I've been waiting to preview this game all season, because I wanted to link to this video where Jerry Jones says that he wants the Cowboys to get back to the "glory hole days."
That's as stupid as it is funny, and it's about as stable as my prediction for this week.
Honestly, I have no idea. The Steelers are a talented team, but they're also banged up, deeply flawed, and very inconsistent. The Cowboys are a talented team, but they're also banged up, deeply flawed, and very inconsistent.
Dallas has home field advantage, but it was the Cowboys-Steelers game in 2004 that first got announcers and reporters talking about how well Pittsburgh travels. There were about 20,000 Steelers fans at that game and it got the nation's attention. The Steelers won that game and also beat the Romo-led Cowboys at Heinz Field in 2008. But, Dallas also hosted Super Bowl XLV and that didn't work out so well for the Steelers.
I know Ben Roethlisberger looked awfully rusty -- almost like a guy who hadn't played in a month or something -- but I also know that he's better than he showed against the Chargers and should play better against a Dallas secondary that has some injury issues.
I don't know what's wrong with Mike Wallace, but I know that he's an extremely talented player that can break a game wide open (like he did against the Giants). Whether or not he gets his head straight this week, I have no idea.
I know Keenan Ivory Lewis and Cortez Allen looked pretty lost starting their first game together, but Dick LeBeau was probably pretty lost without Ike Taylor. Ike's been in every game since 2004 and that had to be an adjustment for LeBeau. And for the rest of the secondary, kind of like when Ryan Clark missed those two games against the Broncos.
Mike Tomlin has coached through this season like he forgot to take his Adderall, but it's not like he's suddenly forgotten everything that has made him successful. He's got a strong, veteran roster that doesn't seem to care too much what Rashard Mendenhall does or doesn't do/Tweet. I don't think there's as much discord in the locker room as we've been led to believe.
Looking at the match-ups on the offensive line, it's crazy to think that a team that got shredded by San Diego's front four last week could hold up against the likes of DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer. But it also would've been crazy to assume they could hold up against Terrell Suggs and Jarrett Johnson, yet they did just that in the two games against the hated Ravens.
Sure, they looked like total crap against the Chargers and probably deserved to lose by more than they did. They also looked like total crap against the Browns, then went on the road and beat Baltimore with their third string quarterback. Since everyone's down on them this week, they probably have the "no one outside this locker room believed we could do it" mentality, even though the current Vegas line has them favored by a point.
So...
I DON'T THINK YOU CAN DO IT, STEELERS. JUST TRY TO PROVE ME WRONG.
Prediction:
Steelers 27, Cowboys 23
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