There was a lot of talk about history prior to last Sunday night’s game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. To be fair, how could there not be?
The most common Super Bowl matchup in history is between Dallas and Pittsburgh. Unfortunately the bad guys have the lead there, but Dallas extended their all-time lead in the series with their victory. But the event was treated with such reverence that, in case you missed it, NBC had a packaged video that they played right before kickoff (which was delayed almost 90 minutes, adding to the hysteria of it all) that featured Celine Dion. Really!
There were certainly moments of gold throughout the contest. It is hard to deny that there were flashes of light. I imagine if you asked Mike McCarthy that there were things he would never do again (like challenge a fumble that the opposing team recovered) that somehow always seemed right.
History can be instructive and helpful and, to the point NBC and Celine Dion made, nostalgic. For the purposes of this exercise we are leaning on the earlier ideas as we try to sort some of what the Cowboys did in Pittsburgh and where they now stand into where it all sits in the Dallas Cowboys record books and encyclopedias.
Advertisement
Here are the historical notes from Sunday’s win in Pittsburgh.
Rico Dowdle reached 87 yards rushing which is a surprising accomplishment
You likely feel that Sunday’s outing from Rico Dowdle was the best one that a Dallas Cowboys running back has offered so far this season. That seems pretty agreed-upon.
What if I told you that the 87 yards that he ran for was something that no Cowboys runner had accomplished in over a year? Seriously. The last time that a Cowboys running back hit at least 87 yards rushing was in last season’s blowout loss to the Arizona Cardinals which came in Week 3.
Advertisement
All told the Cowboys only have seven games played since the 2022 season in which a running back hit 87 yards. This is a random and arbitrary number and the point isn’t to assign significance to it. But it is interesting nonetheless.
It is very difficult to win when committing three turnovers in a single game
As a whole the Cowboys committed three turnovers in this game. They all belonged to Dak Prescott (more on him in a moment), but for this point we are talking about from a team-wide perspective.
This game marked only the fourth victory in the Mike McCarthy era in which the team committed at least three turnovers. Two of them came almost back-to-back late in the 2022 season and the other was the famous watermelon kick game.
Advertisement
In this same time period all NFL teams are 60-287 when committing at least three turnovers just to exemplify how difficult it is to win. The other team has to fail significantly so as not to take advantage of the extra opportunities.
Advertisement
Shout out to the Steelers, I guess.
Speaking of, it is really hard to win when your quarterback specifically turns the ball over a lot
As mentioned, all three turnovers in this game were charged to Dak Prescott.
This game marked the 11th instance in Prescott’s career in which he had at least two interceptions and a fumble. In these kinds of games specifically the Cowboys are now 5-6, and weirdly have won four of their last five!
Advertisement
All of those go back to our McCarthy era point and are somewhat representative (reaching here) about how the team is able to respond and rally in moments of crisis. You certainly do not ever want to see your quarterback turn the ball over at least three times, but that everyone else could lift him and provide an opportunity to make amends is notable.
CeeDee Lamb is off to a better start through five games than he was last year
Much has been made about the start to the season that CeeDee Lamb is having. It certainly does not feel like what we got used to over the course of last year.
What if I told you that Lamb is essentially out-performing his 2023 self to this point, though? That is basically the case.
Advertisement
Lamb has fewer receptions on more targets so that is why we cannot unequivocally say that he is off to a better start, but he has 20 more yards and an extra score and is also averaging more yards per reception to this point. He notably leads the league in yards after the catch over expected (+77) and yards after the catch over expected (+82) against man coverage this season, according to NFL Pro.
Advertisement
It is important to note that a year ago the Cowboys were also coming off of a Sunday night game, but it was the embarrassing loss against the San Francisco 49ers as opposed to the win against the Steelers. That game served as the flashpoint for the Cowboys’ season as a whole and for the offense at large, specifically Prescott and Lamb.
Perhaps he is due to turn it around any day now.
Starting 3-0 on the road is a very good sign
A decade ago it felt so impressive that the 2014 Cowboys were such great and true road warriors (including winning in London!). They followed that up with a similar mark two years later in 2016. We are only three road games in, but this year’s team is drawing comparisons to them.
