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1. Feed Zeke
Rookie Ezekiel Elliott scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 32-yard breakaway with nine seconds remaining. While many were thinking the Cowboys, down one, would settle for getting into field goal range for Dan Bailey, Elliott took advantage of key blocks from tight end Gavin Escobar and left tackle Tyron Smith and cruised untouched for the game-winning score. Elliott finished with his most total yards this season, 114 rushing and 95 receiving and a touchdown through the air and two on the ground. In addition to the winning touchdown, Zeke took a little screen pass from Dak Prescott 83 yards for a momentum-changing touchdown in the first half, bringing Dallas with 12-10 after opening with a 12-3 deficit. He also scored on a key 14-yard run with under two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Elliott surpassed 1,000 rushing yards in the ninth game of his career.
2. Dak overcomes adversity
The focus all week centered on if veteran quarterback Tony Romo would be active for the first time this season. He wasn't, but is expected to be next week against the Ravens. There's plenty of time left for those discussions. But on Sunday, rookie quarterback Dak Prescott again overcame some ups and downs to perform solidly as Dallas kept winning. Prescott finished 22 of 32 for 319 yards - his first 300-yard game - and two touchdowns. Again, he shined in the fourth quarter. He remained poised as the Cowboys moved 75 yards on five plays with less than a minute to play to regain the lead. He also went 6 of 6 on a late fourth-quarter drive in which Dallas took a 29-24 lead. Prescott overcame his fifth turnover of the season, a lost fumble on the game's opening drive that led to a Pittsburgh touchdown.
3. Dez comes up big
Receiver Dez Bryant played Sunday, just hours after learning the news of his father's passing. He finished with six catches on nine targets for 116 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown late in the third quarter that pushed Dallas back into the lead, 23-18. Both Bryant and quarterback Dak Prescott pointed to the sky after the touchdown, which came on third and 11, with Pittsburgh blitzing. Both have lost a parent. Bryant had just one catch in last week's win at Cleveland, but remained adamant that his numbers didn't matter as long as the Cowboys were winning.
4. Steelers' Big Three did well...two-point conversions? Not so much
Pittsburgh receiver Antonio Brown had 14 catches for 154 yards and the go-ahead touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger, just weeks removed from a knee injury. The score gave the Steelers a one-point lead with just 43 seconds remaining. The Steelers went 75 yards on five plays on the go-ahead drive, with the TD pass coming after Roethlisberger faked spiking the ball to stop the clock. The Cowboys defense had its hands full for much of the night against Roethlisberger, Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell. They did manage to stop the Steelers on all four two-point conversion attempts after touchdowns. Bell had 57 yards rushing and 77 yards receiving. Big Ben went 37 of 46 for 408 yards and three touchdowns. Brown is the first receiver or running back to surpass 100 yards against Dallas this season. The defense also gave up more than 23 points for the first time this season.
5. Daaaaaan Bailey!
Other kickers in the NFL continue to struggle. But the Cowboys are lucky to have Dan Bailey. He hit field goals of 37, 53 and 46 yards on Sunday with the Pittsburgh defense limiting the offense's effectiveness. The security of being able to go to Bailey is priceless. The 53-yarder is the longest in the history of Heinz Field.