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By Matt Williamson
Scouts Inc.
Scouts Inc. Position Advantage
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach
This is an excellent matchup between two of the better teams in the NFL. The Steelers made a statement in New England last week with another dominating defensive performance and a very solid overall offensive effort in which they scored 30 unanswered points. This is a very long week for Dallas to prepare after a decisive win over Seattle on Thanksgiving. Pittsburgh is in very good shape for the postseason and is working on securing the No. 2 seed in the AFC, while Dallas is back in the thick of the NFC wild card hunt. Of the Cowboys' four losses, two were with Brad Johnson under center, but Tony Romo (and Dallas' swagger) has returned. This should be an exceptional football game.
When Dallas has the ball
This is probably the best defense in the league right now, so nothing will come easy for Dallas on the road, but this is also an offense that is capable of great things. The Cowboys feature a balanced offense that can pound their opponent with RB Marion Barber and a big mauling line or stretch the field with numerous ultra-talented pass- catchers. But Romo makes it all go. Since returning from his finger injury, Romo has thrown for 672 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception. He has thrown for over 300 yards in six of his nine starts this year and owns the top passer rating in the league. He is tough to sack and keeps plays alive very well, while throwing a very catchable ball. He is an elite playmaker at the quarterback position.
Romo is a risk taker who brings leadership and confidence that this team feeds off. It doesn't appear that Romo's injured finger is affecting his ability to throw the football, but he also is not a proven poor-weather passer. Pittsburgh took Patriots QB Matt Cassel out of his game last week, as he completed 48.7 percent for just 169 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Romo surely will do better, but the Steelers allow a paltry 3.1 yards per rush, so the brunt of this game will probably be on Romo's shoulders.
When Pittsburgh has the ball
QB Ben Roethlisberger played an excellent game in New England and has done a tremendous job of limiting his mistakes lately, while managing the offense and mixing in his pension for big plays. He is very difficult to prepare for. Roethlisberger now seems to realize what a tremendous asset he has with Pittsburgh's fantastic defense and has been more judicious with the football. He is also an exceptional poor-weather passer. Roethlisberger has plenty of receivers at his disposal and spreads the ball around well. The Cowboys' defense did allow Seattle TE John Carlson to catch six passes for 105 yards and could have a tough time keeping TE Heath Miller in check. WR Nate Washington drops too many passes, but is also getting more involved. He is fast and very athletic with deep ball ability. WR Hines Ward is very solid as usual and Santonio Holmes has plenty of big-play potential.
CB Terence Newman's return has been a huge boost to the Cowboys' pass defense. Against Washington a few weeks back, Dallas had Newman shadow WR Santana Moss, but against Pittsburgh, there isn't a clear-cut No. 1 wide out. Dallas had seven sacks last week, but the regularly-porous Steelers' protection only allowed one sack over the past two weeks and that was off a cornerback crash.
Matchup to watch
Cowboys TE Jason Witten vs. Steelers SS Troy Polamalu
Polamalu
does it all and is playing at an extremely high level, but in this matchup, he will often find himself in coverage against Romo's go-to target. Witten exploded for 115 yards against the Seahawks, but he has clearly played hurt. Like Polamalu, who's the league leader in interceptions, LB Lawrence Timmons is another movable chess piece who can do just about anything asked of him from an athletic standpoint. He can play his weak inside linebacker spot, blitz off the edge or play coverage in the short and intermediate zones. He will see time against Witten as well. Because of the extreme edge pressure that Pittsburgh creates, Witten's role in this game will be of great importance both as a blocker and receiver.
Keys to
Success
1 Start fast: The Cowboys have struggled in the first quarter of games and that could be a big problem on the road in Pittsburgh. While this offense is capable of making big plays and coming back from a deficit, the Steelers allow a league low 5.4 yards per passing attempt and are simply exceptional at disallowing the long ball. One thing that Romo excels at though is using pump fakes and manipulating deep coverage. If he gets time, he might be able to manufacture some deep completions, but getting down early is ill-advised against such a forceful Steelers defense.