In case you were unaware the Cowboys have won all three of their road games this season (they are winless through two at home) which is not an easy thing to do. They are the 15th team in franchise history to win the first three road games of their season. All of the previous 14 reached the postseason.
Advertisement
Obviously this is an incredibly small set of time, but that literally every other team made the playoffs is an interesting coincidence to say the least. Mike McCarthy has a team in this space for the first time in his tenure as the Cowboys head coach which is interesting given how his teams have been so dominant at home in the era. Maybe we truly are in the upside down.
The next road game for the Cowboys will tell us a lot as it is at the 49ers after next week’s bye. If they go to their own personal house of horrors and win, that will surely say something.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense rose up and called game on Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson to close out Sunday’s game. The biggest win of the season. A great final play of Alex Highsmith racing around the edge to sack Jackson, something the Steelers’ front seven hadn’t been able to do all day (cornerback Brandin Echols had the only other sack of the day).
As the team has done so many times before in these contests, Pittsburgh made plays when it meant the most. But I can’t help but have one gripe over how the final drive went. An issue not aimed at the players but the coaches. Yet again, Nick Herbig was left off the field for nearly the entire drive.
In most obvious passing situations, Pittsburgh uses its 3-EDGE package with just one down lineman or, less often, just one inside linebacker. A way to get T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Herbig on the field all at once to maximize the Steelers’ rush.
Despite Baltimore being in the most obvious passing situation of the season, down five on its own 26 with less than two minutes to go and just one timeout, Pittsburgh didn’t use that grouping. Instead, the Steelers went the entire nine-play drive in its traditional 2-4-5 nickel: Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt at outside linebacker with Cam Heyward and Esezi Otomewo along the d-line.
Advertisement
Baltimore’s no-huddle for much of the drive prevented any substitution. Whatever package Pittsburgh came out with would be one they’d be committing to. And the Steelers chose to sideline Herbig. He played three snaps, replacing Highsmith at ROLB. One of them was a spike.
Pittsburgh chose to play Otomewo and Yahya Black along the d-line instead. And credit to Otomewo. His stunt on Highsmith’s sack played a key role, freeing up Cam Heyward to get interior pressure on Jackson that helped flush him wide for Highsmith to round the corner and take him down. Black played a solid game overall.
But the principle must be the same. Get the best players on the field, especially in the biggest moments. The game, the division, and really the season were on the line. And Herbig was largely glued to the sideline. That’s a problem.
Now, the Steelers can say it worked. All’s well that ends well. But I look at process as much as results, and the process missed the mark. It’s hardly a one-off. Failure to get Herbig playing time when Highsmith is healthy has been a recurring issue. That’s no slight on Highsmith. He should’ve been out there, too, just as he was. I’ve been on the other side of the “trade Highsmith” camp that’s swirled throughout the year, and Highsmith was excellent against Baltimore.
But it should’ve been Herbig subbing in for Otomewo and Black. That’s the best 11. Pittsburgh also still refuses to use dime packages, but that’s a separate issue, and the Steelers can at least point to the many DB injuries and changes.
Advertisement
In losses, there’s always reason to look at what went well. And in wins, there’s always reason to examine where further improvement could occur. Herbig again being left off the field in such a significant moment, for seemingly zero explanation or justification, can’t happen again. The next time Pittsburgh gets the chance, Herbig must be given the opportunity to help close the door.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have found their next special teams ace. A team that has had one for years and decades – John Fiala of the late 90s, Clint Kreidwalt, Sean Morey, and Chidi Iwuoma of the mid-2000s, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Tyler Matakevich of the mid-late 2010s, and Miles Killebrew of the 2020s, Carson Bruener is carrying that torch into 2025 and beyond.
A seventh-round pick who made the roster for his ‘teams value, he’s been putting that role to good use. Though Bruener has logged just one defensive snap this season, he’s quickly emerged as a core special teamer. His 220 special teams snaps rank fifth on the team and his 14 tackles on that unit is an excellent number.
Sunday’s showing against Baltimore was his marquee performance to date. Three special teams tackles, all on kick coverage, with high-end reps. Twice, he bowled over his would-be Ravens’ blocker en route to the returner.
