Tuesday 15 November 2016 09:54, UK
Ezekiel Elliott scored three touchdowns as the Dallas Cowboys beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 35-30 at Heinz Field. It was a pulsating game, that involved more lead changes than any other game this season.
It looked as though Pittsburgh might have stolen the game as Antonio Brown scored a 15 yard touchdown with less than a minute to go, but Elliott's 32 yard run gave the victory to Dallas.
In 140 Characters...
Incredible, end-to-end game where Ezekiel Elliott stole the show and Dallas proved they are a Super Bowl ready team.
MVP
Elliott scored three touchdowns, two rushing as well as the first receiving score of his career. The rookie running back had over 200 yards from the line of scrimmage, and was simply unstoppable tonight.
Game-changer
With the Cowboys trailing by one, Steelers defensive tackle Sean Davis handed Dallas an extra 15 yards for a face-mask penalty. Elliott capitalised, bursting through the Pittsburgh defence for a 32 yard touchdown run, with just nine seconds remaining.
Stat of the night
7 - There were seven lead changes in tonight's game - the most in the NFL this season.
The game
On the Cowboy's second play, Anthony Chickillo got to rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, forcing the fumble and setting up Pittsburgh for a 38 yard touchdown, completed by Le'Veon Bell who caught the two yard pass for an early score.
The Cowboys responded with a field goal, before Roethlisberger threw his second touchdown pass, this time to Eli Rogers from 3 yards. As with the first touchdown the Steelers went for a two point conversion, but couldn't find an open receiver.
Dallas then found the end zone themselves, Prescott throwing a short pass to Ezekiel Elliott, who found space to run up the sideline for an 83 yard touchdown score. On their next possession, Dallas added a 53 yard field goal to take a 13-12 lead.
However it was the Steelers who led at half time as Chris Boswell made a 39 yard field goal. The kicker then added another early in the third quarter, this time from 25 yards.
The Cowboys scored a field goal of their own with five minutes left to go in the quarter, before Prescott found Dez Bryant with a 50 yard touchdown pass to give Dallas a 23-18 advantage going into the fourth quarter.
Pittsburgh retook the lead with a six play drive, culminating in Bell's second touchdown run of the night. From a yard out, Roethlisberger handed the ball off to the fourth year running back for his first rushing touchdown of the season.
The Cowboys responded immediately, marching 75 yards before Elliott finished the drive with a 14 yard rushing touchdown.
But again the Steelers hit back, Roethlisberger needing only five plays to give his side the advantage. After passes to Bell and tight end Jason Witten, 'Big Ben' faked spiking the ball to throw 15 yards to Antonio Brown, who raced into the end zone.
With less than a minute left, Prescott threw back-to-back first down throws, before the Davis penalty moved Dallas into scoring territory. It was rookie Elliott who took advantage of the opportunity, finding the hole in the Pittsburgh defence and sprinting through for the 32 yard score.
The win moves Dallas to 8-1, and laid down a marker for their play-off credentials. The Steelers have been a much better team at home, and tonight's win cements the Cowboys as firm favourite for the NFC number one seed.
Though Elliott will take all the headlines, it was another great performance from the rookie QB Prescott, too. The fourth round pick threw two touchdowns and over 300 yards, without interception.
Pittsburgh fall to 4-5, a game back from Baltimore who beat the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night. It was an impressive performance from the Steelers, but their failure to deal with Dallas' lethal run game undid the positives.
