The Dallas Cowboys will face the Pittsburgh Steelers at the Steelers’ home for the first time since 2016, when Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott were in their rookie season and delivered perhaps the best game of their careers, pulling out a 35-30 victory.
The Cowboys and Steelers are two of the NFL’s most beloved and winningest franchises, with a total of 11 Lombardi Trophies between them. They have met three times in the Super Bowl, with two wins for the Steelers (Super Bowl X and XIII) and one for Dallas (SB XXX), and have met a total of 33 times in their history, with 17 wins for Dallas and 16 for Pittsburgh.
Jerry Jones shocks Cowboys practice with a helicopter landing
Now, when they meet for the first time in Prime Time since 1982, things seem to be different for Prescott and Elliott, as the team arrives decimated to the game at Acrisure Stadium. In addition to the already notable losses on defense (Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland), veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks will be added to the offense.
The Cowboys are facing a tough blow with veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks being sidelined for over a month. He had a procedure on his knee that unfortunately led to an infection, requiring another surgery. As a result, the team has made the decision to place him on injured reserve.
According to NFL rules, players on injured reserve can return after four games, which means Cooks won’t be eligible to play until the game against the Eagles on November 10th. This means he’ll definitely miss the upcoming games against the Steelers, Lions, 49ers, and Falcons.
How will the Cowboys respond?
Without Cooks, the team will be looking to other players to step up. Jalen Tolbert is likely to take on a bigger role alongside CeeDee Lamb. We can also expect to see more playing time for Jalen Brooks, KaVontae Turpin, and rookie Ryan Flournoy, who hasn’t seen action in the first four games. Additionally, the team has Jalen Cropper and Kelvin Harmon on the practice squad as potential options.
Cooks’ absence will definitely be felt, especially given his slow start to the season with only nine catches for 91 yards and one touchdown in the first four games. However, there’s still hope for his return to form, as demonstrated by his improvement last year after a similar start.
The team remains optimistic about Cooks’ potential impact once he’s back in action. As coach Mike McCarthy put it, “We’re confident that Brandon will come back strong and make a significant contribution to the team once he’s fully recovered.”
Dallas has won 6 of the last 10 games against the Steelers.
