The last time Dak Prescott went to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers, he wasn’t the highest-paid player in the NFL. He was a rookie fourth-round draft pick, a young quarterback who in that very game would validate the decision made within the organization (but yet to be publicly announced) naming him the Cowboys’ permanent starter—even when Tony Romo was healthy.

Prescott justified the commitment as he delivered the first 300–yard passing game of his career and led the Cowboys to their eighth consecutive victory in that 2016 game in Pittsburgh, defeating Ben Roethlisberger 35-30.

The Cowboys return Sunday night without starting defensive ends Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks. They either win or risk a potential 2-5 start to the season with the Lions and 49ers next on the schedule. As an expert on the subject of young players being prepared for their opportunity to seize the moment, Prescott offered the following perspective.

“It’s an opportunity to show the depth of this team, and what we’re made of,” Prescott said. “Young guys, as we talk about, you were going to have to count on them late in the year — we’ve got to count on them now. That’s the NFL.”

“I mean, honestly it’s how I got my job. It’s how a lot of people have stepped in and gotten the job. Tyler Smith, right? When your number’s called, jump in, show that you belong here, show that you can prepare the right way, and make the most of your opportunity.”

Prescott is hoping that young receivers like Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks and Ryan Flournoy, and rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland are listening to his message and seeing his example.

“We’ve gotta go out there and play for (Cooks) and get the W,” CeeDee Lamb said. “Unfortunately, we lost a brother this week and who knows how long he’s going to be out. It’s time for [the young WRs] to step up, and I’m happy for them. I can’t wait for them to go out there and showcase their abilities.”

The challenge for a Cowboys offensive line with two rookie starters is immense—especially with no perceived threat from the worst running game in the NFL.

Mike McCarthy is emphasizing playing complementary football and creating a balanced offense, which seems unattainable. Especially against a Steelers defense that ranks second in the NFL for fewest points allowed and features pass-rushers TJ Watt and Cam Heyward—the only teammates in the NFL with 80 or more sacks each.

McCarthy and his staff created a pass-protection plan that handled reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett on the road and beat the Browns. They managed DT Dexter Lawrence on the road and beat the Giants.

Now they have to account for two elite pass-rushers on the road in a Sunday night atmosphere.

The key is don’t lose the game on offense—to a Watt strip sack or a Minkah Fitzpatrick interception

McCarthy knows the intricacies and philosophy of the Pittsburgh defense. As the head coach in Green Bay, McCarthy hired former Steelers defensive coach Dom Capers as his defensive coordinator to install the same defensive system there. It worked well enough for McCarthy and the Packers to defeat the Steelers, 31-25, in Super Bowl XLV.

“It’s been the same defense since 1992 and it’s built to stop the run,’’ McCarthy said.

The Cowboys have both of the last two players to accumulate 200 yards from scrimmage in a single game against the Steelers. Elliott did it in that aforementioned 2016 game with 114 yards rushing and 95 receiving. Dalvin Cook accomplished it with the 205 yards rushing for the Vikings in 2021.

Elliott barely plays now. Cook is still waiting to be promoted from the practice squad, and it won’t happen this week.

This game will be Prescott’s to win or lose. “Being 2-2 is not acceptable to us,’’ he said.

Asked whether he’s playing his absolute best, Prescott thought for a moment and then said, “I’m playing solid football. I think if you broke down all four games, there’s a play or two, a couple of plays within that I want back. … I can tell you my best is damn sure, I’m on the brink of it. I feel like I’m stepping into that… It’s damn sure coming.”

The McCarthy-Pittsburgh connection

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy was raised in Pittsburgh as (what else?) a Steelers fan. In fact, he proved this week he can recite the starting lineup for the Steel Curtain defenses of the 1970s under coach Chuck Noll.

So I asked McCarthy about being in his hometown wearing Cowboys logos, knowing he won his only Super Bowl as a head coach at the expense of the Steelers.

“When I go back there, they always say, ‘If we had to lose one, we’re glad it was to you.’ That speaks to being from there,’’ he said.

Jerry Jones arrives in style

During training camp, Mike McCarthy said he had been “Jerry-ized.’’ Perhaps so, but he still had a first-time experience this week when Cowboys owner Jerry Jones interrupted practice by having the pilot of his helicopter land on the practice field adjacent to that the team was using,

Reacting like a man in the final year of his contract, McCarthy responded with humor when asked about Jones’ unique arrival. “Well, hey, let’s be honest, he was almost late for practice,” McCarthy said. “I thought I was going to have to get on his ass.”

Cooks injury update

The arthroscopic surgery required to eradicate the infection in Brandin Cooks’ right knee could eventually prove beneficial. While he’s out for one to three weeks, Cooks should be fully healthy and perhaps his speed will return to enable him to contribute big plays. There had been concern he had lost a step. Maybe it was just a bad knee.

The abysmal run game

The Cowboys rank dead last in the NFL in rushing yards per game and are tied for 31st in yards per attempt. Rico Dowdle’s 46 yards against the Giants is the team’s single-game high.

There are 10 individual players with more rushing yards than the Cowboys have accumulated as a team—including Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley, both of whom were free agents this summer.

Hunter Luepke has played slightly more offensive snaps (89 to 85) than Ezekiel Elliott in the first four weeks of the season. Elliott, who started in the backfield in the season opener and hurdled a defender on his first play, has played 15 and 10 snaps in the last two weeks.

Prescott sympathizes with the challenge the former two-time NFL rushing champion endures in his return to the organization after a dismal season with the Patriots. “That’s a guy who’s used to playing a lot. He’s been able to handle the way that he’s been used the last couple of weeks. Yeah, I’m sure it’s frustrating. I can’t imagine being in that position, having to come off the field.

“I know when he was a young guy you couldn’t get him off the field. I mean, if he would come off the field, it’d be for a play, and then he was right back in there, and that’d be maybe five plays out of the whole game. So damn sure, frustrating, I’m sure, and I know it is, but he’s a team-first guy, so he’s not showing that. He’s coming in, doing everything that he needs to do for this team, and just trying to make the most of his opportunities to keep himself on the field. And that’s what a pro does.’’

Two costly injuries

The Cowboys placed DeMarcus Lawrence on IR with a mid-foot sprain while Micah Parsons is potentially out for multiple games with a high ankle sprain. Per ESPN Stats and Info, the Cowboys’ defense has played 435 snaps with both Lawrence and Parsons off the field since Parsons’ first season in 2021 with the following results:

Off-setting injuries?

Perhaps the Cowboys’ loss of Parsons and Lawrence will be somewhat offset by injury absences the Steelers have experienced on their offensive line. G James Daniels suffered a torn Achilles in Week Four and is out for the season. He is the third OL to be lost for the season, joining Nate Herbig and Troy Fautanu.

No flags for Watt

Steelers DC Teryl Austin on lack of holding calls on opponents blocking TJ Watt: “The great pass rushers get held. They’ll hold him this week. We have to fight through that because that’s out of our control. There is nothing we can do about that. We let New York take care of that.”