Cowboys survive this “beautiful mess”

PITTSBURGH – There is an old country song by Diamond Rio that describes this game perfectly.

Considering everything that happened, from the injuries leading up to the game, to the weather delay, to the turnovers, and then the dramatic final minute of the game, you could safely describe this as a “beautiful mess.”

Yes, some people will call it ugly, but not me. That was simply beautiful. And no, that wasn't due to the consistent performance of the elite. It was beautiful how this Cowboys team just found a way to win.

Yes, if you can't understand the way the Cowboys won this game – with the players they won it with – and the way things went in the second half, then I really do sorry for you.

I've said it too many times this year, but these will be your 2024 Dallas Cowboys.

It won't be perfection. Things won't be nice for four quarters. They have to fight, scratch, claw, maybe bite or hit to get everything they can. And even that may not be enough. They were just one play away from not being enough against the Steelers on Sunday night. But they found a way.

And honestly, it would have been a damn shame if the Cowboys hadn't won that game because they were definitely the better football team from start to finish.

Just before kickoff, I leaned over to a few colleagues and told them that not only were the Cowboys going to win, but they were going to win by a comfortable margin. I had a feeling that they would somehow find a way to overcome every obstacle imaginable and still be head and shoulders above the Steelers.

In a way I was right. They definitely controlled the game, and if they had just managed to play in the red zone, this game might not have been close at all.

I was just wondering if Justin Fields was really good enough to beat this team. As it turned out, it was Dak Prescott and the offense that got in their own way – with turnovers, penalties and errors leading to blocked field goals and everything else.

The Cowboys led 6-3 at halftime and it should have been 17-3. But that wasn't it. And I'm afraid that's exactly what this team will have to struggle with all season long.

Let's go back to Dak. He had by no means played his best ball. An interception before halftime was stunning. He also took a sack and made a final fumble before that. Then, in the fourth quarter, he fired a deep ball to a receiver who wasn't open and it was intercepted.
Dak missed several other throws throughout the night, but in the fourth quarter he had the ball in his hands and needed 70 yards to the end zone for the score.

That's what the Cowboys paid him for: to lead the team down the field and win.

And that's what he did. Who would have thought that his best play of the night would be recovering the ball on a loose fumble and saving the game on second down? But these are the kind of winning games a good team has to have.

On third down, Dak's throw to Tolbert was low and fell incomplete. But it set up the dramatic play at the end when he fired the ball back to Tolbert, who made the biggest catch of his career for the game-winner.

This thing wasn't pretty either, but who said it would be like this?

First of all, it's Pittsburgh. They don't play very well up here. It is rough and hard and always has been. You have to adjust your toughness step by step if you have a chance to win.

And when you consider that the Cowboys not only lost a pass rusher in Micah Parsons, but also DeMarcus Lawrence, and then…are you kidding? Marshawn Kneeland goes down on the first drive and is out for the game?

The Cowboys rush the passer with Carl Lawson and Tyrus Wheat and Chauncey Golston? But they found a way.

On offense, Tyler Guyton goes down and that forces a shift on the line that saw Tyler Smith move out to left tackle and TJ Bass step in at guard. And then Zack Martin goes down for a while and Brock Hoffman had to play.

If you had told me in training camp that the Cowboys would go to Pittsburgh and try to move the ball with an interior line of Bass, Beebe and Hoffman, I would have said something like: “Well, I hope Micah Parsons and D-Law dominate on defense and maybe DaRon Bland gets a pick.” Or maybe Brandin Cooks can stretch the field with deep passes……. What is that? They're all outside too??'

Yes, they found a way. Looked pretty nice to me.