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The Cowboys walked away with a win over the Steelers on Sunday thanks in no small part to Jalen Tolbert, and the wide receiver was apparently able to overcome what sounded like a pretty painful setback before catching the touchdown pass that ended up being the deciding factor.
The Dallas Cowboys headed into their Sunday Nigth Football showdown with the Steelers sitting at a 2-2 and listed as 2.5-point underdogs against a Pittsburgh team that got off to a 3-1 start and had the chance to take sole possession of first place in the AFC North with a win.
Fans who tuned into the contest were treated to a back-and-forth game where the Cowboys found themselves needing a touchdown after falling into a 17-13 hole with around five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Dak Prescott had already had a pretty impressive night on the passing front that was marred by the two interceptions he’d thrown, and he ultimately ended up with 352 yards in the air and two touchdowns after connecting with Jalen Tolbert for the four-yard completion on a do-or-die fourth-and-goal that ended up being the game-winning score in the 20-17 tilt.
THE DALLAS COWBOYS!! Dak to Tolbert for 6️⃣!
📺: #DALvsPIT on NBC/Peacock
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Jg7btATnJO— NFL (@NFL) October 7, 2024
It was a fitting ending when you consider Tolbert emerged as Prescott’s preferred target on a night where he hauled in seven catches for 87 yards, but it looked like there was a chance he might not be able to take the field based on an injury he suffered during the previous play—one Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Smith hilariously attempted to sum up in a postgame interview where he asserted his teammate “sprained his nuts.”
“JT literally sprained his fu*king nuts”
More Tyler Smith post game interviews please 😭😭😂😂 pic.twitter.com/5A5kJdqIce
— Ernie The Cowboys Fan (@es3_09) October 7, 2024
I have to admit I didn’t know that was a thing you could do, and according to The Athletic, Tolbert offered his own (and more medically accurate) interpretation of what transpired before his final play, saying he “ended up taking a one-hopper to the private” and “couldn’t breathe for a second” but was good to go after the Cowboys called a timeout to help him catch his breath.
Not all heroes wear capes.