Through the first eight weeks of the 2020 season the Dallas Cowboys have been one of the worst teams in the entire NFL, but somehow they gave the Pittsburgh Steelers all they could handle Sunday afternoon and nearly ended their undefeated season. To do that with a quarterback like Garrett Gilbert who they only added to the roster a few weeks ago was surprising to say the least.
I don't think anyone could have imagined Garrett Gilbert nearly leading the Dallas Cowboys to victory against the only undefeated team left in the league. I was expecting as close to complete dominance by the Steelers as I'm sure you probably were as well. I didn't give the Cowboys much of a fighting chance, but was pleasantly surprised they actually made a game of it.
Win or lose, this Week 9 matchup against Pittsburgh Steelers was one of the most complete games (offense, defense, special teams) the Dallas Cowboys have played this season. It was definitely out of the norm, which leads me to this week's edition of The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. And as always, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions on this topic in the comment section.
Let's get started… Shall we?
The Good
Garrett Gilbert… Really!? Who would've expected Garrett Gilbert to be the QB who reignited the fire under the Dallas Cowboys offense? To the surprise of all, that's exactly what he did. There's no doubt in my mind he was the good Sunday afternoon against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He may have only completed 21 of 38 passes for 243 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but he gave the Cowboys a fighting chance to beat the undefeated until the very end.
The Bad
I hate to admit it, but the bad for me from the Dallas Cowboys Week 9 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers was the fact I found myself rooting both for and against the Cowboys. I'm sure I wasn't the only one, but I find myself feeling a little guilty about it. As excited as I was to see them finally playing some good football, I was equally disappointed a victory would cost them a Top 5 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Needless to say, I was conflicted as to how I wanted the game to end.
The Ugly
Not getting to see Tony Pollard get his chance as the Dallas Cowboys RB1 against the Steelers was the ugly for me. With Zeke questionable all week with a hamstring injury I was excited to see what Pollard could do in a starting role, even against a tough Steelers defense. No. 20 at times looks like the better RB of the two this season and did so once again yesterday afternoon. On half the carries he outgained Zeke and averaged more yards per carry (6.3 to 2.8). I'd like to see more of him moving forward.
