PITTSBURGH -- During the Fox broadcast of the wild Steelers-Cowboys game that included seven lead changes, Joe Buck said what many observers -- myself included -- considered when Ezekiel Elliott ran untouched into the end zone with 1:55 left.
"You wonder if the Pittsburgh Steelers weren't that dead set on stopping Elliott," Buck said.
The Steelers got the ball with plenty of time to score while down 29-24, so allowing a score instead of watching Dallas milk clock for a potential game-winning field goal made some level of sense. But two Steelers defensive players say they were trying to stop Elliott, who recorded 209 total yards and three touchdowns in a 35-30 Cowboys win.
After re-watching the play, it doesn't appear like they were just allowing Elliott to score, though the way the defense misjudged the play was a bit curious. Linebacker Lawrence Timmons was moving toward the sideline, as if Elliott was bouncing outside or the linebacker wanted to filter the tailback to Steelers help toward the middle.
On Zeke TD with 1:55 left, LBs pushed out of play. Leary took down Shazier, Timmons went wide. No other help available. pic.twitter.com/7ZWJGDNjnD
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) November 14, 2016
To be sure, Elliott's cutback was a brilliant one. He appeared to throw the Steelers off with his eyes and feet. Couple his vision with the Cowboys offensive linemen (each picking up a block successfully), and the play seemed doomed from the start.
Still, that's usually a play where one of the inside linebackers is at least close. Ryan Shazier and Timmons got moved by guard Zack Martin and Ronald Leary.
"Why would we let them score? We were playing defense. Came up short," linebacker Jarvis Jones said.