Steelers 16, Cowboys 3 As Dallas Offers Look at Past (Jimmy) and Future (Micah)

The purpose of this first of four Dallas preseason games is to allow backups to start stating their case to make the opening 53-man roster.

The Hall of Fame Game in Canton on Thursday is all about "extra.'' For one thing, it's about an extra preseason game as the NFL kicks off its exhibition summer. But on this night, it was "extra'' in two other ways, one past, one future.

The past was celebrated when, predictably, FOX Sports lured Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to the stage to celebrate the weekend's HOF induction of coach Jimmy Johnson. The two old pals/rivals kissed and made up on live TV, with Jerry pledging to induct Jimmy into the team's Ring of Honor.

"While I'm alive?'' Johnson quipped.

The Cowboys' future was celebrated once the NFL began the actual game, which ended in a Pittsburgh Steelers' .... win over Dallas while also showcasing the Cowboys' prized first-round rookie Micah Parsons, the "charisma dog'' linebacker who has been one of the best stories in Oxnard training camp and who lived up to the hype by making a play early, recovering a fumble on the Steelers' first offensive possession.

Have to watch this one more time! 👀#DALvsPIT | 🎥 Watch now on @FOX | @MicahhParsons11 pic.twitter.com/ZONz8fjZS5

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 6, 2021

Parsons, who figures to start at middle linebacker in Week 1 of the regular season when Dallas opens against the defending Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, didn't have much help on offense here. Dallas did take an early 3-0 lead over Pittsburgh, which featured its own first-rounder, running back Najee Harris, who showed promise with his 22 yards on the ground. But otherwise, the Cowboys offense - working without stars like quarterback Dak Prescott and receiver Amari Cooper - was unimpressive no matter who was at quarterback, which was one of the points of emphasis of this outing.

Said Cowboys backup QB Garrett Gilbert: “The performance was decent. We did some good things. … Personally, I was a little sloppy with a couple of things, but it was good to knock the rust off. 

"As an offense, we did a nice job overall of getting the ball moving.”

Critics might argue that a three-point effort is something short of a "nice job.''

The purpose of this first of four Dallas preseason games is to allow backups to start stating their case to make the opening 53-man roster.Dak's likely No. 2, Garrett Gilbert, did too little in that department. So did Ben DiNucci, the second-year QB who might be a pet of head coach Mike McCarthy but who has not demonstrated yet that he's an NFL-level quarterback.

Dallas' special-teams work was also problematic. Pittsburgh blocked a field goal attempt by Hunter Niswander, who also missed from 52 yards but hit a 29-yarder. But coach Mike McCarthy's halftime review was largely positive.

“The offense is moving the football, it’s just finishing in the red zone,'' he said. "I really like the way the defense came out and set the tempo with the turnover. The young guys are doing a lot of things.”