The Dallas Cowboys took the field on Thursday for the first time since their 2020 campaign ended in January. The opponent? The rival Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2021 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game. While missing a multitude of starters, Dallas had plenty of other players looking to impress the coaching staff in their 2021 debuts.
The Cowboys, playing without many starters, played their two most veteran QBs in the first half and their 2020 seventh-round rookie in the second half. Turning the ball over three times (one interception, two of four fumbles lost), they weren’t able to mount much of an offense. When they did, their backup kicker missed two field goals and although they had several strong defensive performances, lost the exhibition opener 16-3.
The bright side? Dallas avoided suffering any major injuries, only having one scare to a reserve offensive lineman who returned on the next series. On a night of celebration for three former members of the organization, the current players were unable to secure a win in a game that will soon be forgotten by most.
Punter Hunter Niswander, stepping in for the injured Greg Zuerlein, took the role of placekicker and started the exhibition season with the opening kickoff. After giving up a couple first downs, first-round rookie linebacker Micah Parsons made his introduction, recovering a fumble by Steelers QB Mason Rudolph. Parsons would only see the first two drives but made a memorable impression with three tackles in the next seven snaps to go alongside the fumble recovery.
Quarterback Garrett Gilbert took the field after the takeaway and was able to move the ball down the field, down to the Pittsburgh four-yard line where Niswander finished the drive with a 29-yard field goal for the first score of the game. Gilbert would complete 9 of 13 passes on the day for 104 yards. He was sacked twice and didn’t show the greatest awareness in the pocket.
Things would go downhill for Niswander and the Cowboys after their score. He would miss his second attempt, this one from 52 yards at the end of the first half and Dallas entered the locker room up 3-0. In between, veteran Cooper Rush played and didn’t fare much better than Gilbert. Rush went 8 for 13 for 70 yards in his preseason debut.
With quarterback Ben Dinucci taking over in the second half, the Cowboys had a three-and-out, and the Steelers took no time marching down the field and scoring a touchdown on a run by Kalen Ballage to take the lead that Pittsburgh wouldn’t let up till the end, adding another field goal and a touchdown to win the game 16-3.
DiNucci, playing behind third and fourth stringers, ended up going 7 for 17 for 89 yards and an interception. Both he and Gilbert had fumbles on strip sacks, but Dallas recovered both.
Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle had an impressive game, totaling 43 yards on 5.4 yards per carry. Wide receiver Malik Turner had a fumble on a 20-yard catch but recovered well and finished the game with a team-leading four catches for 47 yards.
With plenty of rookies flashing success in their debut, Dallas looks towards their next preseason game against the Cardinals on August 13.