Cowboys at Steelers: Highlights, score and recap

The Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-30 after a spectacular shootout  at Heinz Field in Week 10. Here are the highlights and key players.

Ezekiel Elliott scored his third touchdown with nine seconds left on the clock after powering through untouched from 32 yards out to break Pittsburgh hearts.

The Steelers thought they’d won it after Ben Roethlisberger had hit Antonio Brown from 15 yards inside the final 50 seconds following a dramatic fake spike.

Roethlisberger had earlier thrown a pair of short-range touchdown passes to help the Steelers build a 15-13 halftime lead. Big Ben connected with Le’Veon Bell from two yards out before finding Eli Rogers from the three.

In between, Dallas once again found inspiration form rookie running back Elliott. He lifted the offense by turning a screen passes into an 83-yard score.

A pair of Dan Bailey field goals accounted for the rest of the Cowboys’ scoring through two quarters. Meanwhile, under-fire Chris Boswell booted a 39-yarder in response, after the Pittsburgh O’ had twice failed on two-point conversion attempts following their touchdown drives.

Boswell and Bailey traded another field goal apiece in the third quarter, before Dez Bryant made his mark. The Cowboys’ marquee wideout beat rookie cornerback Artie Burns to haul in a 50-yard pass from Dak Prescott.

Bell went over from the one in the fourth to regain the lead for the Steelers. But another botched two-point try meant its was a narrow, single-point lead.

It was also the cue for the stuff of legends from Brown and Elliott.

Highlights

Three Stars

1. Ben Roethlisberger

Pittsburgh’s quarterback struggled against the Baltimore Ravens last week. But Ol’ No. 7 hung tough against an underrated Dallas defense.

First, Roethlisberger survived a gruesome hit when he was sandwiched by D-tackle Cedric Thornton and linebacker Justin Durant. He also moved into the top-10 in league history for touchdown passes after his first-half display, per ESPN Stats & Info:

More than anything, Roethlisberger stayed in the pocket and took some rough hits while he waited for his receivers to break open. It’s something Antonio Brown and Co. struggled to do most through three quarters, as Dallas defensive backs clamped down in press coverage.

So Roethlisberger had to bide his team and be particularly accurate. He ultimately missed on only nine of 44 passes, amassed 353 yards and didn’t throw an interception.

But he saved the best for last when he channeled his inner Dan Marino on THAT fake spike. It was a la Marino against the New York Jets in ’94. It was also a moment of fist-pumping, throat-shredding brilliance from a quarterback at the top of his game.

The Steelers are struggling, but their quarterback remains right on the money.

2. Ezekiel Elliott

Stopping Elliott is still proving a nightmare for NFL defenses. The former Ohio State Buckeye rushed for an impressive 114 yards on 21 carries in the Steel City. He also snagged two passes for 95 yards.

That’s 209 total yards from 23 touches. Simply awesome.

Elliott changed the game when he turned a short grab on 2nd-and-18 into a touchdown. More than any other play, that one sparked the Cowboys, who looked like crumbling early on.

Yet this team knows it always has a momentum-changer and a closer in the backfield.

3. Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown can beat teams in so many ways. This week, it was his turn to rescue Pittsburgh’s special teams from a nightmare performance.

Down by five with a little over 10 minutes remaining, the Steelers put No. 84 in to field a punt. He promptly ran the kick back into Cowboys territory.

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin will often risk putting Brown in the return game when his team needs a lift. It’s similar to how Joe Gibbs and the Washington Redskins used to use Darrell Green.

Brown followed his return by catching three-straight passes to put the Steelers inside the red zone en route to Bell’s second score. Ultimately, the Steelers follow a simple motto. When they need a big play, they just put the ball into the hands of their best player.

In all, Brown finished with 14 grabs for 154 yards, including what looked to be the winning touchdown on a play that will be shown for decades.

Not bad for on Sunday’s work, even one this disappointing for Pittsburgh.

Next: Cowboys at Steelers Week 10: Game preview, odds, prediction

Next Week

The Steelers are on the road against bitter division rivals the Cleveland Browns in Week 11. Meanwhile, the Cowboys will host another AFC North team, the division-leading Baltimore Ravens.