After losing to the pitiful Philadelphia Eagles last week, I truly dreaded this week’s match up against the 7-0 Pittsburgh Steelers.

However, I was pleasantly surprised to see our 4th string quarterback, Garrett Gilbert, play better than Ben DiNucci (3rd string) and Andy Dalton (2nd string). Instead of taking multiple sacks and throwing incomplete passes, Gilbert actually threw for 1 touchdown and 243 yards against one of the best defenses in the NFL. He helped bring life to an offense that has been dead since Dak Prescott’s injury, and it was refreshing.

Also, a Cowboys defense that has been the worst in the NFL this season actually showed up. They held the Steelers to just 24 points, 6 of which came from unfortunate offensive turnovers. Even the Cowboys special teams played well, acquiring great field position on punt returns.

Watching this game, I felt a sense of hope that I hadn’t felt in so long. The Cowboys finally look like a balanced team.

Unfortunately, the referees made some questionable calls. They kept throwing penalties against the Cowboys defense that were unfounded, allowing the Steelers offense to make their way down the field and score. The game ended with the Cowboys losing 24-19, but honestly it felt like a win.

In the past, the Steelers would argue that they are America’s Team, having 6 Super Bowl wins vs. 5 for the Cowboys. Now that the Patriots have 6 Super Bowl wins this seems irrelevant. Yet, Steelers quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger had the nerve the question the Cowboys title, stating to reporters that the Steelers were “the world’s team.” He’s wrong.

Love them or hate them, the Cowboys are America’s Team and the rest of the world does not care about American football.