The Dallas Cowboys will be at Acrisure Stadium for Sunday Night Football to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers this week in an old-school matchup between two teams looking to kickstart their playoff ambitions in their respective conferences.
The Steelers are narrow 2.5-point home favorites in Week 5 NFL odds and are looking to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, which came against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4. On the other side of the ball, the Cowboys are looking to win back-to-back games for the first time this season after defeating the New York Giants. We also cover a Texas sportsbook promo and PA sportsbook promo ahead of the game.
Steelers slight favorites over Cowboys in key matchup
How the Steelers could win and cover the spread
The Steelers have been one of the surprise packages in the NFL this season and currently lead the AFC North with a 3-1 record. The play of Justin Fields has been a real bright spot, too; Fields has completed 70.6% of his passes for 830 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception through four games and has looked more composed and assured than ever before in the pocket.
Per PFF, Fields has just one turnover-worthy play, the second-fewest among quarterbacks. His 0.9% interception rate is also among the lowest in the league. The offense has been largely successful thanks to its clean, turnover-free brand of football, and that should be the emphasis again.
The Steelers turned the ball over twice in the Week 4 loss to the Colts, and that contributed to their first loss of the season. On Sunday Night Football, we could end up seeing them target the Cowboys’ soft defensive front, one that could be without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, but their commitment to safe football has got them to where they are right now.
How the Cowboys could cover the spread and win
Consistency hasn’t been the Cowboys’ forte through four weeks. They’re 2-2 after their Week 4 victory over the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football, but week-to-week it’s hard to predict which Cowboys team will show up. However, they’ve had one of the better passing offenses in the NFL this season, with Dak Prescott completing 64.4% of his pass attempts for 1,072 yards and six touchdowns. They’ll take on a tough Steelers defense that is allowing the fourth-fewest passing yards per game in the NFL so far, but they’ll have to endure.
The Cowboys’ rushing game has been poor in 2024, and the burden is definitely on Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Jake Ferguson to create offense. But for that to happen, the Cowboys will need to keep Prescott clean. They’ve allowed the seventh-lowest pressure rate, per PFF, in 2024, but here they’ll come up against the likes of T.J. Watt, Cameron Heyward, and Alex Highsmith. They’ll likely have to be at their best, but if they do that, Prescott can get to work.