Mike McCarthy's odd QB decision for Steelers game. And why one Cowboys analyst supports it.

The Steelers (7-0) should blow out the Dallas Cowboys (2-6) on Sunday. The Cowboys certainly are no longer “America’s Team.”

Unless we are talking about America in 2020. The America that’s been addled by a pandemic, engulfed in social upheaval, ravaged by wildfires, divided by political discord, and immersed in a kerfuffle of an election.

That America? Oh. Then for sure. Then this putrid edition of the Cowboys is very much “America’s Team.”

There aren’t a lot of compelling matchups on either side of the ball on Sunday. Nor is there a ton of intrigue when it comes to potential angles of how the Cowboys may manage to pull off an upset.

At least in Pittsburgh, we have the fun angle of Pine-Richland quarterback Ben DiNucci starting against his hometo….

Scratch that. We don’t even have that. DiNucci was benched after just one NFL start last week. A 23-9 defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles.

DiNucci wasn’t good, just 21 of 40 for 180 yards. He didn’t throw any interceptions. But he took four sacks and fumbled twice. So head coach Mike McCarthy is going to start either Garrett Gilbert or Cooper Rush instead.

Essentially, they are the fourth and fifth options at QB for Dallas this season. DiNucci was only playing because Dak Prescott suffered a compound ankle fracture and Andy Dalton is dealing with both a concussion and coronavirus.

And you thought the Steelers were pumping the well dry when they had to turn to Devlin Hodges a year ago? “Duck” would look like Joe Montana by comparison in Texas this year.

This week, I asked McCarthy why he was pulling DiNucci. And, at one point, he said it looked like DiNucci was struggling with the speed of the game on “Sunday Night Football” last week.

That’s understandable for a 23-year-old from James Madison making his first start in the National Football League. And, if this stage is too big, OK. Bench him and get somebody else to mop up the season.

But McCarthy expanded on his answer. And the more he talked, the more confused I got. It almost sounded like they aren’t benching DiNucci because they realized he can’t cut it. Rather, they are shielding him from the wrath of the Steelers vaunted pass rush and its league-leading 30 sacks.

So as to protect his confidence. And maybe his health.

“We have a lot of promise and hope with Ben. I’m excited about his future. He brings a unique talent. He’s a talented young man. But he’s raw. To play this defense, in particular, we felt that going with a more experienced quarterback, as far as Cooper and Garrett, would be in our best interest.

“By no means does this mean anything. He has a bright future. (I am) looking forward to developing him and getting him the reps that he needs. But the speed of the game was very apparent from Sunday night’s contest. He’ll be better for that. But this decision was clearly made based on the experience of the three quarterbacks available.”

Experience? Garrett Gilbert was drafted in 2014. He has thrown six NFL passes. He’s appeared in six games. He’s bounced around since 2014. Cooper Rush has one completion in five games. This is his fourth year.

That’s experience?

“Personally, I’d like to see Ben DiNucci play against the Pittsburgh Steelers, too,” McCarthy continued. “But this is about what we feel is best for the football team this week. Ben will be better from this. He clearly understands the direction. This is a decision that was made on experience.

“He’s made of the right stuff and has an excellent work ethic. I haven’t lost any confidence in him.”

Well, obviously McCarthy lost some. I mean, the experience factor didn’t force DiNucci to the bench last week.

More to the point, it almost sounds like McCarthy is treating DiNucci like he’s a teenage pitching prospect who shouldn’t be exposed to Major League hitting so as not to shatter his confidence.

Or like a rookie goaltender at the Civic Arena on a Tuesday night in 1992. One evening against Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux might turn him into former Washington Capitals goalie Jim Carey—and ruin him forever.

But we’re talking about a third-string quarterback, aren’t we? Isn’t the very job description of third-string quarterback to be a young, cheap option to take the knocks in a lost season and get some experience along the way?

What is McCarthy saving DiNucci for? Training camp next year to challenge for the starter’s job? Or, at least, the second-string job? And if that’s the case, why not give him every rep he can get in what is otherwise a lost season for Dallas?

I know the NFC East stinks. But is starting Rush or Gilbert going to get Dallas to the playoffs? Maybe McCarthy should just want a better draft position anyway.

By this logic, McCarthy should start whichever QB he thinks is worse between Rush and Gilbert. Let the lesser QB get planted into the turf Sunday by T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree. Then come back with the better option next week against the Minnesota Vikings.

Marcus Mosher of “Locked On Cowboys” joined me for Friday’s “Breakfast With Benz” podcast to talk about the situation at quarterback for Dallas. He agrees with McCarthy’s thinking.

“I think he’s actually right,” Mosher says. “I think the Cowboys would like him to be the long term backup to Dak Prescott.

“They believe he has a lot of talent. And it’s hard to blame (McCarthy).

“When you see the offensive line they are putting out there against arguably the best pass rush in football, you are going to ruin quarterbacks. We’ve seen quarterbacks ruined behind far better offensive lines and against worse defenses. It’s in DiNucci’s best interest to not play him in some of these games.”

He also explains why the Cowboys truly aren’t much of a threat to be the “typical Steelers upset road loss” opponent. We look at Ezekiel Elliott’s season so far. And why Mosher has a hunch the Steelers will score close to 35 points.

LISTEN: Tim Benz and Marcus Mosher talk about the Steelers-Cowboys matchup