PITTSBURGH — Mike Tomlin's take was undeniably true. Speaking to reporters at his weekly news conference Tuesday, he was asked what he appreciates about the history of Steelers-Cowboys and how it's still an attractive prime-time matchup.

"The strength of the brands is something to be respected," Tomlin said. "You can't put a price tag on standards and legacy. Both organizations have that."

Indeed, one could not compile a list of "best NFL franchises of the Super Bowl era" without putting the Steelers and Cowboys at or near the top.

The Steelers and New England Patriots are tied for most Super Bowl wins with six apiece. The Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers are right behind with five.

But it's more than that. As Tomlin said, it's the brands — the globally recognized brands. Which fan base anywhere compares to Steeler Nation, commandeering stadiums all over America? And how many sports franchises, ever, can match the Cowboys' reach and financial impact? Just two years ago, the Cowboys were pegged as the most valuable sporting brand on the planet.

Those iconic team colors and logos will be popping off the screen when the Cowboys visit Acrisure Stadium on Sunday night — the black and gold and silver, blue and white.

Three times these franchises have collided in a Super Bowl. Their matchup in Super Bowl XIII, a 35-31 Steelers victory on Jan. 21, 1979 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, might have featured more talent on one football field than any game ever played. Thirteen starters (not to mention both coaches, plus multiple executives) went on to be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

The 1970s Steelers catapulted themselves to immortality on the Cowboys' backs, winning Super Bowls X and XIII. A mere eight points separated them. If the Cowboys win one of those games, they split "Team of the Decade" honors. If they win both, they steal that title.

But the Steelers would not let it happen. The quintessential Steeler himself, Joe Greene, once told me that while the Raiders were "the team that pushed us to great heights," the Cowboys were the ones who made their legacy. Let's just say those 70s Steelers didn't love the "America's Team" title the Cowboys claimed and took great pleasure in beating them.

"I guess you can say that put us in a stratosphere higher than most," Greene said.

It's rarified air, still, that these franchises occupy. But it's equally undeniable that both have slipped.

The Cowboys have not advanced as far as a conference championship game since 1995, when they beat the Steelers in the Super Bowl. They have won only five playoff games in 23 seasons since, all in the wild-card round.

Then again, at least the Cowboys have won a couple of playoff games lately. The Steelers cannot say the same. They have gone seven years — or two years longer than Jimmy Johnson spent forging a Hall of Fame career as Cowboys coach — without winning a playoff game.

Both brands are basically fireproof, but the slippage is measurable. The Steelers were not among the 10 most-watched teams in the NFL last season, based on average audience, maybe because they almost never scored a touchdown, and the Cowboys were replaced by the Kansas City Chiefs as America's most-watched team.

That won't stop ESPN from leading every show, even in May, with talk of Dak Prescott's future, but you get the idea: Steelers-Cowboys isn't what it used to be.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones long ago lost his mojo. Everybody keeps up with the Joneses these days, and usually passes them. The Cowboys have now compiled a decades-long history of making terrible decisions, none worse than their first-round pick in 2017. Jones needed a pass rusher. Dallas took Taco Charlton with the 28th pick. The Steelers got some guy named T.J. Watt two picks later. Jones still thinks about it.

Jones has earned the scorn. On the other hand, the HOF-bound Watt, through no fault of his own, has never experienced a playoff win. This is his eighth season. He turns 30 next Friday. Watt is in danger of becoming this generation's Dick Butkus — an all-time great who never participated in a playoff win.

That's just the state of these two franchises. Maybe one uses Sunday's game as a steppingstone. Maybe one or both make a postseason run.

It's been a minute.

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