2 Get something from the run game: No one runs on the Steelers and Barber could be hobbled, but the Cowboys cannot afford to become one dimensional. The Cowboys' offensive line prefers coming forward than playing in reverse, and Dallas' offensive tackles are going to have serious problems with the Steelers' pair of outside linebackers in pass protection. Both LT Flozell Adams and RT Marc Colombo false start far too often and neither has the top-notch initial quickness that is required to deal with ROLB James Harrison and LOLB LaMarr Woodley's speed and vastly-underrated power off the edge. Those two have combined for 26 sacks this year and Harrison had another dominating performance last week, while leading a defense that had five sacks. Harrison has also forced a whopping six fumbles. C Andre Gurode is one of the few players at his position, who can effectively battle nose tackle types like Casey Hampton. That interior battle will go a very long way in determining how well Barber is able to run up the middle, which is his specialty.
3 Owens vs. Taylor: The Steelers prefer to have CB Ike Taylor matchup on their opponents' top wide out and probably will have him do battle with WR Terrell Owens more often than not. Owens has not done as good of a job of getting off physical press coverage as he did in previous seasons and Taylor uses his long arms well at the line. Jamming Owens also disrupts the timing of quick-hitting slants and crosses, which is how he should be used most often against the fierce Steelers' pass rush. However, the Cowboys wisely are moving him around a lot pre-snap and using him in a variety of ways. If Owens can force the Steelers to give him added attention, that could free up WR Roy E. Williams to have a big day. This is exactly why Williams was added to the roster and He needs to come through, if Owens is blanketed.
Keys to
Success
1 Watch out for Ware: ROLB DeMarcus Ware had a huge game on Thanksgiving, abused LT Walter Jones with regularity and registered three sacks. It is fair to say that he will face lesser tackles than Jones this week. Either way, his pure speed, length and athletic ability matched with his ability to set up blockers gives him a massive advantage over the Steelers' offensive tackles. Not only is Ware extremely dangerous, but so are the outside linebackers on the other side. Charles Spencer and Greg Ellis are also exceptional up field players, who clearly have an advantage over the Steelers' tackles, but giving help to the player opposite Ware will be difficult to accomplish.
2 Pound it with Parker: It is very important for the Steelers to have success on early downs and stay out of third-and-long situations because their protection is vastly overmatched against the Cowboys' pass rush. RB Willie Parker (knee) played last week, but somewhat sparingly. He did mount 87 rushing yards for the day against a stout New England front to lead a Steelers team that ran for 161 yards, while controlling the tempo of the game. Parker finished the game strong, so he could be spry for this one and the Steelers will rotate their runners. NT Jay Ratliff is not the typical space-eating nose tackle, but he is a versatile penetrator who plays the game with a great motor and excellent pursuit skills. He will align in any of the interior defensive line positions and his quickness and tenacity could give the Steelers' interior line fits.
3 Pressure Romo: Romo is one of the more difficult quarterbacks to get on the ground due to his pocket presence and agility. Few move within the confines of the pocket as well. He also reads and reacts to blitzes very well. However, no one in the league puts quarterbacks on the ground as well as Pittsburgh. Romo wasn't sacked last week, but he surely will be getting hit against the Steelers. Not only do the Steelers' outside linebackers have distinct advantages over the Cowboys' tackles, but recognizing where the pressure is coming from will be a very difficult task for Romo and especially his protectors.
Scouts Edge
These teams have met in three Super Bowls and both have legitimate hopes of going to the big game again this season. Each has won three games in a row and is playing very well. These two quarterbacks by themselves are worth the price of admission, but there are exceptional football players and great individual matchups all over the field. Romo is 26-9 as a starter and Roethlisberger needs one more win to set the record for most victories over the first five years of a quarterback's career. However, these are the top-two defenses in sacks, so these star quarterbacks will not have an easy go of it. Last Sunday was the 12th straight game that the Steelers' defense allowed less than 300 yards of total offense. While making it 13 could be very tough to pull off this week, we do think that their defense will secure the win in a very close and well-played game.
