The Dallas Cowboys improved to 3-2 after Sunday night’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. It may seem strange to say this about a team that has won 60% of its games this year, but this win is the first that really offers reason for hope for the rest of the season. Considering the opponent and other circumstances, it was the first win of 2024 that forced Dallas to dig deep for success.

In Week 1, the Cleveland Browns were little more than a sparring partner. While they boasted an elite defense last season, it wasn’t nearly as good this year. And thanks to offensive line injuries and QB DeShaun Watson’s continued struggles, Dallas was able to bully an opponent who couldn’t even get his gloves up.

The win over the New York Giants wasn’t that one-sided, but that’s only because it was a battle of who could play worse. Dallas could barely beat their NFC East rivals, mostly thanks to Dak Prescott, who wasn’t even in top form and was a better quarterback than Daniel Jones. Barely beating the Giants was hardly cause for celebration.

While Pittsburgh has its issues, they were a much more respectable opponent. They entered Sunday night with a 3-1 record, home field advantage and an overwhelming majority of analysts expecting a win. When the game was postponed an hour due to weather, it felt like certain doom for a Cowboys team whose mental toughness was rightly questioned this year. The field conditions also seemed to lend themselves to the Steelers’ style of play.

Then came the injuries for Dallas. The Cowboys defense lost Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland, DeMarcus Lawrence and Caelen Carson early in the game and lost Marshawn Kneeland. With Brandin Cooks missing his first game since going to IR, Dallas also saw Tyler Guyton go down and Zack Martin go out for a while.

We knew the Cowboys were in an uphill battle going into the game, and the climb only got steeper with the different conditions. When Dallas allowed a turnover and a blocked field goal to rob them of points on three different drives, it felt like they shot themselves in both feet. We just kept waiting for the Steelers to finally take advantage.

But they didn’t. Despite everything, including themselves, the Cowboys kept fighting. Mike Zimmer continued to find ways to provide MacGyver with a capable defense with limited resources. After a month of tough sledding and limited opportunities, Rico Dowdle was in attack mode with every touch. Jalen Tolbert fought through obvious pain to get back on the field for the game-winning touchdown. And despite his own mistakes and brotherly friction with his star receiver, Dak Prescott continued his final effort to seal the deal for his team.

We haven’t said this much lately, but give Mike McCarthy credit for the heart his team showed. We still saw some classic McCarthy booboos with dumb decisions about when and when not to challenge calls, or not attempting to reach the end zone on third-and-long when you’re already well within Brandon Aubrey’s range. But as we watched Dallas show little fight in the losses to New Orleans and Baltimore (until very late), and this time had plenty of reason to go the same way, we saw a different personality in the team’s performance.

Does it mean anything for the future? It could be; it’s amazing how many teams respond to newfound confidence or the perception that the outside world doesn’t believe in them. Dallas is going for both of them this week, still seen as the underdog ahead of a big NFC showdown with the Detroit Lions. But if they build on what they did in Pittsburgh, especially in the run game, the Cowboys can finally find the balance they need to be consistently competitive.