In Week 4, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially lost their undefeated status.
Sure, the game was close, Justin Fields balled out as a passer, and the run game was on point, but the Steelers were sloppy, gave up a few big plays, and turned the ball over twice, which played a pretty major role in a 24-27 loss to Indianapolis.
Has the shine come off of the Steelers' helmets? Or was this a minor bump down a more winding road, with Mike Tomlinson afforded a chance to see where his inefficiencies lie and hopefully fix them when it matters most?
For fans in Pittsburgh, let's hope it's the latter, as the Steelers are facing off against their long-time rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, in Week 5 and could help to define their season for better or worse in the eyes of most fans depending on how things shake out. The good news is the Steelers are very good where the Cowboys are not, and as a result, they have a chance to seriously cement their case as one of the best teams in the AFC with a dominant victory on Sunday Night Football.
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1. The Cowboys can't get anything going on the ground
The Cowboys are a team that knows how to win one way: through the air.
I know, crazy, right? A team that once prided itself on being a dominant rushing attack with the likes of DeMarco Murray, Ezekiel Elliott, and Tony Pollard in the backfield now has to throw the ball an average of 38 times per game to remain competitive, but it's true: through four games, the Cowboys have thrown the ball the second-most of any team in the NFL at 152, while putting the ball on the ground just 85 times, or the 31st-highest mark in the NFL.
Elliott has looked like a shell of his former glory, Rico Dowdle looks like just another guy, and the most entertaining player on the team, Deuce Vaughn, has just 20 yards on seven rushing attempts, one more than Prescott for the same yard total.
While the Steelers haven't been a dominant rushing offense in the NFL by any margin, averaging just 3.7 yards per attempt between Najee Harris, Fields, Cordarrell Patterson, and Jaylen Warren, they have run the ball 53 more times through four weeks than the Cowboys and actually rank first overall in attempts-per-game league-wide, even if their efficiency is poor overall.
Factor in the, well, fact that Dallas is giving up 4.6 yards per attempt on the season, and Fields has at least one more start before Wilson is healthy enough to return to the field full-time time, and the stars appear to have aligned for a huge rushing output for the Steelers. Good news for the Steelers, who clearly want to be an elite rushing team, but bad news for Dallas, as they will have to focus all of their efforts on airing it out against a fantastic passing defense.
2. The Steelers go all-in on their passing defense
The Cowboys are a team that knows how to win one way: through the air.
Deja vu? Sure, but that's how it must feel for Cowboys fans, too, as after consistently dominating the regular season over the past few years, Mike McCarthy's offense has become one-dimensional in 2024, with the team holding a -7 point differential through four weeks, and having only one game, Week 1, featuring a win by more than a single touchdown.
In the past, the Cowboys would blow out lesser teams when afforded a chance, but in Week 4, they only defeated the New York Giants by five points, which is the closest loss the G-Men have suffered all season long.
But in Week 5? Facing off against one of the best defenses in the NFL? Yeah, the Cowboys are going to have to throw the ball over and over again out of borderline necessity, as Prescott is going to be under pressure for much of the evening, and the Steelers' defensive backs are going to make him pay if he doesn't turn in an A+ effort.
Through the first four games of the 2024 NFL season, the Steelers' D has logged 14 passes defensed and four interceptions to go with two forced fumbles and 11 sacks, the 14th-highest mark in the NFL. They've swarmed to the ball through the air or on the ground seemingly whenever it lands in a player's hands and have broken up more than their fair share of plays for good measure too, guaranteeing that opposing teams simply can't get consistent momentum.
Need proof? Just watch Week 3; that game was a masterclass in defensive dominance.
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While the Cowboys can and certainly will air it out in Week 5, as they are the fifth-ranked passing offense in the NFL, the Steelers have allowed the eighth-fewest passing yards in the league at 6,988 and may again watch Fields maneuver a more savvy starting QB even if they end up having a “better” stat line by the end of the game.
3. Justin Fields secures his fourth win of the season
If, three months ago, someone said the Steelers would be favorites to defeat the Cowboys in Week 5, it would have sounded crazy.
If, three months ago, someone said the Steelers would be favorites to defeat the Cowboys in Week 5 with a backup quarterback under center, it would have sounded even crazier.
And yet, here we are, in the midst of Week 5, and the Steelers genuinely have a chance to deliver the Cowboys their third loss of the season, hand them a losing record for the second time this season, and ultimately provide some legitimacy to the QB campaign of one Justin Fields, who has consistently been considered a fluke, fool's gold, or just the luckiest man in the league due to his winning ways.
Regardless of whether or not Fields can turn in another 300-yard game like in Week 4 or if he instead just has an efficient outing powered by a dynamic rushing attack, the Steelers can prove they're legitimate contenders with a statement win over the Cowboys, and if things shake out their way, they might just do it.
