Cowboys finally get their first noteworthy win of 2024

The Dallas Cowboys improved to 3-2 with Sunday night’s upset victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It may seem odd to say this about a team that’s won 60% of its games this year, but this win is the first one that’s really offered reason for hope about the remainder of the season. Given the opponent and other circumstances, it’s the first 2024 victory that forced Dallas to dig deep for success.

In Week 1, the Cleveland Browns were little more than a sparring partner. While they did boast an elite defense last season, it hasn’t been nearly as good this year. And thanks to offensive line injuries and the continued struggles of QB DeShaun Watson, Dallas was able to bully an opponent that couldn’t even get its gloves up.

The win over the New York Giants wasn’t so one-sided, but that’s only because it was a contest of who could play worse. Dallas barely put down their NFC East rivals thanks mainly to Dak Prescott, who wasn’t even in top form, being a better quarterback than Daniel Jones. Barely beating the Giants was hardly cause for celebration.

While Pittsburgh has its issues, they presented a far more respectable opponent. They entered Sunday night with a 3-1 record, home-field advantage, and expectations to win by an overwhelming majority of analysts. When the game was delayed an hour due to weather, it felt like certain doom for a Cowboys team whose mental toughness has been rightfully questioned this year. The field conditions would also have seemed to lend itself to the Steelers’ style of play.

Then came the injuries for Dallas. Already missing Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Caelen Carson, the Cowboys’ defense lost Marshawn Kneeland early in the game. With Brandin Cooks missing his first game since going to IR, Dallas also saw Tyler Guyton go down and Zack Martin go out for a portion of time.

We knew the Cowboys were in an uphill battle going into the game, and the climb only got steeper with the various circumstances. When Dallas allowed turnovers and a blocked field goal to rob them of points on three different drives, it felt like they’d shot themselves in both feet. We just kept waiting for the Steelers to finally take advantage.

But they didn’t. In spite of everything, including themselves, the Cowboys just kept fighting. Mike Zimmer kept finding ways to MacGyver a capable defense out of limited resources. After a month of tough sledding and limited opportunities, Rico Dowdle was in attack mode on every touch. Jalen Tolbert fought through obvious pain to get back on the field for the game-winning touchdown. And despite his own mistakes and brotherly friction with his star receiver, Dak Prescott stepped up on that final drive to seal the deal for his team.

We haven’t said this often lately, but give Mike McCarthy credit for the heart his team showed. We still saw some classic McCarthy booboos with dumb decisions on when to challenge and not challenge calls, or not taking a shot at the endzone on 3rd-and-long when you’re already well within Brandon Aubrey’s range. But watching Dallas show little fight in the losses to New Orleans and Baltimore (until very late), and this one having plenty of reason to go the same way, we saw a different personality in the team’s performance.

Does it mean anything going forward? It might; it’s amazing how much teams respond to renewed confidence or the perception that the outside world doesn’t believe in them. Dallas has both going for them this week, still seen as the underdog ahead of a big NFC showdown with the Detroit Lions. But if they build on what they did in Pittsburgh, especially in the run game, then the Cowboys may finally find the balance they need to be consistently competitive.