Rico Dowdle and Jalen Tolbert rise as key players in Cowboys' offense
FRISCO — Rico Dowdle's migration to the role as lead running back for the Dallas Cowboys has been slow and steady.
Jalen Tolbert suddenly found himself in the spotlight with No. 2 receiver Brandin Cooks unavailable because of a knee issue.
They are the two new names for a Dallas offense trying to prop up an injury-plagued defense, now looking to build on the heavy hands they had in a last-minute, 20-17 victory at Pittsburgh.
Dallas (3-2) is home against Detroit on Sunday.
"I think it all started with Rico," said Ezekiel Elliott, a two-time rushing champion for the Cowboys who returned to his original team in the offseason but is clearly a backup now. "Rico running the ball hard got the team going in the second half, and (we) finished it off."
Dowdle catching the ball was big, too. His 22-yarder put Dallas in front early in the fourth quarter before Dak Prescott's clutch 4-yard toss to Tolbert on fourth down with 20 seconds remaining.
An undrafted fifth-year player, Dowdle had career highs in carries (20), yards rushing (87) and scrimmage yards (114). Elliott has 20 carries in the past four games combined.
Tolbert, a 2022 third-round pick who barely played as a rookie, has reset his personal best twice this season, getting 87 yards receiving against the Steelers. His two TDs match the combined total of his first two years.
Cooks will miss at least three more games after a procedure led to a knee infection that required follow-up surgery. So the chances should keep coming alongside All-Pro receiver CeeDee Lamb.
"I told him earlier in the week he's going to be the reason we win plenty of games," Lamb said of Tolbert. "Just kind of instilling that confidence in him throughout the whole week. That's huge on Tolbert."
What's working
After two abysmal first-half showings in Dallas' two losses (both at home), the defense has responded nicely. The Steelers had just 226 yards with the Cowboys missing their top two pass rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence and two of their top four cornerbacks.
Parsons is likely to be out again on Sunday, with Lawrence sidelined for at least three more games. The Lions (3-1) are coming off a bye, and Jared Goff's offense is a much bigger threat than what Dallas faced with Justin Fields.
What needs help
The connection between Prescott and Lamb is still off after the receiver missed all of training camp in a contract holdout.
One of Prescott's three turnovers was an interception near Pittsburgh's goal line when Lamb kept running while the throw required him to stop.
It appeared Lamb wasn't expecting the ball, and it was hard to tell what he said to Prescott when the stone-faced QB was on the bench shortly thereafter. Whatever it was, Prescott completely ignored Lamb.
Stock up
That's how Prescott's stock was trending at the end of the game after his 23rd game-winning drive, fifth-most in the NFL since he came into the league in 2016. The winning throw came after he alertly pounced on a fumble by Dowdle.
It wasn't trending that way for the first three quarters.
Prescott, who agreed to the first contract to pay $60 million per year hours before the season opener, had two interceptions and a lost fumble. The three giveaways matched his number from a 42-10 loss at San Francisco last season, also in Week 5. His career-worst is four.
"Composure is a huge strength of his," coach Mike McCarthy said. "He doesn't blink. He doesn't dwell on mistakes. He never blinked one time during that game."
Stock down
In a season notable for slow starts in the two losses, McCarthy was the one making early mistakes in his homecoming against the Steelers.
After wide receiver Jalen Brooks made a catch that would have been a first down if spotted correctly on forward progress, McCarthy had the Cowboys rush to the line for a third-and-1 snap. The play ended in an intentional grounding penalty that forced a punt on Dallas' second possession.
Had the Cowboys waited, the replay showed Brooks clearly making the catch at the first-down spot before getting pushed back.
Three plays later, McCarthy challenged the recovery when Justin Fields emerged with the ball from a scrum after his fumble. It was clear the replay wasn't going to help Dallas, and the "stands" ruling came quickly.
Injuries
Rookie DE Marshawn Kneeland injured a knee early and didn't return. His prognosis will help determine the severity of the test for Dallas' pass-rushing depth. ... Rookie LT Tyler Guyton injured a knee, forcing LG Tyler Smith to move over and T.J. Bass to take Smith's spot.
Key number
3-0 and 0-2 — The Cowboys are unbeaten on the road and winless at home after entering the season with a 16-game winning streak at AT&T Stadium in the regular season. Dallas is on a three-game home skid when the shocking wild-card loss to Green Bay in January is included.
Next steps
Detroit and coach Dan Campbell, a Texas native, will certainly downplay the significance. But the Lions return to AT&T Stadium roughly nine months removed from a 2-point conversion incorrectly being disallowed by officials in a 20-19 victory for Dallas. The loss cost Detroit a shot at the top seed in the NFC, and the Lions lost the NFC championship game in San Francisco.
