Dallas Faces Tough Test in Chicago
In Week 14 of the NFL, the Dallas Cowboys head to the Windy City to face the Chicago Bears in an NFC matchup. Dallas will be looking for their third straight win. The Cowboys are currently tied for first place in the NFC East at 7-5 with rivals the Philadelphia Eagles.
Chicago is losers of three of its past four games and slowly watches their postseason hopes fading. Jay Cutler, the Bears starting quarterback will not play in the game. Josh McCown has played well as Cutler’s stand in completing 65% of his passes. McCown also has 9 touchdown passes and just one interception.
Chicago’s defense has had injuries all season to key players and is not playing anywhere near as good as in years past.
Dallas is coming off a strong rushing performance from their win on Thanksgiving over the Oakland Raiders. The Cowboys had 144 yards on the ground, including three touchdowns.
Lance Dunbar was injured in the Thanksgiving Day game for Dallas and the talented change of pace running back will be lost for the rest of this season.
Nevertheless, with the way Chicago’s defense has played the Cowboys should be successful against the run. Chicago is last in the NFL against the rush on defense.
DeMarco Murray will carry much of the load running for Dallas this weekend. This season he has 697 yards on the ground, while averaging just under 5 yards per carry.
Phillip Turner and Joseph Randle both will replace Dunbar as Murray’s backups.
When Dallas commits to running, they have been successful. If the Cowboys are not trailing in the early stages of the game, the team will attempt to run against the weakened Bears defense. Look for Murray to have a successful game with well over 100 yards on the ground.
Look for Tony Romo, the Dallas starting quarterback to have a big day as well through the air. If Dallas is able to run the ball successfully, it will open up the passing attack for Dallas.
Romo has played exceptionally well this season, especially since he threw a late interception against Denver in their 51-48 loss.
Romo is ranked in the league top 10 in completions, yards and touchdowns. He has 24 touchdown passes, just seven interceptions and over 3,140 yards passing.
He most likely will not have the 500 yards he did against Denver, but look for Romo to have a strong day with his favorite target on the day being Dez Bryant.
Bryant is one of the league’s top receivers but does not get the ball as much as he should. Bryant is 10th in the league in receptions with 68. Bryant has 16 receptions over his past two games. He should find himself with at least 10 receptions against Chicago.
On defense, DeMarcus Ware the do-everything linemen has said he feels back to normal. That does not bode well for the Bears and especially for McCown.
Sean Lee also returns for the Cowboys after missing two games with a leg injury. The Cowboys are last in total defense in the league, but with Ware fully healthy and Lee returning, the defense should be stronger.
Dallas should control this matchup from start to finish even though they are playing on the road. The only factor that could change how the game is played this weekend is foul weather. The weather is expected to be cold with snow possible.
Pick: Dallas 35-14
