Steelers-Cowboys NFL Week Nine: What You Need To Know

PITTSBURGH, PA — The Steelers are prohibitive favorites to defeat the injury-plagued Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. But under coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers have had a habit of occasionally and inexplicably losing to large underdogs on the road.

However, the Cowboys have lost first- and second-string quarterbacks Dak Prescott and Andy Dalton to injury. Third-string quarterback Ben DiNucci, a Pine-Richland graduate and former Pitt Panthe,r was so bad last week that he will be on the bench against the Steelers.

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, a Greenfield native, on Friday refused to identify a starting quarterback for the team. But his choices are limited to Garrett Gilbert, who has thrown six NFL passes, and Cooper Rush, who has thrown three NFL passes.

If the 7-0 Steelers can't top the 2-6 Cowboys, whose quarterbacks have thrown less than 10 NFL passes, the game will go down as one of the worst blemishes on Tomlin's tenure as the team's coach. There simply is no excuse for defeat.

Here's what you need to know about the game:

• When: Sunday, 4:25 p.m.
• Forecast: Partly cloudy, temperatures in the upper 70s.
• Favored: Steelers by 14, according to Oddsshark.com
• Last meeting: Nov. 13 2016, Dallas won 35-30.
• All-time series: Cowboys lead 17-15.
• Streak: Steelers have won the past two games against the Texans.
• TV: CBS, with Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson.
• Radio: WDVE-FM, with Bill Hillgrove and Tunch Ilkin.