The Steelers hit the road for the third straight week, taking on the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
After three straight games against opponents with only two combined losses, the Steelers will face a struggling Cowboys team that is 2-6 on the season.
But they know they can't let up, because this is a team that is looking deep for a win and knows what it would mean to pull off the upset over the undefeated Steelers.
The Cowboys talked about the Steelers this week, including Coach Mike McCarthy talking about his time growing up in Pittsburgh when the Steelers were dominant in the 1970s. They also weighed in on Ben Roethlisberger, T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree and more.
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Coach Mike McCarthy on the Steelers defense:
"I think the biggest thing is they're playing so fast. (Defensive coordinator) Keith (Butler) has done a great job. You can see with the schemes and the way they stretch you with the pressure. Their pass rush and packages with the third downs is as good as I remember. You can see the experience level, the way they are playing off of one another. They are obviously very talented, they have been, but I think they are playing at such a high level and the speed of the defense is what I have been impressed the most with."
Ezekiel Elliott on the Steelers defense:
"They have a great front seven, anchored down in the middle with (Cam) Heyward, and (T.J) Watt and (Bud) Dupree on the outside. They are high energy, high effort, they are fast, quick twitch. They play hard. Very skilled players through that linebacker group. We just have to stay disciplined and do our best to slow those guys down."
McCarthy on his time growing up in Pittsburgh when the Steelers of the 1970s won four Super Bowls:
"The '70s were obviously a great time, a great decade in Pittsburgh, especially as a kid. You think of the four Super Bowls, the two World Series with the Pirates and the National Championship with the University of Pittsburgh.
"I can't tell you specifics about the season, but I know they were throwing the ball a lot more in the late '70s than they were in the early '70s. It was exciting to watch Terry Bradshaw, and (Lynn) Swann and (John) Stallworth and (Randy) Grossman. And they always had great defenses. It seems like that's been in place there for 50 years."
Guard Zack Martin on the Steelers defense:
"They blitz a lot. When you turn the tape on, they are disciplined in how they play their defense. They have been doing it there for a long time. You can see those guys are very dialed into what their job responsibilities are. It's going to take everyone. This is a tough group, a good football team. It's going to take us at our highest level to go out there and execute."
McCarthy on watching how the Steelers handled the situation in 2019 with their quarterbacks and how that is impacting how he is handling the situation in Dallas:
"Pittsburgh was definitely a team I paid close attention to. One thing that stuck out, and that is characteristic of all the teams Mike (Tomlin) has coached there, is their play speed and play style, they competed like crazy, were in in every game, even amid all the changes at the quarterback position. Their defense did a great job to keep them in games. Like anything when you go through changes and adversity it confirms your core beliefs. I was very impressed with the Steelers last year the way they kept fighting."
Cornerback Trevon Diggs on the challenge of going against the Steelers offense:
"A future Hall of Fame quarterback, good outside receivers. It's going to be a good matchup. It's going to be a good test for us. It's a good offense, an undefeated team. We have to go out there and compete."
