Ask the Pittsburgh Steelers who they would rather face at quarterback Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys, and chances are they will tell you it doesn’t matter.

No offense to Cooper Rush or Garrett Gilbert, the journeymen passers that are vying for the Cowboys starting job this week. It’s just that the Steelers are more concerned about the player lining up behind the quarterback than the one who handles the ball on every snap from center.

An example: Defensive coordinator Keith Butler was asked a question Thursday about game-planning for the Cowboys given their unsettled quarterback situation when he stopped the questioner mid-sentence.

“The running back,” Butler said. “The running back. Two-one. That’s all you need there. He’s the guy.”

Ezekiel Elliott isn’t generating his customary eye-popping statistics this season, which is understandable given the Cowboys are 2-6 and working a fourth quarterback into the lineup. Still, the fifth-year running back and two-time NFL rushing leader has commanded the Steelers’ respect and gotten their attention heading into the matchup Sunday at AT&T Stadium.

“We’re preparing with the understanding that we have to deal with Ezekiel Elliott this weekend,” coach Mike Tomlin said, “and we understand what that means.”

Given all of the Cowboys’ issues at quarterback, Elliott has been a rare constant in the Cowboys backfield this season. The winner of this week’s practice competition will follow Dak Prescott, Andy Dalton and rookie Ben DiNucci of Pine-Richland as the Cowboys quarterback du jour.

Butler said Steelers coaches have studied what little film exists of the two candidates — they’ve combined to make 11 NFL appearances and zero starts since 2014 — but the focus remains on stopping Elliott.

“If I’m them, I’m going to give the ball to 21,” Butler said.

That is what first-year Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy intends to do, even if he knows the Steelers will be scheming to stop Elliott above all else.

“We always start with the run game regardless of who is playing quarterback,” McCarthy said. “You talk about a run defense that challenges you, and the way they challenge you will be a part of our approach.”

Elliott’s success this season has mirrored that of his team, which takes a three-game losing streak into Sunday’s matchup against the 7-0 Steelers.

Coming on the heels of a season in which he finished fourth in the NFL with 1,357 rushing yards, Elliott is on a pace to barely exceed 1,000. He has 521 yards, is averaging a career-low 3.9 yards per carry, and his next 100-yard game this year will be his first.

In the Cowboys’ three-game skid, he has rushed for 157 yards while averaging 3.65 yards per attempt. He also has contributed five lost fumbles to the Cowboys’ NFL-high 18 giveaways at the midpoint of the season.

“We need to build off the things we are doing well here so far,” McCarthy said. “We have to take care of the things, particularly taking care of the football. It’s our A-No. 1 focus moving forward. We obviously haven’t done a good job of that at all.”

The Steelers are coming off a game in which the Baltimore Ravens rushed for 265 yards against a defense that ranked No. 1 or No. 2 each week in defending the run. They were helpless to stop the Ravens all the while knowing dual-threat quarterback Lamar Jackson would extend plays with his legs.

Without injured starter Mark Ingram, the Ravens carved up the Steelers defense behind rookie J.K. Dobbins and backup Gus Edwards, who combined for 200 yards rushing.

“Last week was a tough scheme,” safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “It was almost like going against a triple-option type of team.”

The Steelers will be challenged with stopping the run against the Cowboys while continuing to work new faces into the lineup because of injury. Isaiah Buggs could start Sunday because of an injury to nose tackle Tyson Alualu. Robert Spillane will make his third start at middle linebacker. Slot cornerback Mike Hilton’s availability is unknown because of a shoulder injury.

”We’re dealing with a heck of a back this week,” defensive captain Cameron Heyward said. “Zeke is that guy. He is the premier running back in our league. We have to make sure guys tackle well, we are in our gaps and when one guy misses, we have another three guys ready to attack.”

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