The Dallas Cowboys are heading into their next game with a new starting quarterback that will be going up against one of the top defenses in the NFL. Oh, and did I forget to say that they are also the facing the last undefeated team in the NFL in the Pittsburgh Steelers. They may also be without Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott who is dealing with a hamstring injury. Can the Cowboys overcome these obstacles and shock the world and beat the Steelers this week?
Lets see what the NFL experts think about the Cowboys week nine game versus the Pittsburgh Steelers.
ProFootballTalk (Mike Florio): Steelers 30, Cowboys 13
One of the great NFL interconference rivalries deserves a better Dallas team.
Once again Florio is hurting my feelings and the feelings of Cowboys fans around the world with his accurate statement.
ProFootballTalk (Michael Smith): Steelers 30, Cowboys 7
The Cowboys are 0-8 against the spread, and I think it’ll be 0-9 after a blowout loss at home to the league’s only undefeated team.
Sounds about right...
Athlon Sports (Matt Josephs): Steelers 27, Cowboys 10
This game screams letdown for Pittsburgh after a huge win last week. As mentioned above it’s also their third straight road contest. Still, Dallas is going to struggle no matter who is under center, especially if Ezekiel Elliott is limited in any way by the hamstring injury he suffered this past Sunday night. This may be a one- or two-score game at halftime, but Pittsburgh eventually blows past the Cowboys for an easy win.
This does seem like a game that the Steelers could lose but I think he’s right that it will be a easy game for them to win.
CBS Sports (Jordan Dajani): Steelers 28, Cowboys 13
Some bettors are scared to place money on large spreads, but I actually have found success doing so. Without Dak Prescott, the Cowboys lost by 28 points to the Arizona Cardinals, 22 to the Washington Football team and 14 to the Philadelphia Eagles. I think one of the best teams in football can beat Dallas by at least two scores — especially when you consider Pittsburgh has the best against-the-spread record in the NFL (6-1). The Steelers blitz at the highest rate in the NFL (44 percent), and the Cowboys have struggled to protect whoever is playing quarterback. I’ll go ahead and take the Steelers here.
This will be another game where the Cowboys fail to cover the spread and are blown out. But I have a feeling that it will be a fight early.
NFL.com (Gregg Rosenthal): Steelers 28, Cowboys 10
It doesn’t matter whether it’s Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush starting at quarterback for the Cowboys. Dallas was the worst team in the league with Andy Dalton at quarterback because its offensive line can’t protect against four-man rushes and really can’t protect against the blitz. The signs of life from Dallas’ defense last week were heartening, but it’s worth wondering if that effort will sustain when the Steelers’ defense is scoring points and taking the ball away in bunches on Sunday afternoon. Free Tony Romo and Jim Nantz; no more Cowboys games!
He’s right about one thing here, the Cowboys offensive line can’t protect against the blitz.
ESPN (Brooke Pryor): Steelers, 35, Cowboys 20
Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott will have his first 100-yard game. The Steelers struggled to stop the Ravens on the ground last week, giving up 265 yards — including 113 to rookie J.K. Dobbins. And they will likely be without defensive lineman Tyson Alualu, linebacker Devin Bush and defensive back Mike Hilton in their run defense. Still, Pittsburgh has had its fair share of tough tests on the ground, and it’s not getting any easier this week, as the Cowboys will likely lean on their rush attack with the quarterback situation in flux.
I have to admit, I don’t see the Cowboys scoring 20 points against this blitz happy defense.
As you can see, all of the experts this week are taking the Steelers to win this one pretty convincingly. Nevertheless, the Cowboys, led this week by Garrett Gilbert, are going to step on the field and try to win this game no matter what the experts say or think. I just hope that they have another week with no big injuries at the end.