The first NFL game to be broadcast in Mexico was Super Bowl I, between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, on January 15, 1967. The impact on viewers was such that by the following season, a Dallas Cowboys game was broadcast every week.
A short time later, the Pittsburgh Steelers joined as “regulars” on NFL broadcasts in Mexico, whose fans practically knew only these two franchises.
Today, the Cowboys and Steelers remain in the Top 3 of the teams with the most fans in Mexico, largely the result of the legacy that parents left to their children, then their children to their own children and so on.
A rivalry with tradition
The Cowboys and Steelers played two consecutive Super Bowls, in January 1975 and 76, and both titles were won by Pittsburgh, which helped the rivalry in Mexico grow even more.
Dallas got its revenge in Super Bowl XXX (January 28, 1996), when the Cowboys beat Pittsburgh 27-17 in Tempe, Arizona.
That, by the way, was the last time the Cowboys appeared in a Super Bowl and since then the owner of the franchise, Jerry Jones, has tried in every possible way to at least return to the NFC Championship Game, something his team has not achieved since that distant 1995 season.
The Steelers were able to return to the Super Bowl on three occasions, with victories over Seattle (XL) and Arizona (XLIII) and a loss to Green Bay (XLV).
Cowboys vs. Steelers, head to head
Dallas and Pittsburgh meet again this Sunday at Acrisure Stadium, as is now a tradition every four years.
The Cowboys beat the Giants 20-15 in Week 4 and will have 10 days off for this game on Sunday Night Football.
Pittsburgh lost its perfect run last Sunday in Indianapolis, in a game in which the Steelers went down 17-0 at the start of the second quarter.
Pittsburgh has won three of the last five against Dallas, including the most recent one in 2020. The last time the Cowboys beat Pittsburgh was in 2016 (35-30), when Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott were rookies.
The Dallas defense will have to deal with the Steelers without two of its best defenders: OLB Micah Parsons (ankle) and DE DeMarcus Lawrence (foot). Without those two, the Cowboys’ front-7 will be under a lot of stress against Pittsburgh’s ground attack, led by Najee Harris (228 yards), plus the contributions of quarterback Justin Fields, who has three rushing touchdowns after four weeks.
When the Cowboys have the ball, the responsibility will again be on Dak Prescott’s shoulders, especially if Dallas finds itself down on the scoreboard quickly. The Steelers defense should have no problem with the Cowboys’ running backs and on third downs will go into attack mode, with T.J. Watt (3 quarterback sacks), Cam Heyward (2) and company a full go after Prescott.
The Cowboys may win the battle for the fans in Mexico, but for this game in Pittsburgh they don’t have many arguments to compete with a team that runs the ball well and has an excellent defense.
Pick: Steelers 23-13 Cowboys
Top picks for Week 5
Buccaneers @ Falcons | Under 41.5 |
Jets @ Vikings | Vikings -2.5 |
Dolphins @ Patriots | Under 36.5 |
Panthers @ Bears | Bears -4 |
Colts @ Jaguars | Under 46.5 |
Bills @ Texans | Over 47.5 |
Ravens @ Bengals | Ravens -2.5 |
Browns @ Commanders | Commanders -3 |
Raiders @ Broncos | Broncos -2.5 |
Cardinals @ 49ers | 49ers -7.5 |
Patriots @ 49ers | Under 39.5 |
Giants @ Seahawks | Seahawks -6 |
Packers @ Rams | Packers -3 |
Cowboys @ Steelers | Steelers -2.5 |
Saints @ Chiefs | Saints +5.5 |
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Iván Pirrón: Author
Sports journalist with more than 30 years of experience in television, radio, print and digital media. NFL columnist and analyst since 2002. A die-hard lover of British rock and the mod movement, his role model is Paul Weller. He has been a reporter at Grupo Radio Centro, sports co-editor at Reforma newspaper, coordinator of Todo Menos Futbol and deputy director at Récord, information coordinator at Televisa Deportes and Press Director at the Mexican Tennis Federation. He is a professor in the Digital Journalism Diploma at the Carlos Septién García School of Journalism, where he teaches the Podcast module. Oh, and in 2010 he played a chess match against none other than the legendary Russian Anatoly Yevgenevich Karvop, better known as Anatoly Karpov (he lost it, by the way).
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