What was meant to be a very promising season for the Dallas Cowboys has become nothing but misery. Several offensive starters have been lost for the season, their defense is ranked 32nd in rushing yards and points allowed, and they possess a 2-6 record.
The Cowboys are currently on a three-game losing streak, and to make matters worse, the 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers visit Arlington on Sunday. There isn’t much hope that the Cowboys can put up much of a fight in this game, but it has to be settled on the field. Here are three key players to watch for the Cowboys.
Garrett Gilbert
The quarterback position has been a nightmare for the Cowboys in 2020. Dak Prescott’s season is over, Andy Dalton is currently on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and seventh-round rookie Ben DiNucci only produced nine points in his first NFL start last week in Philadelphia.
Garrett Gilbert has been named the starting quarterback this week over Cooper Rush. Gilbert has only completed two passes in his NFL career for 40 yards. He’ll have a very tall task going up against the Steelers sixth-ranked pass defense that’s also produced the second-most interceptions with 10. Also, the Steelers lead the NFL with 30 sacks.
If he can be kept upright and get anything from the running game, he could have a chance to make some plays with the Cowboys outside weapons.
Trevon Diggs
The expectations were high for Trevon Diggs as the 51st overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. After his share of struggles going up against top-level receivers such as Julio Jones, D.K. Metcalf, and Odell Beckman, Diggs has started to come into his own as an NFL corner.
He’s coming off of his best game of the season vs the Philadelphia Eagles. Diggs produced the first two interceptions of his career to go along with seven tackles. Over the last four games, he has eight passes defended after having just two in the first four weeks of the season.
With the Steelers having outside weapons like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool it’ll be paramount for Diggs to perform well.
Tony Pollard
Ezekiel Elliott is a game-time decision with a hamstring issue so second-year running back Tony Pollard just may see significant playing time vs the Steelers. He hasn’t been involved with the rushing attack much this season, only registering 149 yards on 38 rushing attempts.
Last week’s game in Philadelphia was a pretty productive one for Pollard. He only got seven carries but put up 40 yards and added another 24 receiving, making it his highest all-purpose total of the season. Even if Elliott can go, he may be limited with how tricky hamstring injuries can be.
With Gilbert getting his first NFL start the running being effective will be key, and Pollard could be the lead horse.
Will the Cowboys pull off an unlikely upset? Will know at 3:25 CST.
