A Cowboys-Steelers matchup- in primetime, no less- rarely needs a lot of extra juice. After 33 all-time meetings, the Cowboys hold just a one-game edge in the series. But the interconference rivalry was built largely on Super Bowls. To wit: they’re the only teams to meet in the big game three times, the two franchises have 16 appearances between them, and a total of 11 Lombardi Trophies sit in their respective lobbies.
And while this Week 5 meeting doesn’t hold that same kind of overall importance, it could nevertheless go a long way in predicting what the rest of the Cowboys’ 2024 season will look like.
Though the team sits at 2-2, the general impression around Cowboys Nation is that the bottom could drop right out of this thing any moment now. The two losses have been embarrassing blowouts, injuries have already sidelined several major playmakers, a vocal faction of fans is lobbying the owner’s family to relinquish control of the team’s day-to-day football operations, and a nasty gauntlet of opponents awaits on the schedule.
Many Cowboys fans already need a glimmer of hope to cling to.
Enter Jerry Jones.
The team’s Chief Eternal Optimist addressed concerns about a depleted wide receiver corps on Friday by pumping up… wait for it… Ryan Flournoy. The sixth-round draft pick will be active for the first time on Sunday and looks to make his NFL debut helping to fill in for six-time 1,000-yard receiver Brandin Cooks.
Flournoy is a largely unknown commodity outside The Star, but Jones had not just rave reviews for the 24-year-old, but also a big-time comparable to dangle in front of the Cowboys faithful.
“He may be something special for us,” Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. “On a personal basis, he’s got Dez Bryant stuff to him. Boy, is he an athlete. I’m glad to see him get this opportunity … he could show out.”
Jerry Jones on @1053thefan about WR Ryan Flournoy: “I’m anxious to see him make his first catch with the Dallas Cowboys, but he may be something special for us. On a personal basis, he’s got Dez Bryant stuff to him. Boy, is he an athlete. Glad to see him get this opportunity.”
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) October 4, 2024
Of course, it’s worth wondering aloud: if Jones and the Cowboys are so incredibly high on Flournoy, then why leave him inactive for four straight weeks and finally play him only because of an injury at WR2?
And cynically, it’s not like anyone would really put it past Jones to overexaggerate a young player’s potential just to peddle some excitement to the fanbase during a season that threatens to go off the rails. No, better to keep those stadium seats full for the next three months by hinting that this off-the-bench guy just might become the team’s next superstar phenom, à la Tony Romo or Miles Austin.
You probably already have a No. 88 jersey; why not get you an 80 before everyone else?
To be sure, invoking the name of Bryant- the franchise’s all-time receiving touchdowns leader- certainly sets a high bar for the Southeast Missouri State product who has only played in the preseason (and marred his first of those with a costly drop.)
But Flournoy himself says he’s learned a lot since then and is ready to take a big step in his pro career.
“I’m super confident,” he told reporters earlier in the week.
“I’m thankful and thank God that I’m able to show what I’ve got, just to prove to the world that I belong.”
But the absurdly-athletic Flournoy has his sights set even higher than that, modeling his game– and even his jersey number- after his hero, the greatest small-school wide receiver of them all.
“Speaking on Jerry Rice, I’m 80. He was No. 80,” Flournoy smiled. “That’s big shoes to fill. But Jerry Rice was so dominant as a player and as, like, a Hall of Famer, man. I want to do that.
“Being the next Jerry Rice, or being the only Ryan Flournoy, is my goal.”
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Flournoy had an impressive training camp. But neither the lofty comparisons nor aspirations guarantee that Flournoy will now go off when he finally takes the field Sunday night in Pittsburgh.
In his NFL debut, Jerry Rice caught four balls for 67 yards. Dez Bryant hauled in eight passes for 56.
But it has to start somewhere; Jones said he’s “anxious to see him make his first catch with the Dallas Cowboys.”
Flournoy, too.
“I am excited to show y’all. It’s in here,” he said, tapping his chest. “It’s in here. Y’all will see.”
Jones wants to make sure of it.
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