The 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers travel to Dallas, Texas in Week 9 to take on the lowly Dallas Cowboys, who are only 2-6 on the season.
The Steelers are the only undefeated team in the NFL and have been playing very well on both sides of the ball. The Cowboys, meanwhile, are a walking disaster and players may have already quit on head coach Mike McCarthy, who is in his first year as the man in charge of America's Team.
As expected, the Steelers are huge favorites to defeat the Cowboys in Week 9 at AT&T Stadium. With the game almost here, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the contest from a Pittsburgh perspective.
1. Ben Roethlisberger throws three touchdowns, doesn't play in 4th quarter
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been on fire this season after only playing in two games in 2019 due to a serious elbow injury that required surgery. The two-time Super Bowl champion has thrown 15 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games while racking up 1,628 passing yards.
The Cowboys have the worst defense in the NFL, as they are giving up 33.3 points per game. We have Roethlisberger throwing three touchdowns against Dallas in three quarters. That's right, look for the Steelers to blow this game open early and sit their starters in the fourth quarter, including Roethlisberger.
In four career games against the Cowboys, Roethlisberger has thrown eight touchdowns and only one interception. Look for Big Ben to have another monster game in Week 9 versus the putrid Cowboys defense.
2. JuJu Smith-Schuster scores two touchdowns
Steelers wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster recently said he loves doing the dirty work and doesn't care about his personal stats as long as the team is winning.
Luckily for Smith-Schuster, we have him going off against the Cowboys and helping the Steelers improve to 8-0 by scoring two touchdowns in Dallas. The 23-year-old has 39 receptions on the season for 346 yards and three scores.
The Cowboys' secondary can't stop a cold right now if they wanted to. Look for Roethlisberger and Smith-Schuster to connect on a few deep balls against Dallas and put on a show at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys have allowed more than 30 points five times this season. The team could finish the campaign with one of the worst defenses in NFL history, and Smith-Schuster and the Steelers are going to have a lot of fun in Week 9 toying with Dallas.
3. Steelers notch two interceptions
We still don't know who the Cowboys are going to start at quarterback against the Steelers. Multiple reports have stated that Dallas is going to bench Ben DiNucci after just one game and go with either Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush versus Pittsburgh.
With that being said, we have the Steelers recording two interceptions in Week 9 against the Cowboys, no matter the quarterback. Pittsburgh is only giving up 20.3 points per game this season, and Dallas' offense has been terrible ever since star quarterback Dak Prescott was lost for the season.
The Steelers already have 10 interceptions on the season. Nine different players on defense have recorded one as well. It looks like this is going to be one of those Pittsburgh teams with dominant ability on both sides of the ball.
If that is truly the case, don't be surprised if the Steelers — and not the Kansas City Chiefs — are representing the AFC in the Super Bowl.
4. Steelers defeat Cowboys by more than 30 points
As we stated earlier, the Steelers are likely going to cruise to victory and rest their starters in the fourth quarter. To be more specific, we have Pittsburgh defeating Dallas by more than 30 points for its most dominant win of the season.
The Steelers are out for blood this season. All anyone talks about in the AFC is Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Mike Tomlin's group is coming off two huge road wins against the Tennessee Titans and Baltimore Ravens. The NFL Gods decided to give the Steelers a slight bye week in Week 9 by putting the Cowboys on their schedule, as Dallas has no chance to win this game no matter who the starting quarterback is.
Pittsburgh hasn't been to the playoffs since 2017. That short drought is going to end this year, as all signs point toward the Steelers winning the AFC North. They will get one step closer to that goal with a wire-to-wire win over the struggling Cowboys in Week 9.
Tomlin, one of the best coaches in the NFL, is going to make sure his group is prepared for this game and doesn't fall for the dreaded “trap game.”
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