Two of the NFL’s most successful and recognizable franchises will meet in Week 5 when the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers share the Sunday night spotlight. The Steelers are slight favorites at home against a Cowboys team that will be short-handed on defense.
Pittsburgh (3-1) is coming off its first loss, but overall, it’s been an encouraging start for the offense under first-year coordinator Arthur Smith and new quarterback Justin Fields. The former Bears quarterback has made the most of an unexpected opportunity while filling in for an injured Russell Wilson. Fields has been effective with both his arm (career-best 70.6 percent completion rate) and legs (three rushing touchdowns).
The production may not be prolific but Fields likely will remain the starter while Wilson continues his recovery from a calf injury. Fields is a good fit for the Steelers’ ground-oriented approach, especially if he continues to limit turnovers.
This should be a good matchup for Pittsburgh, considering Dallas’ (2-2) struggles against the run. The Cowboys rank 27th in the league in rushing defense (145.8 yards per game) despite giving up just 26 yards on the ground in last Thursday’s win over the Giants. To add injury to insult, DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) was put on injured reserve this week and Micah Parsons (ankle) also isn’t expected to play on Sunday.
Defense has been a trademark of coach Mike Tomlin’s long and successful tenure in the Steel City, and this year has been more of the same. This year’s unit is second in the league in scoring defense (13.3 points per game) and fourth in total defense (261.3 yards per game). That said, the Steelers were victimized by a few big passing plays in last week’s 27-24 loss to Indianapolis, which is certainly a concern heading into a matchup with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.
These franchises have combined for 11 Super Bowl victories. It’s only Week 5, but this game could say a lot about how realistic each team’s championship aspirations are this season.
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Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers odds
How to watch Cowboys at Steelers
- Venue: Acrisure Stadium — Pittsburgh
- Time: 8:20 p.m. ET, Sunday
- TV: NBC
- Streaming: Fubo (try for free)
Expert picks for Cowboys at Steelers
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(Photo of George Pickens: Andy Lyons / Getty Images)
