Though it ultimately didn’t matter in the end as the Dallas Cowboys scored a few plays later to win the game on Sunday Night Football, the play that Pittsburgh Steelers’ linebacker Elandon Roberts made on 2nd and goal at the 1-yard line late in the fourth quarter nearly changed the game.
Roberts, who played 21 snaps (28%) on Sunday night, leapt over the line of scrimmage after getting a running start and destroyed Cowboys’ running back Rico Dowdle with a huge hit, getting his hat on the football and forcing a huge fumble.
While Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott recovered the fumble, giving the Cowboys another chance that they ultimately capitalized on, that play from Roberts was remarkable and shouldn’t be forgotten about.
In fact, FS1’s Craig Carton believes it’s one of the greatest plays you’ll see this season defensively. In an appearance on FS1’s “Breakfast Ball” Monday morning, Carton talked about Roberts’ play.
“But that last play or the play that Pittsburgh didn’t make in which dude jumps over the line, creates the fumble. I’ll show it to you one more time. This is arguably one of the greatest defensive plays you are gonna see this year, jumping over the line, creating the fumble, and then a great job by Dak,” Carton said of Roberts’ leap over the line and hit on Dowdle to force the fumble.
It was a rather remarkable feat from Roberts.
He’s a very good run defender and brings great physicality to the table for the Steelers. That’s his calling card. He’s a thumper downhill, and he proved that again on this play. That’s shades of Troy Polamalu, mixed in with Bobby Boucher and Danny Bateman.
If you know, you know.
Unfortunately, the Steelers couldn’t recover the fumble as safety Miles Killebrew was just a tick late trying to jump on the football, which allowed Prescott the opportunity to get there first and preserve the game for the Cowboys. But if the Steelers recovered that fumble, Roberts would have been a folk hero.
It was a tremendous play, period. He was lined up six yards deep in the end zone and got a running start, launched himself over the line of scrimmage and was able to generate enough force to knock the football loose. There’s a reason you don’t see many plays like this. It defies physics and it’s one that is a dangerous play.
You need to have a screw loose to go full-send like this, and thankfully Roberts does when on the field. Heck of a play, major props to an underrated defensive piece. It’s just a shame it didn’t lead to that game-deciding turnover. He did his part.
