Dak Prescott makes mistakes but manages to lead the Cowboys to victory over the Steelers

The biggest play of the Dallas Cowboys season so far was made by Dak Prescott, and it wasn’t his go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left.

It was Prescott who made a mistake.

In the final minute Sunday night, with the Cowboys facing second-and-goal inside the 1-yard line, the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to come up with a huge play when linebacker Elandon Roberts hit Rico Dowdle and the ball bounced loose. But Prescott was right there and recovered the fumble. Two plays later, on fourth down, Prescott hit Jalen Tolbert for the go-ahead touchdown with 20 seconds left. Dallas held on and won 20-17.

It wasn’t a clean game for Prescott or the Cowboys. Prescott threw two interceptions and fumbled once. Two turnovers occurred inside the red zone and another led to the go-ahead touchdown with less than five minutes left in the fourth quarter.

But because Prescott stuck with it after his turnovers and Dowdle’s potentially devastating fumble, the Cowboys left Pittsburgh with a 3-2 record.

The Cowboys’ turnovers keep it close

The Cowboys led 6-3 at halftime, but it should have been at least 12-3. The Cowboys were at the 11-yard line when Prescott was hit by TJ Watt and Nick Herbig. The ball came out and Herbig retrieved it, giving the Cowboys no chance of scoring points.

Near the end of the first half, Prescott threw an ugly interception. It appeared there must have been a miscommunication with CeeDee Lamb on a pass into the end zone, as Prescott’s throw came nowhere near Lamb. The ball went straight to cornerback Donte Jackson, who had to be surprised that he was able to intercept the ball so easily.

It was an ugly first half after a long early weather delay. Dallas was the team with the most chances in the first half. But two turnovers by Prescott in the red zone held the Steelers to one field goal at halftime.

That made a big difference early in the third quarter when Justin Fields, who took a hard hit at the start of Pittsburgh’s first drive of the third quarter but came back into the game right after, hit Connor Heyward for a touchdown. That gave the Steelers a 10-6 lead.

On Dallas’ next drive, a sack pushed the Cowboys back and then Brandon Aubrey’s field goal attempt was blocked. On a night that began with a massive rainstorm in Pittsburgh and a delay of over an hour, the Cowboys’ sloppiness cost them dearly.

Steelers fall behind in 4th quarter

The Cowboys finally broke through with a touchdown at the start of the fourth quarter. Prescott rolled right and found Dowdle for a 22-yard score. For all the Cowboys’ problems in the first three quarters, this score left them leading 13-10.

The mistakes didn’t stop. With a chance to extend the lead in the fourth quarter, Prescott threw deep and knocked Tolbert to the ground, allowing Joey Porter Jr. to intercept the ball. That interception became a touchdown for Pittsburgh. The Steelers put together a long, hard drive, capped by tight end Pat Freiermuth scoring on a shovel pass from Fields. That gave Pittsburgh a 17-13 lead with 4:56 minutes left. At this point, Dallas had no one to blame but themselves for trailing the game.

The Cowboys had one more shot at a win. And while they typically rely on Prescott on offense, Mike McCarthy shifted responsibility to the running game while the game was on the line. Dallas pushed downfield and Dowdle got the ball on second-and-goal. He jumped but was hit hard by Roberts in the air. The ball bounced out and although Prescott recovered it, the Cowboys returned to the 4-yard line. On third down, Prescott threw an incomplete throw, but made the game-winning play against Tolbert on fourth-and-goal.

The Cowboys have a lot to correct after Sunday night. They were anything but perfect. But it will feel much better to right those wrongs with a win in Pittsburgh.