Written by Jeremy Fowler at ESPN.com
Pittsburgh Steelers guard David DeCastro used the words “pretty pathetic” and “frustrating” and “helpless” to describe Sunday’s 21-14 lossto the Baltimore Ravens.
In the middle of that postgame denouncement, DeCastro realized the Steelers’ next opponent.
“Cowboys, right?” DeCastro said. “Look how they are playing.”
The Steelers and the Dallas Cowboys are two of the league’s most accomplished franchises, but only one is searching for its fastball entering next Sunday’s matchup at Heinz Field.
Beating Dak Prescott and the 7-1 Cowboys would help cure what ails the Steelers, losers of three straight and sitting at 4-4 for the second consecutive season.
Last November, the Steelers used a 38-35 win over the Oakland Raiders as a catalyst when they were .500 at the midpoint of the season. That game sparked an unreal stretch of football for Ben Roethlisberger, who averaged 345 yards passing per contest in the final eight games. Scoring 30 points a game became routine for the Steelers, who went 6-2 during the second half of the 2015 season.
There’s no guarantee the Steelers can reach back and grab that effortless play this season. But the Dallas game represents a new start.
“It’s one of those turning-point things,” DeCastro said.
A few realities surfaced from the Steelers’ sixth loss to the Ravens in seven tries. One might be hard to hear, but coach Mike Tomlin made the point Sunday that could also be heard in the locker room at least once: The Steelers aren’t good enough to overcome a litany of mistakes — including, in this case, 13 penalties for 99 yards and a Ravens blocked punt for a touchdown.
Tomlin said the Steelers can’t be that kind of team. Maybe last season they could just outscore opponents every week. Not right now. Not yet.
“The margin for error is too thin for us to slice it in that manner,” Tomlin said.
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