On this rep, he is aligned at R2, fourth-in from the left. No. 39 dies a slow death as Bruener runs over him while keying the returner. Baltimore’s runback is clunky with the returner ahead of his up-man, losing a blocker in the process, and Bruener keeps him lateral and pinned to the sideline. Sebastian Castro and Jabrill Peppers also do nice jobs here to run him out of bounds.
Advertisement
Very similar here. Bruener again runs through his blocker even more forcefully this time, and the returner has nowhere to go. Bruener is no longer blocked and in position to make the tackle. He finishes this play off himself.
His final tackle was an assist and not solo. A little less impressive. Still, it was a solid rep shedding the block of TE Charlie Kolar, squaring up the returner, and combining with Peppers to make the stop.
The tackles themselves don’t tell the whole story. Bruener’s three stops put the Ravens at: their 26, 26, and 29 yard line. That’s six to nine yards inside of where a touchback would come out to the 35 yard line. Hidden yardage that works in Pittsburgh’s favor.
An underrated part of Omar Khan/Andy Weidl’s first two draft classes are the seventh round hits. In 2023, there was OL Spencer Anderson. In 2025, Bruener. Two serious contributors to the roster.
Kick and punt coverage are the first line of defense. It must be strong. The Steelers have been excellent here, and Bruener looks like a stud in the making. It wouldn’t be surprising he became a special teams captain in 2026 and held the job for the next seven years.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Dreams continue to come true for a pair of Chattanooga area high school football stars, who each have their senior season still to come.
Five days after claiming his first TSSAA state championship gold ball trophy while also earning BlueCross Bowl MVP honors, Baylor’s David Gabriel Georges joined elite company as the Terrebonne, Quebec, native became the fifth high school football player from the Chattanooga area to win the Mr. Football award for a second time.
The five-star recruit and the nation’s No. 14 prospect for the Class of 2027 finished the season with 162 carries for 1,756 yards and 27 touchdowns to help Baylor cap off a perfect 12-0 season in Division II-AAA and earn a No. 16 national ranking from ESPN.
South Pittsburg junior Dayon Cooper also earned the state’s most prestigious individual honor, as he was named Class 1A’s Mr. Football winner. The speedster helped the Pirates win their eighth TSSAA state title and finished the regular season with 29 catches for 681 yards and 10 touchdowns to go along with 37 carries for 421 yards and five scores. Cooper also returned three kickoffs for touchdowns.
Advertisement
The other 2025 Tennessee Titans Mr. Football award winners to be recognized Tuesday inside of Nissan Stadium were East Robertson’s Zach Groves (2A), Westview’s Graham Simpson (3A), Greeneville’s Caden Baugh (4A), Sevier County’s Cooper Newman (5A), Southwind’s Kelvin Perkins (6A), Nashville Christian School’s Jared Curtis (Division II-A), Battle Ground Academy’s Kaedyn Marable (DII-AA) and Brentwood Academy’s Tommy Bauchiero, who won Kicker of the Year honors.
Gabriel Georges joins former local prep icons Adarius Bowman (Notre Dame, 2001-02), Gerald Riggs Jr. (Red Bank, 2000-01), B.J. Coleman (McCallie, 2005-06), and Jacques Smith (Ooltewah, 2008-09) as two-time Mr. Football winners.
Gabriel Georges has the chance to become the state’s second three-time Mr. Football award winner, where he would join Eric Gray, who won three times while playing at The Lausanne Collegiate School from 2016-18 before playing in college for Tennessee and Oklahoma and later with the NFL’s New York Giants.
Baylor has now produced 11 Mr. Football award winners, while there have been 55 local winners since the awards began in 1985. South Pittsburg and Tyner are tied for the second most Mr. Football award winners with seven each.
Three other local stars were honored as Mr. Football runner-ups Tuesday, including Baylor senior quarterback Briggs Cherry, Boyd Buchanan senior running back/defensive back David Green in Division II-A, and Notre Dame senior Owen Maddox, who was a nominee for Kicker of the Year.
Advertisement
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25664786/Screenshot_2024_10_08_at_11.56.30_AM.png)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25664808/Screenshot_2024_10_08_at_12.05.42_PM.png)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25664819/Screenshot_2024_10_08_at_12.12.35_PM.png)
:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25663156/Screenshot_2024_10_07_at_12.54.48_PM.png)
