The Cowboys have only won on the road so far this season and they'll be hoping that trend continues Sunday night when they come to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers. As slight underdogs, the Cowboys face a difficult challenge with few optimistic about their chances. Do any of our writers think they can do this? Let's take a look.

When Pittsburgh has the ball

Run defense, run defense, run defense

No team has more possession of the ball in the first four weeks than the Steelers. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has always been a run-heavy playcaller, and he learned that from Najee Harris and Justin Fields. Harris is eighth in carries for running backs and Fields is fourth among quarterbacks in designed runs. Still, Pittsburgh hasn't been very efficient on the ground: they rank 25th in yards per carry, 27th in EPA/Rush, and 22nd in rush DVOA.

Of course, the Cowboys haven't been great against the run this year either, but they were out of their minds last week against the Giants. They allowed just 1.1 yards per carry, although the Giants aren't exactly the benchmark for efficient offense. Still, Mazi Smith had the best game of his career and the defense was much more organized in defending the option. You'll see a lot of runs on Sunday night. So if they can put together another good run support game, that will go a long way toward neutralizing this Steelers offense.

When Dallas has the ball

Air it out

The Steelers defense is pretty darn good, so it's hard to see where to attack them. However, this run defense (third in run defense DVOA, first in EPA/Rush) won't give up anything. However, Pittsburgh builds penalty area defense to stop the run and boasts a stacked penalty area with the fourth-highest rate in the league.

That hasn't bitten them in the passing game yet, but the Steelers have faced Kirk Cousins, Bo Nix, Justin Herbert and Joe Flacco so far this season; That's two quarterbacks who have either overcome an injury or are playing through one, a rookie and a backup. Dak Prescott is easily the best quarterback this defense will face so far this year, and CeeDee Lamb is the biggest threat to this secondary. TJ Watt and that deadly Steelers pass rush threaten to blow the whole thing up, but that Putting the ball in Prescott's hands is the most direct way to score points against a defense that gives up the second-fewest points.

Now for your BTB authors' predictions…

Tom Ryle (2-2):

This may depend on how well the Cowboys handle many injury issues, and that is concerning. Losing three starters could well reveal a lack of depth, and the Guyton-Watt duel is another flashing red light.

I don't have a good feeling and I think Dallas will lose 23-19.

Matt Holleran (2-2):

The Cowboys' injuries are piling up on both sides of the ball. Dallas will be without three of its top 10 players in this game, as Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, DaRon Bland and Brandin Cooks are all sidelined and unable to contribute due to injury.

With those players healthy, the Cowboys have already had major struggles on both ends, so it's scary to think about what it will look like without them. I believe Pittsburgh's defensive line dominates this game and keeps Dallas' offense in check. The Cowboys are able to stay close, but the Steelers seem to be the better team throughout and take the win.

Give me Pittsburgh in a defensive battle, 20-17.

Jess Haynie (3-1):

I think Pittsburgh rises early, Dallas recovers but lags. It will feel similar to the Ravens game; The Steelers aren't that good, but will benefit from the home field.

Steelers win, 31-26.

Mike Poland (3-1):

I'm the ultimate optimist here and even I'm nervous about this. The fact that the Cowboys have won three away victories in Pittsburgh in the last four meetings speaks for Dallas. The last one was the crazy ending with an incredible run from Zeke. But here it is. Pittsburgh ranks third-best in run defense and allows low rush yardage per game at just 86 yards. Dallas ranks last in total rush yards on offense, averaging just 75 yards per game.

Additionally, Pittsburgh has allowed the second-fewest points on defense and the third-fewest first downs. The hope for Dallas is that the Steelers have a lot of injuries on offense despite missing some pieces on defense. So that could be the weak point to force Justin Fields into more turnovers. He leads all quarterbacks in fumbles this season with four. So the hope is that the defense can force Fields to make enough mistakes to keep the game competitive for Dallas.

However, the Cowboys lose this game 27-21.

Dana Bartholomew (2-2):

Without Brandin Cooks, DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons, it will be a tough game for the Cowboys in Pittsburgh, but looking at the next few games, they are need to get the W this week. It might be difficult for defenses to contain Justin Fields, but when he makes mistakes, they must be ready to capitalize on them.

On the other side of the ball, Dak Prescott and these receivers (even without Cooks) should be able to move the ball to score, even if that means relying heavily on Brandon Aubrey and his leg . I'm not confident, but I'm going to make sure the Cowboys win this game.

The Cowboys win 24-17.

Brian Martin (2-2):

The optimist in me wants to pick the Dallas Cowboys this week, but the realist thinks injuries to key starters like Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence and Brandin Cooks put them at too great a disadvantage in this game against the home team Pittsburgh Steelers. I also don't like the direct duel between TJ Watt and Tyler Guyton.

For this reason, I will pick the Steelers, who narrowly win 20-17 against the Cowboys.

Chris Halling (1-3):

Before the season started, I predicted the Cowboys would lose this game. A Mike Tomlin-coached team and an elite Pittsburgh front 7 make this a tough matchup for the Cowboys. Factor in the losses of DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons and Brandin Cooks. It seems unlikely the Cowboys can overcome this. I hope I'm wrong.

I'm taking on the Steelers in a low-scoring 17-13 game.

RJ Ochoa (3-1):

I certainly don't feel particularly comfortable with the Cowboys right now, but if I have to trust one thing on one side in this competition, I'm going to go with Dak Prescott. Last week, he did exactly what the team needed en route to a win that helped calm everything down (before it all came crashing down again).

I'll take the Cowboys in another game that looks uglier than the score…23-13.

David Howman (3-1):

I was willing to pick the Cowboys to win this game for a few reasons. First of all, I think Dak Prescott can have success against this Steelers secondary, even if TJ Watt pressures him all night. I also think the defense can contain the Steelers' running game for the most part and force Justin Fields to look more like Chicago than he has so far this season.

Then I saw that every Cowboys fan's favorite referee, Shawn Hochuli, was assigned to this one. Hochuli has proven to demand everything from the visitor and the Cowboys are already having trouble staying away from the yellow flag. I expect it to be close, but the Cowboys make one mistake too many while the Steelers play a relatively clean game.

Steelers win, 27-22.