Prediction
Dallas 20
Pittsburgh 23
Scouts Inc.
Scouts Inc. Position Advantage
QB RB WR OL DL LB DB ST Coach
This is an excellent matchup between two of the better teams in the NFL. The Steelers made a statement in New England last week with another dominating defensive performance and a very solid overall offensive effort in which they scored 30 unanswered points. This is a very long week for Dallas to prepare after a decisive win over Seattle on Thanksgiving. Pittsburgh is in very good shape for the postseason and is working on securing the No. 2 seed in the AFC, while Dallas is back in the thick of the NFC wild card hunt. Of the Cowboys' four losses, two were with Brad Johnson under center, but Tony Romo (and Dallas' swagger) has returned. This should be an exceptional football game.
When Dallas has the ball
This is probably the best defense in the league right now, so nothing will come easy for Dallas on the road, but this is also an offense that is capable of great things. The Cowboys feature a balanced offense that can pound their opponent with RB Marion Barber and a big mauling line or stretch the field with numerous ultra-talented pass- catchers. But Romo makes it all go. Since returning from his finger injury, Romo has thrown for 672 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception. He has thrown for over 300 yards in six of his nine starts this year and owns the top passer rating in the league. He is tough to sack and keeps plays alive very well, while throwing a very catchable ball. He is an elite playmaker at the quarterback position.
Romo is a risk taker who brings leadership and confidence that this team feeds off. It doesn't appear that Romo's injured finger is affecting his ability to throw the football, but he also is not a proven poor-weather passer. Pittsburgh took Patriots QB Matt Cassel out of his game last week, as he completed 48.7 percent for just 169 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. Romo surely will do better, but the Steelers allow a paltry 3.1 yards per rush, so the brunt of this game will probably be on Romo's shoulders.
When Pittsburgh has the ball
QB Ben Roethlisberger played an excellent game in New England and has done a tremendous job of limiting his mistakes lately, while managing the offense and mixing in his pension for big plays. He is very difficult to prepare for. Roethlisberger now seems to realize what a tremendous asset he has with Pittsburgh's fantastic defense and has been more judicious with the football. He is also an exceptional poor-weather passer. Roethlisberger has plenty of receivers at his disposal and spreads the ball around well. The Cowboys' defense did allow Seattle TE John Carlson to catch six passes for 105 yards and could have a tough time keeping TE Heath Miller in check. WR Nate Washington drops too many passes, but is also getting more involved. He is fast and very athletic with deep ball ability. WR Hines Ward is very solid as usual and Santonio Holmes has plenty of big-play potential.
CB Terence Newman's return has been a huge boost to the Cowboys' pass defense. Against Washington a few weeks back, Dallas had Newman shadow WR Santana Moss, but against Pittsburgh, there isn't a clear-cut No. 1 wide out. Dallas had seven sacks last week, but the regularly-porous Steelers' protection only allowed one sack over the past two weeks and that was off a cornerback crash.
Matchup to watch
does it all and is playing at an extremely high level, but in this matchup, he will often find himself in coverage against Romo's go-to target. Witten exploded for 115 yards against the Seahawks, but he has clearly played hurt. Like Polamalu, who's the league leader in interceptions, LB Lawrence Timmons is another movable chess piece who can do just about anything asked of him from an athletic standpoint. He can play his weak inside linebacker spot, blitz off the edge or play coverage in the short and intermediate zones. He will see time against Witten as well. Because of the extreme edge pressure that Pittsburgh creates, Witten's role in this game will be of great importance both as a blocker and receiver.
Keys to
Success
1 Start fast: The Cowboys have struggled in the first quarter of games and that could be a big problem on the road in Pittsburgh. While this offense is capable of making big plays and coming back from a deficit, the Steelers allow a league low 5.4 yards per passing attempt and are simply exceptional at disallowing the long ball. One thing that Romo excels at though is using pump fakes and manipulating deep coverage. If he gets time, he might be able to manufacture some deep completions, but getting down early is ill-advised against such a forceful Steelers defense.
