Cowboys vs. Steelers: 5 Keys to a Dallas Victory

Week 15 brings with it plenty of drama and intrigue in the National Football League, but there may be no more exciting game than the battle in Big D, where the 7-6 Dallas Cowboys host the 7-6 Pittsburgh Steelers in a game between traditional NFL powers both fighting for their playoff lives.

The Cowboys ride into the game with a bit of positive momentum after downing the Cincinnati Bengals last week, but given their recent history in December, oddsmakers have instilled the Cowboys as home underdogs.

If Dallas is going to "upset" the Steelers, then here are a handful of areas where the Cowboys need to excel.

Tony Romo Needs to Eliminate Mistakes

When Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo is on, he can play as well as any quarterback in the NFL, but when he's off it can be hard to watch, and as his December record indicates over his 10-year career, it's been more of the latter than the former with Romo late in the season.

Against a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense that can't happen, and it shouldn't.

For as stingy as the Steelers are when it comes to yardage, their defense isn't especially adept at forcing turnovers, ranking 30th in the NFL in that regard.

Take care of the football, Tony.

The Cowboys Can't Abandon the Run

Granted, running the football against the Pittsburgh Steelers isn't easy.

Actually, it's quite difficult, as the Steelers rank fifth in the NFL in run defense, allowing just over 93 yards a game.

It's also not as if running back DeMarco Murray has played especially well since returning from a foot injury, gaining only 136 yards on 44 carries in two games.

However, the Cowboys need to keep pounding away on the ground, as not only do they need to keep the Pittsburgh defense honest, but they're even harder to throw on than run on, ranking first in the NFL against the pass.

Dez Bryant Needs to Have a Big Game

To the credit of wide receiver Dez Bryant, the third-year pro appears willing to gut it out against the Steelers on Sunday, playing with a splint on the finger he broke in last week's win over the Bengals.

Now he just has to go out there and have a good game as well.

Sure, Jason Witten is a very good tight end and a player that Romo leans on a great deal, but Witten isn't stretching many defenses these days.

Miles Austin is a more-than-capable wide receiver, but he doesn't inspire the concern in opposing defenses that Dez Bryant does.

He's both the Cowboys game breaker and their biggest red zone threat, and he needs to have a big game.

Dallas Needs to Pressure the Quarterback

You know, for all the talk that Rob Ryan is such an aggressive defensive coordinator, he hasn't displayed much propensity for getting after the quarterback.

The Cowboys ranked seventh in the NFL in sacks last year, but that number has dropped to 18th this season, and while some of that is certainly attributable to star linebacker DeMarcus Ware playing hurt, Ryan needs to scheme ways to get Ben Roethlisberger dirty Sunday.

The Steelers have been prone to lapses in pass protection, and you simply can't just let Roethlisberger stand in the pocket and pick you apart.

The Secondary Needs to Step Up

The Dallas defensive backfield was a weakness for the defense a season ago, but with the acquisition of cornerback Brandon Carr in free agency and Morris Claiborne in the draft, the Cowboys have turned that weakness into a strength.

The Cowboys rank eighth in the NFL is pass defense, and that secondary will be tested by a Pittsburgh receiving corps that features a pair of talented wideouts in Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace and a quality tight end in Heath Miller.

The most important thing may be to insure that the speedy Wallace doesn't get behind them after Wallace had a huge game in last week's loss to the San Diego Chargers.