Cowboys came up just short in upset of Steelers, but Garrett Gilbert proves he belongs
Smoldering in the disappointment of yet another Dallas Cowboys’ loss Sunday evening was an ember that could signal the rekindling of quarterback Garrett Gilbert’s football career.
Despite having been in the league on and off since 2014, the 29-year-old signal caller was making only his first career start. And expectations were low given that Cowboys had lost three straight games, in blowouts no less, and were set to face an undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers team, the NFL’s lone undefeated team.
Added to that, Gilbert entered the game with the dubious honor of being the fourth different starting quarterback in 2020, which has happened only two other times in club history. Sunday’s game also marked the third straight game for the Cowboys to start three different quarterbacks in three consecutive games, a mark only matched in 1994.
Then, the Cowboys were in the middle of a run of three Super Bowl titles in four seasons. And Troy Aikman, Jason Garrett and Rodney Peete won all those games.
Gilbert had only been with the team three weeks. It was his first career NFL start and he had just six pass attempts on a resume that included stops with six different teams since 2014.
While there is a question of who starts when the Cowboys (2-7) resume play against the Minnesota Vikings (3-5) on Nov. 22 after this week’s bye — veteran backup Andy Dalton should be good to go after missing the Steelers game due to COVID-19 protocol — there is no longer a question about whether Gilbert can play in the NFL.
In completing 21 of 38 passes for 243 yards with a touchdown and an interception and coming within a last gasp pass in the final seconds of pulling the upset against the highly-favored Steelers, Garrett proved he has a future in this league whether it’s with the Cowboys or somewhere else.
“That’s what you live for as a quarterback and as a football player,” Gilbert said of the failed final comeback. “Unfortunately, I just couldn’t make enough plays for us to finish that one off. That’s the type of thing that you dream about, and that’s the type of situation you live for as a quarterback.”
“Losing sucks. I felt like our guys played really hard today and played really well. We deserved a chance to win that game. We gave ourselves that chance, but it’s just tough when all of us together put everything into that thing and come up short.”
The Cowboys lost 24-19, but they had a chance to win because Gilbert brought some life to an offense that had been on doldrums since starter Dak Prescott suffered a season-ending fractured ankle a month ago.
The Cowboys had scored just 22 points in three consecutive losses and had gone back-to-back games without scoring a touchdown with Dalton starting for two games and rookie seventh-round pick Ben DiNucci starting against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The team had planned to go back to Dalton but he contracted COVID-19 and coach Mike McCarthy turned to Gilbert, who signed with the Cowboys off the Cleveland Browns practice squad Oct. 13.
The former SMU and Texas product who had been out of the league for two full seasons and last started in the now-defunct Alliance of American Football in the spring of 2019 proved to be a quick study of the offense and gave the Cowboys an early spark.
Gilbert led the Cowboys to a field goal on the opening drive and then had them up 10-0 in the second quarter with a 20-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb.
The Cowboys had only one touchdown in the previous 34 possessions without Dak Prescott and none through nine quarters before Gilbert broke through with Lamb.
“Garrett is definitely a warrior,” Lamb said. ”That is how I look at him. He was kind of thrown in there and this is how he responded. He had a pretty decent game and I can’t thank him enough for everything in his contribution to this offense and to this team. And he definitely came out and he took the right step forward. Obviously we didn’t come out with the victory but Garrett definitely had a pretty solid game.”
Gilbert led the Cowboys to two field goals in the third quarter and had them up 19-9 early in the fourth quarter before the Steelers began their comeback.
His only real mistake was an interception on third-and-goal at the 5, robbing the Cowboys of a chance to add to a 19-14 lead.
Gilbert said was trying to throw the ball away but got pressured by the rush and couldn’t get enough on it. Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick picked it off.
The Steelers turned it into a field goal and got the deciding points on an 8-yard touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger to Eric Ebron.
Gilbert was able to pick up three first downs, but with four seconds left from the Steelers’ 23-yard line Gilbert’s pass attempt to Lamb fell incomplete.
His teammates were impressed with his performance.
“He has some dog in him,” running back Ezekiel Elliott said of Gilbert. “He went out there and made some big plays and he gave it a shot.”
Said guard Zack Martin: “I thought he was rock solid. I was super proud of him. He commanded the huddle, made some big plays with his feet, made some great throws. He gave us a chance.”
Now, Gilbert wants the chance to play again.
The Cowboys are expected to go back to Dalton after the bye.
But this is not the end for Gilbert. It’s just the beginning.
“Always. As a competitor, every one of us wants to be out there playing,” Gilbert said. “Certainly, it’s been a long journey to get here, and that’s what even makes it a little bit tougher to swallow; just not being able to finish that one off and get a victory in my first one.”
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
