Cowboys Will Beat Steelers, But Don’t Count On A Blowout

Editor’s Note: Marv Levy’s Buffalo Bills lost to Dallas in the 1993 and 1994 Super Bowls and were beaten by the Pittsburgh Steelers in this season’s playoffs. Levy has coached the Bills since 1986.

Picking the winner of this year’s Super Bowl is easy.

Being right? That’s another story.

Like almost everyone else, I feel the Dallas Cowboys will prevail. But it won’t be by as comfortable a margin as the oddsmakers predict.

The Steelers, like the Cowboys, are potent, sound and productive on offense, defense and special teams. They truly are the strongest team in the AFC this year, just as I believe Dallas is the strongest in the NFC.

For the non-partisan fan (is there such a creature?), this is the best matchup the NFL could have offered.

The biggest advantage for the Cowboys lies in their extremely well-balanced offense.

The combination of Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin, Jay Novacek, an overpowering up-front five and perfect-fit fullback Daryl Johnston keeps excruciating game-long pressure on the best of defenses.

It is a unit that has no equal in this year’s NFL.

Yes, Pittsburgh’s defense is very difficult to solve. The brilliantly crafted “zone-dog” schemes are capable of wreaking panic and pain on an offense without incurring the big-play risks that afflict most heavy blitz teams.

The Steelers have a great corps of linebackers in Greg Lloyd, Kevin Greene, Levon Kirkland and Chad Brown. Their secondary profits from heavy pressure from the pass rush. They play with confidence and elan.

The Dallas offense, however, has qualities which should allow it to cope with the Steelers’ defensive strengths. The Cowboys’ ability to run and affect football’s best run-action passing game, gives them a unique advantage in countering Pittsburgh’s defensive strengths.

The Steelers’ offense strikes quite a contrast, not just with Dallas but with Pittsburgh’s own recent style.

Their offensive approach has always been sound and well-balanced.

But this season, they have become much more daring. They have discovered and utilized the electrifying talents of what was once a relatively unknown corps of receivers. Ernie Mills, Yancey Thigpen, Andre Hastings and Kordell Stewart have all become big-play contributors. You need big plays to win big games.

The emergence of Neil O’Donnell as a premier quarterback has been a vital component in this birth of a new offense.

The Steelers have become swash-buckling and exciting. I see parallels to what occurred to us with the Buffalo Bills when we first came riding out of the tundra with our no-huddle offense a few years ago.

Such changes, however, are not without a price and not without some risks.

The Steelers’ running game isn’t as integral as it once was. But that, I acknowledge, is a nitpicking observation. What they have done has been instrumental in getting them into the Super Bowl.

In a championship game, you may sorely miss not being able to run effectively. But without the bold changes the Steelers made early this season, they probably wouldn’t be here to find out. Give Bill Cowher and his coaching staff credit - they deserve it.

The question is whether Dallas can stop them.

The key to that is whether the Cowboys are successful in taking away time and room from O’Donnell so that Pittsburgh cannot efficiently execute its passing game. If Leon Lett, Chad Hennings and others can keep O’Donnell from stepping up and delivering on rhythm, I believe Dallas will have taken its own necessary key step in thwarting Pittsburgh’s offensive weaponary.

Do I believe they’ll be able to do that? I’ll keep it simple: Yes.

Neither team has employed a heart-stopping gamebreaker as a return man, although I believe Dallas is more dangerous - very dangerous if Deion Sanders handles returns.

Pittsburgh coverage units are outstanding, but they take some chances which could leave them vulnerable to a big play. I like the spirit with which both teams play.

One advantage Pittsburgh might enjoy is Dallas’ role as an overwhelming favorite.

Almost everybody who has an opinion - including me - is picking the Cowboys to win. Overconfidence has been responsible for more upsets than fumbles and interceptions. Overconfidence comes from believing that the “experts” determine who will win.

That said, I feel Dallas has a stronger team, one that can keep the pressure on in a hard-fought, well-played game.

I predict Dallas will win 28-23.