The Pittsburgh Steelers’ first primetime game isn’t until Week 5 this season when they host the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football. Former NFL cornerback Richard Sherman believes the Steelers will come away with a loss. On the latest episode of his The Richard Sherman Podcast, he picked the Cowboys to take care of business when they come to town. And Sherman explained why he isn’t high on the Steelers’ chances.
“The Pittsburgh game, I got [Dallas] winning that game,” Sherman told co-host Mitch Eisenstein. “I think Pittsburgh defensively has gotten a little beat up, a little worn down.”
The Steelers and Cowboys are among the teams with the most pressure to get over the hump and win this year. Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016. Dallas has just three postseason victories since 2009 and hasn’t made the NFC title game since 1995, the franchise’s last Super Bowl season.
With an aging defense, the Steelers need to win now. Sherman acknowledged the talent they still have, rattling off OLB T.J. Watt, FS Minkah Fitzpatrick, and DT Cam Heyward but said the overall group isn’t strong enough.
“I think there’s some weaknesses that could be exposed on that defense.”
Sherman didn’t explain those weaknesses in any further detail. There are questions about the strength of the Steelers’ cornerbacks outside Joey Porter Jr., especially with depth and in the slot. The inside linebacker room also has changed after dealing with injuries, though Patrick Queen and Payton Wilson are worthy additions. Queen will have to show he can handle wearing the green dot and playing without Roquan Smith while Wilson will need to prove his health and ability to make an immediate impact. Defensive line depth is also a concern with a pile of names and options but few standout rotational players. With Heyward 35 and Watt turning 30 midseason, the Steelers can’t keep waiting for the team to click.
It makes the Week 5 game an important early matchup. On Dallas’ end, owner Jerry Jones talked a big game shortly after the Cowboys’ season ended, saying they were prepared to go “all in.” That appeared to be a commitment to an active free agency and building a roster to win now. Instead, Dallas has been as quiet as any team in the offseason, only signing LB Eric Kendricks during the first wave of free agency, and re-signing a handful of its own. Jones later clarified “all-in” to mean letting the season play out with the current group. QB Dak Prescott and head coach Mike McCarthy are in the final year of their contracts. Poor performances by either could see them with new teams in 2025.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have the national media spotlight or pressure Dallas faces. But there’s a local and internal push to win. While pundits, including Sherman himself, praise Mike Tomlin for his non-losing season streak, the Steelers’ standard is supposed to be higher than going 9-8. They’ve been unable to get over the playoff hump, one-and-done their last four postseason appearances. Radically changing their quarterback room was made in the hope of producing a better end-season result. QB Russell Wilson signed a one-year minimum deal, the Broncos paying nearly his entire salary, but he’ll need a strong season to show he can bounce back and remain an NFL starter.
Overall, Sherman’s commentary was light, and he praised the Steelers more than he criticized them even as his overall thoughts were a Dallas win and Pittsburgh’s concerns. He also didn’t realize Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers. Which I suppose is even more reason for Richard Sherman to believe Pittsburgh doesn’t have enough firepower on either side to win.
History isn’t on the Steelers side, losing three of their last four home games to the Cowboys, including their most recent home meeting in 2016.
