The Dallas Cowboys are set to play what might be the toughest game of their season so far when they host the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. Sure, they have played tough teams like the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams (being generous on that second one), but they will host the league’s last undefeated squad this week.
Pittsburgh knows all too well about the struggles that the Cowboys are dealing with as they lost their quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, for the season last year and limped to the finish line without him. To say limped is a bit disingenuous, though, as Pittsburgh ultimately challenged for a playoff spot without Big Ben.
In spite of how bad the NFC East is, that won’t be happening for the Cowboys this year. But rest assured, Mike Tomlin knows the key to stopping America’s Team these days.
The Steelers are going to be focused on Ezekiel Elliott
There is still some question as to who the starting quarterback will be for the Cowboys on Sunday, but whoever it is will likely be handing off to Ezekiel Elliott quite a bit. Zeke actually popped up on Wednesday’s injury report, although it likely won’t keep him all too limited. The Steelers are going to be ready for him to be fed a lot.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on how team prepares for Cooper Rush or Garrett Gilbert to be the Cowboys’ starting quarterback on Sunday: “Either way, we’re getting ready for Ezekiel Elliott.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) November 4, 2020
One of Elliott’s greatest games to date actually came against Pittsburgh in the statement win that the team had during his rookie season. You very likely remember the screen pass that he took all the way to the house. Those days feel long in the rearview mirror right now.
There has seemingly been a misconception about the Cowboys for far too long in that people continue to think that, to use Stephen Jones’ words, Elliott is the straw that stirs the team’s drink. It has become glaringly obvious that the offense operates off of Dak Prescott’s skills, but still Zeke is expected to propel the group. That hasn’t happened really all this season but specifically since Prescott went down, and it doesn’t seem like Mike Tomlin wants it to start occurring now.