Steelers pull off fake spike for touchdown against Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) is hit by Dallas Cowboys linebacker Justin Durant (56) during the first half of an NFL football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Nov. 13, 2016. It just may mean that rookie quarterbacks don’t play great. Therefore, the quarterback does not have to win the game for the team, but not lose it. A strip sack of Dak Prescott would be nice, as would a jumped route. He has played in every game so far this season, but has just five receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns.

Elliott has run for 1,005 yards in the Cowboys’ nine games. Their league-best wide receiver, Antonio Brown, had 14 catches for 154 yards and the TD that looked like it would hold up as the game-winner.

After undergoing two back surgeries in 2013, Romo has missed most Wednesday sessions to build up his core strength, coming up with the routine after the second game of the 2014 season. Then it was Tony Romo. He didn’t throw an interception. Roethlisberger passed for 408 yards and three touchdowns, the final one a 15-yard strike to Brown with 42 seconds to go that put the Steelers up by a point. This Prescott/Elliott tandem is not going to be easy to shut down, and the Steelers defense seemingly will not be too much of a difficulty for Dallas to take advantage of.

They’ll get an extra weapon into the lineup for the first time this season to possibly make that happen. Unless, of course, they decide to start Tony Romo and risk killing the momentum they’ve built under Prescott. It was obvious again Sunday. Now, will Romo, who has played 12 years in the league, have to deal with a similar fate after his injury with star rookie Dak Prescott bursting onto the scene? Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett has said that Romo’s status is going to be more of a gametime decision, even though he appears healthy enough to play. It’s hard to believe anything else at this point. The NFL should be hoping that it comes about.

In Week 10, the Cowboys (8-1) and Steelers (4-5) exchanged blows like a heavyweight title fight. Anyone that watched Bell earlier in the year knows he is still passing the eye test on the inside zone and out of the back field, but these stats are really concerning.

Roethlisberger said the Steelers were “undisciplined and not accountable”.

The Steelers have a good chance to win this game, despite the fact that they are struggling on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. His run game is also impressive; he’s rushed the ball 31 times for 125 yards and four touchdowns. His fake-spike touchdown was Marino-esque. While this game may not be a must win on paper, this team and Mike Tomlin badly need to exceed expectations at some point. Only once previously had they allowed the first touchdown, and that was in San Francisco.

So yes, Elliott is getting better, more complete and more risky as the season progresses, thanks to Prescott pushing his play up, too. If they continue to play like they played Sunday, the Steelers still will be a factor in the AFC. The Dallas Cowboys will take their show on the road as they travel North to take on Big Ben and the Pittsburgh Steelers. So do the football numbers crunchers. It didn’t cost them the game.