Depot Roundtable: Week 5 Steelers Vs. Cowboys Preview

Steelers-Cowboys. Primetime. What’s not to love about this matchup?

Two historic rivalries, a tremendous uniform matchup, and stars-galore hit the field Sunday night on the North Shore for Sunday Night Football at Acrisure Stadium.

Some key pieces for the Cowboys will be out Sunday night, while the Steelers are coming in a frustrated group, which lines up well for the Black and Gold on their home field.

Anything can happen.

Here at Steelers Depot, we’re doing something new this season. While Alex Kozora and Dave Bryan give their in-depth breakdown and preview of the game weekly on The Terrible Podcast, myself, Joe Clark, Ross McCorkle, Scott Brown, and Troy Montgomery are doing a weekly roundtable, answering key questions ahead of each game.

Today, we examine the Steelers’ Week 5 Sunday Night Football matchup against the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh at Acrisure Stadium.

QUESTION 1: WHO IS THE STEELERS’ X FACTOR AGAINST THE COWBOYS?

Josh Carney: RB Najee Harris. He had nowhere to go against the Colts on the ground, which led to a very disappointing performance, which has led to quite a bit of (unfair) criticism since the loss to the Colts. Entering Week 5 against the Cowboys, Harris should get his best offensive lineman back in left guard Isaac Seumalo, a significant boost for the run game.

Harris should come in very angry after his performance against the Colts, which should spell trouble for the Cowboys, who are a poor run defense. If Harris can get going and help the Steelers run the football and control the clock, it’ll be a long night for Dallas.

Joe Clark: CB Joey Porter Jr. He’s got the toughest matchup of the night going up against WR CeeDee Lamb, but Porter has taken away No. 1 options in the past. Lamb is up there with Ja’Marr Chase as the most difficult matchup of Porter’s career, and when he went up against Chase, it was Jake Browning at quarterback.

Lamb and Dak Prescott have good chemistry, and it won’t be easy for Porter. I’m hard-pressed to see him completely shutting down Lamb, but if Porter can limit him, the Steelers will be in a good spot.

Ross McCorkle: CB Joey Porter Jr. The Cowboys have been unable to run the ball, and their No. 2 WR is out. If Porter can limit or lock down Lamb, I have a hard time seeing where the Cowboys’ offense will come from. Maybe it’s TE Jake Ferguson, but good luck running the offense through him. Porter needs a bounce-back game after leaving some plays on the field in Week 4.

Scott Brown: OG Mason McCormick/OT Broderick Jones. McCormick has hardly played right guard — even dating back to college. Broderick Jones looks like he has hardly played right tackle — even dating back to last week if you believe the trolls at whom Jones clapped back.

The Steelers’ 2024 plans for the right side of their offensive line have been wiped out by injury. That means the future is now for McCormick, a promising rookie, and the present is now right tackle for Jones, the Steelers’ supposed left tackle of the future. The Steelers need both to step up.

Troy Montgomery: QB Justin Fields. Fields shouldn’t have to throw the ball as much this week against the Dallas Cowboys’ poor run defense, but he’ll need to be just as sharp. This will be Fields’ first bout in primetime with the Steelers, and there will be a lot of pressure on his shoulders. The Cowboys are missing their best edge rushers, but they still have playmakers in the secondary.

Specifically, corner Trevon Diggs has been an absolute ball magnet. In 2021, he had 11 interceptions. He’s been recovering from an injury he suffered last year, but there’s no need to let this be his bounce-back game. He’s questionable right now, but keep an eye on him if he plays. Turnovers could be key in this matchup, so Fields needs to protect the football.

QUESTION 2: WHAT IS THE KEY MATCHUP TO WATCH IN STEELERS-COWBOYS?

Josh Carney: C Zach Frazier vs. NT Mazi Smith. Again, I’m focusing on the run game here, specifically in the trenches. Frazier has been arguably the Steelers’ best offensive lineman through the first four weeks, particularly in pass protection. He’s starting to find his footing as a run blocker, though. This week, he’ll go against former first-round pick Mazi Smith, who will be lined up right over top of him throughout the game.

Smith has been good in recent weeks for the Cowboys and is a strong, squatty body type that can anchor at the point of attack and clog things up. It’s the first real test for Frazier from a true nose tackle perspective.

Joe Clark: OLB Nick Herbig vs. OT Tyler Guyton. Guyton was Dallas’ first-round pick, and after working the blind side at right tackle for lefty QB Dillon Gabriel at Oklahoma, Guyton moved to left tackle for Dallas and hasn’t been great through four games. Guyton has seven penalties so far this season, and Herbig is an intriguing matchup given that he can get low and win with speed against the 6’8 Guyton.

T.J. Watt is working against a veteran in Terence Steele, and it’s a matchup he should have success in, but the Pittsburgh pass rush could really get going if Herbig gets hot early.

Ross McCorkle: DT Keeanu Benton vs. C Cooper Beebe. Beebe has had a solid start to his career, but he is still a rookie. One thing to note, Beebe has 31 1/2-inch arms. Benton has significantly more length than him, so there are opportunities to get into his chest and push the pocket.

Scott Brown: OLB T.J. Watt vs. RT Terence Steele. Could the timing be any worse for the latter? Watt will have had a week to stew over a performance in which he looked more like Clark Kent than Superman by the time he lines up for the first time across from Steele.

