Dak Prescott leads Dallas to a dramatic victory

PITTSBURGH – It was a dramatic Sunday night between the Cowboys and the Steelers.

It began with a weather delay of nearly 90 minutes and ended with wide receiver Jalen Tolbert catching a 4-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Dak Prescott on fourth down with 20 seconds left.

The Tolbert score gave the Cowboys a dramatic 20-17 victory in a game that was ugly for nearly 59 minutes.

Tolbert's game-winning goal came after he nearly left the game with a groin injury when he failed to catch a deep pass from Prescott in the end zone on third down.

Dak Prescott's Long Night

The quarterback with the NFL's highest average salary of $60 million had a long night but ultimately made the plays when it mattered most. In addition to the winning drive that went 70 yards in 15 plays, Prescott engineered a 16-play, 90-yard drive to give his team a 13-10 lead in the fourth quarter. He also committed two turnovers in the red zone. Prescott threw an interception toward the end zone with the pass intended for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Prescott also fumbled in the red zone when he was sacked. On the sideline, Lamb could be seen talking to Prescott about the throw that should have been a “jump ball.” Prescott threw another interception in the fourth quarter after a deep pass to Tolbert. With the Cowboys running the ball effectively, a deep throw made little sense at this point in the fourth quarter (10:28 left). This season, Prescott has eight touchdowns and seven turnovers (four interceptions and three lost fumbles). He finished Sunday's game completing 29 of 42 passes for 352 yards.

More worries about the defensive line

Rookie defenseman Marshawn Kneeland suffered a non-contact right knee injury on the fourth defensive play of the game. He didn't return. Kneeland's loss was compounded by the fact that starters DeMarcus Lawrence (midfoot sprain) and Micah Parsons (upper ankle sprain) had already missed the game. With Kneeland out, the Cowboys moved Tyrus Wheat to the first-team defense. The Cowboys were left with Chauncey Golston and Carl Lawson on defense. Carlos Watkins, normally a defensive tackle, can also move to the edge. The Cowboys left newly signed KJ Henry inactive after signing him from the Bengals' practice squad.

Also problems with the offensive line

Well, if you were hoping to see Tyler Smith at left tackle, it happened on Sunday. Smith moved to left tackle when rookie Tyler Guyton went down with a left knee injury. Guyton was injured in the second quarter while blocking fullback Nick Herbig. Smith moved from left guard to left tackle. TJ Bass took over the left guard position for Smith. The Cowboys began this season with two rookies on the offensive line, with Guyton emerging as the starter at left tackle. This was to be expected, despite Chuma Edoga receiving first-team representation at the start of training camp. But when Edoga suffered a lower leg injury, Guyton was able to get more snaps with the first team. All-Pro guard Zack Martin also missed time in the second half due to cramps.

Dowdle and the running game

It wasn't always pretty, but the Cowboys finally did some positive things in the running game. Starter Rico Dowdle rushed for a career-high 87 yards on 20 carries. The Cowboys rushed for a total of 109 yards, marking the second time this season that they reached more than 100 yards in a game. Coach Mike McCarthy said the running game needed more attempts to give a fair evaluation and Sunday night showed that.

McCarthy wins in Pittsburgh

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy returned to Pittsburgh and earned his first win in his hometown. As coach of the Green Bay Packers, he went 0-4 in Pittsburgh. This was McCarthy's first trip to his hometown while coaching the Cowboys. He had numerous family members with him at the game, sitting in a suite.

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