3 Takeaways from Steelers' Week 9 Win

On Sunday, the Pittsburgh Steelers managed to win their eighth game of the season, meaning they remain the NFL's last unbeaten team.

The victory wasn't easy, however. Despite being heavy favorites, the Steelers had to claw their way back from a two-score deficit and then make a late stand to escape with a win over the Dallas Cowboys. At times, it felt like the two-win Dallas squad was the better team.

Despite a shaky performance, though, Pittsburgh did get the win—and perhaps a little insight into just how special this team is.

Here are three things we learned about the Steelers during their Week 9 win.

This Team Is Far from Perfect

Mark Zaleski/Associated Press

The Steelers are 8-0 for the first time in franchise history. Given a relatively forgiving remaining schedule, it's not entirely far-fetched to think they could run the table in 2020. However, they showed on Sunday that they do have some notable flaws.

Pittsburgh's vaunted defense allowed Garrett Gilbert—who was making his first NFL start—to throw for 243 yards and nearly engineer a game-winning drive late. It surrendered 4.6 yards per carry to a previously listless offense starting the quarterback.

Chris Boswell missed an extra point and had another blocked. The special teams unit gave up returns of 73 and 64 yards.

Coach Mike Tomlin made a handful of curious decisions, including passing on a 33-yard field-goal attempt with under a minute remaining. That allowed Gilbert to put Dallas in position for a potential game-winning Hail Mary attempt.

In what was most definitely a trap game, the Steelers played down to their competition. This cannot become a trend or else Pittsburgh will eventually start losing the close games it has been winning.

"We can't keep having this conversation every week because one of these weeks we'll be doing it with an 'L,'" Tomlin said, per NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala.

Big Ben Is Still Special

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

On a positive note, the comeback victory should provide confidence that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger remains one of the best in the NFL.

The 38-year-old gunslinger missed most of last season with an elbow issue that required surgery, but any concerns about his ability to return to pre-injury form should be silenced.

When his team needed him most, Roethlisberger put the offense on his shoulders and willed it to victory. He repeatedly found the open receiver to create big plays, finishing with 306 yards, three touchdowns and providing 15 fourth-quarter points. Nine different players caught passes against Dallas, and eight of them caught multiple balls.

Ideally, the Steelers won't have to engineer fourth-quarter comebacks often, but they should feel good about their chances of doing so as long as No. 7 remains healthy and under center.

Of course, there's never a guarantee that a player will remain healthy, and the knee injury that briefly knocked Roethlisberger out of the game was a sobering reminder of this reality.

But the Steelers Are Going to Need Roethlisberger to Make a Run

Michael Ainsworth/Associated Press

Roethlisberger downplayed the injury he suffered in the first half, calling it "part of the game of football," according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor.

Injuries are indeed part of the game, but if one happens to keep the quarterback out of the lineup for an extended period, Pittsburgh's title hopes could be sunk.

We saw last season that the likes of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges can't carry this team into the playoffs. On Sunday, Roethlisberger appeared to be the only player capable of cutting through Dallas' defense.

Though the Cowboys rank just 31st against the run, the Steelers averaged just 2.6 yards per play on the ground. Against the league's last-ranked scoring defense, they mustered a mere nine points through the first three quarters.

Had Roethlisberger been lost for the second half, it almost certainly would have resulted in a loss. The Steelers are 8-0, but they're going to go as far as Big Ben is able to take them moving forward.