An oldtime rivalry gets renewed on NFL Sunday when the Pittsburgh Steelers take on the Dallas Cowboys. The game is scheduled for a 4:25 p.m. start time and it will be televised live on CBS. Currently the odds for the game have the Steelers favored by 2 points.
Great game on the schedule here with two teams fighting for playoff spots. The Steelers have seven wins on the season and currently sit in the seventh overall spot in the AFC Playoff seedings. That, of course, means that if the season ended today they wouldn't make the playoffs. They certainly need to keep winning football games if they think they are going to play.
Dallas is in a similar position, sitting with seven wins and currently slotted eighth in the NFC playoff seedings. They, like the Washington Redskins, are right on the outside looking in at the playoffs and a win at home over a solid Pittsburgh team would be huge for the psyche of the Cowboys.
Ben Roethlisberger is back for the Steelers and it's obvious he's still banged up. What's the best way to protect a banged-up QB? Run the football. Pittsburgh has not done a great job of running the ball this season and must improve on their 98 yards per game average in that position. They've battled injuries at the running back spot that have them playing with unlikely players, but maybe a game against Dallas will help kick-start that running game.
The Cowboys gave up 146 yards on the ground to the Bengals last week, so Pittsburgh should be able to run the ball. Jonathan Dwyer should be able to run the ball effectively behind that big ole offensive line for the Steelers.
Todd Haley, offensive coordinator for the Steelers, needs to be more patient in this game. Dallas has some injuries on defense and overall doesn't have the best unit defensively, so sticking with the run game and blasting them off the line of scrimmage could prove to be a very effective tool. We think that, paired with Big Ben moving around in the pocket, to be a nice one-two combo for the Steelers in this game.
Dez Bryant broke a finger, but is expected to play. That's good news for Tony Romo, who has completed 66.3 percent of his attempts for an average of 306.8 yards in his last five games. Bryant has proven he can be a big play receiver for the Cowboys, collecting 33 catches for 525 yards and seven TDs over the past five games, and he ranks 10th in the NFL with 1,028 yards this season.
That duo should be able to move the football against Pittsburgh today. Ike Taylor will miss his second consecutive game on Sunday due to a broken right ankle, while Keenan Lewis and Cortez Allen are questionable with hip flexor ailments. Not good for that secondary.
On the flip side, we expect Mike Wallace to have a big game. He seems to flourish playing alongside Big Ben and with their season on the line, expect both of those guys to give a complete effort. But remember, the Cowboys are eighth in the league against the pass. All the more reason for Haley and the Steelers to pound the rock. We think they win and take another step toward the post season.
Free Pick: Pittsburgh 24, Dallas 21
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