Dallas will give the former undrafted free agent plenty of help. Or try to anyway. But I see a monster game from the league’s best defensive player after not even managing a QB hit in the Steelers’ 27-24 loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Godspeed, Mr. Steele.

Troy Montgomery: WR Van Jefferson vs. CB Caelen Carson. Someone other than George Pickens must eventually make a play in the passing game. The Steelers should focus on running the ball, but Justin Fields will have to throw the ball at some point. Jefferson has had a disappointing start to the year but has a favorable matchup this week.

Corner Trevon Diggs is coming off a major injury and is questionable for this game, but on the other hand, the Cowboys have a rookie fifth-round pick, Caelen Carson, starting. Carson is also questionable, so he might not be 100 percent if he does play. If neither of them plays, then that should be all the more reason for Jefferson to have at least a decent game. We’ll see if the rumors surrounding the Steelers and Davante Adams light a fire under Jefferson as well.

QUESTION 3: WHAT IS THE BIGGEST KEY TO THE GAME FOR THE STEELERS?

Josh Carney: Hit the field ready to go and run the dang ball consistently and effectively. As Mike Tomlin likes to say, there’s no warming up to it. The Steelers tried that in Week 4 against the Colts and got punched in the mouth a few times before they woke up. By that time, it was too late.

Dallas will try a similar tactic, so the Steelers have to be ready to go right from the coin toss. They need to come out and establish the run, assert dominance in the trenches, and run the football. They have the advantage on paper; show it on the field.

Joe Clark: Running the football. It feels like the key every week, but they’re coming off a rough performance from Najee Harris and are playing a Cowboys team that’s allowed 583 yards on the ground this season.

Establishing the run early against a bad run defense will help make life easier for the Steelers’ offense, and getting Harris going after a tough outing will be big for his confidence and the offense’s overall confidence.

Ross McCorkle: Run the football with success. The Cowboys’ defensive front is decimated by injuries right now. The same was true a week ago with the Colts, yet the Steelers couldn’t get things going. This needs to be the get-right game for the rushing attack, or it is time to worry.

Scott Brown: Don’t show up an hour late for the game like in Indianapolis. Start strong – or at least with a pulse – and establish some semblance of a running game. Force what should be a one-dimensional Dallas offense to deal with Watt and Nick Herbig off the edge and a certain safety who is so due for an interception.

If this game is Steelers vs. Cowboys, not Steelers vs. Steelers, it’s hard to see Dallas leaving Pittsburgh with a win.

Troy Montgomery: Eliminate turnovers. The Steelers haven’t turned the ball over much this year, which needs to continue this week. Giving quarterback Dak Prescott extra possessions would be a terrible idea. He and receiver CeeDee Lamb are a lethal duo.

The Steelers should get back to their brand of football this week. Run the ball, play great defense, and don’t have any turnovers. It might be primetime, but there’s no reason to do anything flashy. Fields looked great last week, but he still had a brutal turnover. He shouldn’t need to be a hero this week. Protecting the football is good enough.

QUESTION 4: WHAT IS YOUR PREDICTION FOR COWBOYS AT STEELERS?

Josh Carney: Coming into the season I had this game as a loss for the Steelers. But with no DeMarcus Lawrence, no Brandin Cooks, and likely no Micah Parsons, the Cowboys are without three key starters. They’re hobbled elsewhere, too, which lines up well for the Steelers. Pittsburgh needs a significant response after last week’s debacle.

I expect a big-time defensive showing in which the highly-paid defense reminds people just how great it can be, and the offense picks up where it left off in the second half. Steelers 26, Cowboys 16

Joe Clark: Before the season, I had the Cowboys winning this one. But they simply haven’t impressed me that much, and being down DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons with a questionable run defense makes me think the Steelers will pull this out. Steelers 27, Cowboys 21.

Ross McCorkle: I had the Steelers losing this game in my preseason predictions, but four games of data and a ton of big injuries to the Cowboys have me thinking otherwise. I don’t know where the Cowboys will find offensive output, and the Steelers should be able to move the ball on the depleted defense. Steelers 24, Cowboys 14.

Scott Brown: No Micah Parsons (or at best a very hobbled Micah Parsons). A pissed-off T.J. Watt. And a pissed-off defense in general. Everything seems to be lining up for the Steelers. But that was the case last Sunday. Then Najee Harris’ double-bird salute and 39-year-old Joe Flacco happened.

Dak Prescott scares me since the Steelers haven’t beaten a QB who wasn’t an overmatched rookie or who wasn’t hurt or coming off a serious injury. But give me Pittsburgh at home in a primetime game. Steelers 23, Cowboys 16.

Troy Montgomery: The Steelers should win this game. Everything says they should win this game. The Cowboys are injured, have a bad run defense, and their offense is one-dimensional. However, these always end up being the closest games for the Steelers. They’re set up to win convincingly, but nothing is ever that easy.

Because the game is in Pittsburgh, I’m going with the Steelers. I still think this one will come down to the wire, but the home crowd should greatly help. Following up last week with a disappointing effort at home would be a bad look, and this team knows that. Steelers 23, Cowboys 21.