Category: Steelers vs Cowboys: Hall of Fame Game

Steelers vs Cowboys most watched preseason game since 2017

NFL fans watched Thursday night’s game in record numbers.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers took on the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday night in the Hall of Fame game and people watched. According to the ratings, the Fox broadcast drew 7.326 million viewers watching the Steelers beat the Cowboys 16-3.

This was the most-watched preseason game since 2017 and it beat out live coverage of the Olympics as well.

It makes sense that a matchup of two of the most popular NFL franchises would draw lots of eyes but it is probably even more than that. After a tremendously long offseason coming off of a regular season marred by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was incredibly refreshing to watch an NFL game with fans in attendance for the full experience.

Next up for the Steelers is another Thursday night tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles on August 12.

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Ranking the 7 best defensive players from the HOF game

The Steelers defense was smothering on Thursday night against the Cowboys.

On Thursday night the Pittsburgh Steelers showcased several defensive players hoping to represent the future for this team. It didn’t matter which grouping was on the field, this group just swarmed the Dallas Cowboys offense and never let them get going.

Here are our seven favorite defenders from Thursday’s win.

Steelers backups play well, dispatch Cowboys in HOF game

Several young Steelers stepped up against the Cowboys.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys kicked off the 2021 NFL preseason and despite most of the starters in street clothes, the Steelers were active and played with excellent energy pulling off the 16-3 win over the Dallas Cowboys in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game.

Pittsburgh showcased all three of their young backup quarterbacks and all three players, Mason Rudolph, Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs played well. No player really stood out but all three guys played with confidence and had a solid grasp of the new offense. This will be a battle to watch all preseason long.

Rookie running back Najee Harris started and played three offensive series, finishing with a hard-earned 22 rushing yards on seven carries. Overall the running backs were mediocre, largely because they played behind all reserve offensive linemen.

Defensively, it doesn’t matter if it is a starter or a backup, this group plays with intensity and energy. Plenty of young players including linebackers Alex Highsmith and Quincy Roche got into the backfield for a sack and the defensive secondary forced three fumbles and had an interception.

The star of the night was Steelers punter Pressley Harvin III. The rookie punter is looking to beat out veteran Jordan Berry for the starting job and after four excellent punts, it almost feels like a foregone conclusion.

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DBs Justin Layne and Antoine Brooks Jr. combine to stall Cowboys drive

The Steelers defense is in mid-season form on forcing the football loose.

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The Pittsburgh Steelers are showing a lot of new faces on defense and so far many of them are stepping up against the Dallas Cowboys. Late in the second quarter, the Cowboys went for it on fourth down and with a long completion had the conversion.

But cornerback Justin Layne never gave up on the play, forcing a fumble on Dallas WR Malik Turner with Pittsburgh defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr. smartly picking up the fumble and flipping the field for the Steelers.

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Steelers vs Cowboys: 6 players to watch in the HOF Game

Which Steelers players are you most wanting to watch on Thursday?

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting set to play their first preseason game of the year against the Dallas Cowboys. The Steelers roster had been given a fairly major overhaul and so we are very ready to see how these new pieces fit.

Here are the six guys we can’t wait to see play on Thursday.

Steelers vs Cowboys HOF game: Mason Rudolph to start at QB for Pittsburgh

The Steelers will start Mason Rudolph on Thursday.

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When Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke to the media on Tuesday about this week’s Hall of Fame Game with the Dallas Cowboys, he announced Mason Rudolph would be the starting quarterback.

According to Tomlin, Rudolph and newcomer Dwayne Haskins would split the first half leaving Josh Dobbs to play the entire second half.

Rudolph and Haskins are squarely in a competition for the backup quarterback position with a future starting spot potentially on the line as well. Rudolph is the incumbent reserve and has been a Steelers starter back in 2019. Haskins on the other hand came into the league as a first-round pick and was thrust into the starting lineup as a rookie.

In training camp, Haskins has shown those skills that earned him a first-round grade in 2019 and Rudolph might be in a position to hold Haskins off throughout training camp.

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