele early and often in the pass rush and for the second level led by linebacker Patrick Queen to make things difficult for Dallas’ crossaction pass game. On the backend, the Steelers have a claim for one of the best safety duos in Minkah Fitzpatrick and Rockwall native DeShon Elliott.

Holes do exist, however, as CeeDee Lamb has the advantage – at least on paper – over young cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Beanie Bishop in the Pittsburgh secondary. The question though is how much will Lamb be left to single coverage, especially given that Cooks will be inactive? Look for Jalen Tolbert to be relied upon to keep the passing game in rhythm early.