Good, Bad, Ugly: Cowboys’ run game finds spark, other issues threaten to burn it all down

The Cowboys went to Pittsburgh and stole a game they probably had no business winning. On the road, dealing with weather, and severely hampered by injuries at multiple key positions, Dallas seemed hamstrung from the start. But a suddenly-revived rushing attack and a defense that overcame its personnel issues combined to stage a thrilling win that should boost the Cowboys’ morale going into a tough intraconference showdown next week and offer optimism for the tough stretch of opponents to come after the bye.

Much of what’s been wrong, though, remains wrong. Penalties continue to be an Achilles heel. Quarterback Dak Prescott’s three turnovers on the night cannot be overlooked just because he saved the game with a fumble recovery and threw a game-winning pass. The injuries appear to be mounting. The offense still short-circuits once they hit the red zone. And questionable in-game management is only making it harder to sustain momentum in critical situations.

Those concerns, while real, are much easier to put in proper perspective, however, the day after a win. Here’s a look at the good, the bad, and the ugly to come out of Sunday night/Monday morning’s 20-17 win over the Steelers.