2 Get something from the run game: No one runs on the Steelers and Barber could be hobbled, but the Cowboys cannot afford to become one dimensional. The Cowboys' offensive line prefers coming forward than playing in reverse, and Dallas' offensive tackles are going to have serious problems with the Steelers' pair of outside linebackers in pass protection. Both LT Flozell Adams and RT Marc Colombo false start far too often and neither has the top-notch initial quickness that is required to deal with ROLB James Harrison and LOLB LaMarr Woodley's speed and vastly-underrated power off the edge. Those two have combined for 26 sacks this year and Harrison had another dominating performance last week, while leading a defense that had five sacks. Harrison has also forced a whopping six fumbles. C Andre Gurode is one of the few players at his position, who can effectively battle nose tackle types like Casey Hampton. That interior battle will go a very long way in determining how well Barber is able to run up the middle, which is his specialty.
3 Owens vs. Taylor: The Steelers prefer to have CB Ike Taylor matchup on their opponents' top wide out and probably will have him do battle with WR Terrell Owens more often than not. Owens has not done as good of a job of getting off physical press coverage as he did in previous seasons and Taylor uses his long arms well at the line. Jamming Owens also disrupts the timing of quick-hitting slants and crosses, which is how he should be used most often against the fierce Steelers' pass rush. However, the Cowboys wisely are moving him around a lot pre-snap and using him in a variety of ways. If Owens can force the Steelers to give him added attention, that could free up WR Roy E. Williams to have a big day. This is exactly why Williams was added to the roster and He needs to come through, if Owens is blanketed.
Keys to
Success
1 Watch out for Ware: ROLB DeMarcus Ware had a huge game on Thanksgiving, abused LT Walter Jones with regularity and registered three sacks. It is fair to say that he will face lesser tackles than Jones this week. Either way, his pure speed, length and athletic ability matched with his ability to set up blockers gives him a massive advantage over the Steelers' offensive tackles. Not only is Ware extremely dangerous, but so are the outside linebackers on the other side. Charles Spencer and Greg Ellis are also exceptional up field players, who clearly have an advantage over the Steelers' tackles, but giving help to the player opposite Ware will be difficult to accomplish.
2 Pound it with Parker: It is very important for the Steelers to have success on early downs and stay out of third-and-long situations because their protection is vastly overmatched against the Cowboys' pass rush. RB Willie Parker (knee) played last week, but somewhat sparingly. He did mount 87 rushing yards for the day against a stout New England front to lead a Steelers team that ran for 161 yards, while controlling the tempo of the game. Parker finished the game strong, so he could be spry for this one and the Steelers will rotate their runners. NT Jay Ratliff is not the typical space-eating nose tackle, but he is a versatile penetrator who plays the game with a great motor and excellent pursuit skills. He will align in any of the interior defensive line positions and his quickness and tenacity could give the Steelers' interior line fits.
3 Pressure Romo: Romo is one of the more difficult quarterbacks to get on the ground due to his pocket presence and agility. Few move within the confines of the pocket as well. He also reads and reacts to blitzes very well. However, no one in the league puts quarterbacks on the ground as well as Pittsburgh. Romo wasn't sacked last week, but he surely will be getting hit against the Steelers. Not only do the Steelers' outside linebackers have distinct advantages over the Cowboys' tackles, but recognizing where the pressure is coming from will be a very difficult task for Romo and especially his protectors.
Scouts Edge
These teams have met in three Super Bowls and both have legitimate hopes of going to the big game again this season. Each has won three games in a row and is playing very well. These two quarterbacks by themselves are worth the price of admission, but there are exceptional football players and great individual matchups all over the field. Romo is 26-9 as a starter and Roethlisberger needs one more win to set the record for most victories over the first five years of a quarterback's career. However, these are the top-two defenses in sacks, so these star quarterbacks will not have an easy go of it. Last Sunday was the 12th straight game that the Steelers' defense allowed less than 300 yards of total offense. While making it 13 could be very tough to pull off this week, we do think that their defense will secure the win in a very close and well-played game.
Prediction
Dallas 20
Pittsburgh 23
