The biggest play of the Dallas Cowboys season so far was made by Dak Prescott, and it wasn’t his go-ahead goal with 20 seconds left.

It was Prescott diving on a fumble.

In the final minute Sunday night, with the Cowboys facing the second goal inside the 1-yard line, the Pittsburgh Steelers appeared to come up with a huge play when linebacker Elandon Roberts hit Rico Dowdle and the ball broke loose. But Prescott was there and he recovered the fumble. Two plays later, on fourth down, Prescott hit Jalen Tolbert for a touchdown with 20 seconds left. Dallas held on and won 20-17.

It wasn’t a clean game for Prescott or the Cowboys. Prescott threw two interceptions and fumbled once. Two turnovers came inside the red zone and another led to a touchdown in the fourth quarter with less than five minutes remaining.

But because Prescott stuck with it, after his turnover and after Dowdle’s potentially devastating fumble, the Cowboys left Pittsburgh with a 3-2 record.

Cowboys turnover keeps it close

The Cowboys led 6-3 at halftime, but it should have been at least 12-3. The Cowboys were on the 11-yard line when Prescott was hit by TJ Watt and Nick Herbig. The ball came out and Herbig recovered it, denying the Cowboys a chance to score.

Late in the first half, Prescott threw a nasty interception. It appeared there was a miscommunication with CeeDee Lamb on a pass into the end zone, as Prescott’s throw went nowhere near Lamb. It went straight to cornerback Donte Jackson, who must have been surprised he was able to intercept so easily.

It was an ugly first half after a long delay at the start. Dallas was the team with the most chances in the first half. But two red zone goals from Prescott kept the Steelers within a field goal at halftime.

That made a big difference early in the third quarter when Justin Fields, who took a hard hit early on Pittsburgh’s first drive of the third quarter but returned to the game immediately afterward, found Connor Heyward for a touchdown. That gave the Steelers a 10-6 lead.

On Dallas’ next drive, a sack pushed the Cowboys back, then Brandon Aubrey’s field goal attempt was blocked. On a night that started with a massive rainstorm in Pittsburgh and a delay of more than an hour, the Cowboys’ sloppiness cost them dearly.

Steelers fall behind in 4th quarter

The Cowboys finally broke through with a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. Prescott rolled right and found Dowdle for a 22-yard score. Despite all the Cowboys’ troubles through the first three quarters, they led 13-10 with that score.

The mistakes didn’t stop. With a chance to extend the lead in the fourth quarter, Prescott threw deep and overthrew Tolbert, leaving Joey Porter Jr. could take the lead. That interception turned into a touchdown for Pittsburgh. The Steelers went on a long, tough drive that was capped off by Pat Freiermuth, who scored on a Fields kick pass. That gave Pittsburgh a 17-13 lead with 4:56 to go. Dallas had no one to blame but himself for being behind in the game at that point.

The Cowboys had one more drive to win. And while they usually rely on Prescott on offense, Mike McCarthy shifted the responsibility to the running game with the game on the line. Dallas drove down the field and Dowdle got the ball on second and goal. He jumped but was hit hard by Roberts in the air. The ball popped out and although Prescott recovered it, the Cowboys went back to the 4-yard line. Prescott threw incomplete on third, but came up with the game-winning play for Tolbert on fourth and goal.

The Cowboys have a lot to correct after Sunday night. They were far from perfect. But it will feel a lot better to overcome those mistakes with a win in Pittsburgh.