PITTSBURGH — Deshea Townsend scored on a 26-yard interception return with 1:40 remaining as the Pittsburgh Steelers scored their only two touchdowns 24 seconds apart to rally from a 10-point deficit and deal the Dallas Cowboys a potentially damaging loss, winning 20-13 today.

Pittsburgh was stopped on a fourth-and-goal play at the Dallas 1 early in the fourth while falling behind 13-3, but came back to tie it at 13 on Ben Roethlisberger's 6-yard pass to Heath Miller with 2:04 remaining. Roethlisberger found Nate Washington three times for 51 yards on a 67-yard drive after the Cowboys (8-5) twice stalled on drives that, if they had scored, probably would have sealed it.

The Dallas loss secured the NFC East for New York (11-2), despite the Giants' 20-14 loss to Philadelphia earlier in the day.

The Steelers (10-3) didn't wrap up an AFC playoff spot, but won their fourth in a row and ended Dallas' three-game winning streak to assure themselves of the AFC North lead going into next Sunday's game at Baltimore, which played Washington later Sunday night.

It was another December disappointment for Dallas, which is 17-29 in the month since 1996.

On second-and-8 from the Cowboys 17, tight end Jason Witten ran the wrong pass route, allowing Townsend to step in front of the pass for the fifth turnover forced by Pittsburgh's league-leading defense. Until the closing minutes, that defense had been outplayed by a determined Dallas defense that held Pittsburgh to 70 yards rushing and 238 yards.

Dallas rookie Tashard Choice ran for 88 yards in his first NFL start, the most against Pittsburgh all season, and Tony Romo improvised a 12-yard scoring pass to Terrell Owens to apparently put Dallas in command early in the third quarter. Romo, coming off successive 300-yard games, ended 19-of-36 for 210 yards and three interceptions.

Roethlisberger was 17-of-33 for 204 yards in his 48th career victory, the most by a quarterback in his first five seasons.

After Choice's 22-yard run to the Steelers 38 early in the third, Romo found Martellus Bennett for 13 yards and Choice ran for 12 before Romo — taking more than eight seconds to throw while scrambling to his left and right — somehow found Owens in the rear of the end zone. Owens was blanketed by Ike Taylor, yet leaped over him for Romo's seventh touchdown pass in four games since returning from a finger injury.

Until Owens' catch put Dallas up 10-3, Pittsburgh held a 77-9 scoring advantage in the third quarter this season. Nick Folk later added his second field goal, a 33-yarder with 3:32 left in the third that made it 13-3, and Jeff Reed answered with a 41-yarder midway through the fourth.

The Cowboys played in Pittsburgh for the first time since 1997 — two seasons after the signature franchises met in their third Super Bowl — but were given a frigid welcome on a windy, 22-degree day with a wind chill in the low teens. Dallas was without running back Marion Barber due to a dislocated toe, forcing Choice to make his first start against a defense that leads the league in passing, rushing and total yardage and fewest points allowed.

Choice, not intimidated by the opponent or his surroundings, responded with 166 total yards, including 78 on five receptions.

The Steelers' offense, held below 100 yards until late in the third quarter, got nothing going until Roethlisberger found Santonio Holmes behind Terence Newman for 47 yards to the Dallas 33 on third-and-16.

Pittsburgh advanced to the Dallas 1 on a drive that carried into the fourth quarter, but fullback Carey Davis gained nothing on a third-down swing pass and Gary Russell was dropped for a 2-yard loss by Keith Davis and Bradie James as coach Mike Tomlin passed up a field-goal attempt on fourth down.

It was the third time in a month the Steelers were stopped inside the 1 on their home field, but Dallas couldn't take advantage — just as Pittsburgh did little with the Cowboys' four turnovers in the first half.

Taylor's interception set up Reed's 24-yard field goal with 2:40 remaining before halftime.

Dallas, constantly starting drives in poor field position, mounted little offense until Romo hit Witten on two passes for 31 yards to answer with Nick Folk's 44-yard field goal on the final play of the half.