Both mystical forces (Mother Nature, the injury bug) and man-made forces (turnovers, red zone woes) seemingly worked against the Dallas Cowboys in their Sunday night showdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But in the end, the Cowboys were able to overcome the dark clouds and earn a come-from-behind 20-17 victory over the Steelers in this physical clash between legendary franchises.

But first, can things get any worse for the Cowboys on defense? They lose Sam Williams for the season during training camp, both Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are sidelined for several weeks after being injured in the team’s previous game, and on the Steelers’ very first possession, rookie Marshawn Kneeland to the locker room with a knee injury. Display the Help Wanted sign.

As if that wasn’t enough, the Cowboys’ offensive line was plagued with injuries. On their first drive of the second quarter, rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton also hobbled with a knee injury and was lost for the game. That forced Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith to bounce to left tackle, while backup TJ Bass came in to play left guard.

In the fourth quarter, perennial All-Pro right guard Zack Martin pulled off a scare when he left the game with cramps, forcing backup Brock Hoffman to come in and fill that void. Fortunately, Martin returned for the Cowboys’ next offensive series.

Perhaps it was no surprise that quarterback Dak Prescott was under pressure for most of the game, leading to an up-and-down night. He moved his team largely at will between the 20-yard lines in the first half, but couldn’t get the ball into the end zone.

That changed late in the game when he orchestrated a pair of scoring plays, including the game winner in the final seconds of the game. Overall, Prescott completed 29 of 42 passes for 352 yards with two touchdowns. He also had three turnovers, a fumble and two picks, but overcame these obstacles to earn the win.

His main target that night was Jalen Tolbert, who stepped up in the absence of veteran Brandin Cooks. Tolbert had seven catches for 87 yards, both personal bests, and scored the decisive score.

However, it was truly a coming out party for running back Rico Dowdle. He impressed on the ground, rushing 20 times for 87 yards, both career highs as well, for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. But he also hauled in two passes for 27 yards and his second receiving touchdown of the year.

On the other side of the ball, despite all the injuries, Dallas’ defense got the job done. Steelers quarterback Justin Fields threw for just 131 yards and Pittsburgh’s running attack was held below the century mark.

The game started with KaVontae Turpin returning the opening kickoff 38 yards, and with an illegal formation penalty on Pittsburgh, Dallas was set up for its first possession at its own 43-yard line. And although the attack marched into enemy territory, the advance stalled at the Steelers’ 36-yard line. Not to worry, Brandon Aubrey split the uprights from 55 yards out to give the Cowboys an early lead.

While Dallas needed six plays to get the three points, Pittsburgh came back and tied things up with an eleven-play drive. But the Cowboys kept their opponent out of the red zone, so the Steelers settled for a 41-yard field goal.

Just before the end of the first frame, the Dallas offense knocked on the door after marching to Pittsburgh’s 11-yard line. But on third-and-6, Prescott couldn’t find an open receiver before the Steelers’ TJ Watt and Nick Herbig sacked the Cowboys’ quarterback. When Herbig then fell on the fumble, Dallas’ threat was over.

After the Cowboys defense forced a three-and-out, the offense got right back to work. Aided by a 27-yard pass to Jake Ferguson, which featured some excellent downfield blocking from CeeDee Lamb, Dallas reached the Pittsburgh 15-yard line. But once again, the offense couldn’t cross the goal line, so Aubrey added three more points with a 33-yard field goal.

Despite reshuffling their offensive line after the Guyton injury, Prescott kept his troops in shape. Another big pass, this time a 48-yarder to Tolbert down the left sideline, once again helped push the Cowboys deep into the red zone. But in a case of déjà vu, a turnover wiped out any thoughts of a touchdown. This time, Prescott attempted a pass to Lamb on the right side of the end zone, but the two were not on the same page, leaving an easy interception for Pittsburgh cornerback Donte Jackson.

So despite the Cowboys outgaining the Steelers 202 yards to 89 in the first two quarters, Dallas went into the break with just a 6-3 lead.

Those Cowboys mistakes in the first half were quickly capitalized on by the Steelers as the second half got underway. The home team took the kickoff in the third quarter and promptly went 72 yards in six plays to the end zone. After a 15-yard roughing, the passer penalty gave Pittsburgh 15 yards, Fields then hit Pat Freiermuth for 19 yards with a pair of passes to receiver Van Jefferson and added 18 more. But tight end Connor Heyward scored the game’s first touchdown on a 16-yard reception, putting the Steelers ahead, 10–6.

For the Cowboys offense, however, it was more of the same: driving across the midfield and then coming away without any points. This time they reached the 20-yard line, but when Aubrey attempted a 38-yard field goal, his attempt was blocked.

Prescott and company were on their way again as the clock ticked down to the final frame, and finally – finally! – they put a touchdown on the board. Dowdle actually did the heavy lifting in the 16-play, 90-yard drive, running the ball eight times for 36 yards. But it was his 22-yard catch in the end zone that set up the score and gave the Cowboys a 13-10 lead.

But just as Dallas had a chance to really take command, another self-inflicted wound put the game in jeopardy. On first-and-10 at his own 27-yard line, Prescott tried to connect with Tolbert deep down the seam. Instead, he overthrew his goal, allowing cornerback Joey Porter to come down with the interception.

Now with the ball on their own 37-yard line, Pittsburgh used the gift to travel the 63 yards needed for a touchdown. Freiermuth completed the sequence by corralling a shuttle pass and rumbling the final six yards across the goal line to put Pittsburgh back on top, 17-13.

However, with just under five minutes remaining, the Cowboys still had plenty of time. And they stayed poised on offense, using a mix of Dowdle runs and Prescott passes to get to the Pittsburgh 32-yard line, where they faced a third-and-9.

That’s when Prescott connected with Ferguson on a 10-yard completion, and on the next snap, the quarterback dumped a screen pass to Hunter Luepke as the fullback chased an 18-yard gain to the 4-yard line. First-and-goal with 52 seconds left.

It took all four downs, but they got in. Phew.

The game was almost lost when Dowdle knocked the ball loose while trying to dive over the pile at second. Luckily, Prescott landed the fumble to keep hope alive.

And then the quarterback put the game away with 26 seconds left when he found Tolbert in the end zone on fourth down for the winning score, 20-17.