The Dallas Cowboys didn’t play well on Sunday, losing to the Chicago Bears 31-14. Most expected it to be a good battle as both teams have issues on defense, but it was the Cowboys who showed themselves to be most vulnerable. An injury to a star player early seemed to take the life out of the offense, and it wasn’t very long before this one was unbearable to watch. Here are 10 thoughts on this disappointing defeat on Sunday.
1. A promising start
It didn’t last long, but the Cowboys got off to a good start when the defense forced the Bears’ offense to go three and out on their first possession. At least for this brief moment, it was a sign of life that the Cowboys might have corrected some wrongs from their poor display last week. Making things even better is that the offense started off with two nice Javonte Williams runs that moved the ball to the Bears’ 24-yard line. Unfortunately, on the second run the ball was stripped out of his hands, resulting in a turnover. And just like that, the fun was over.
2. Can’t stop the big plays
It was the same old for the Cowboys’ defense when it came to avoiding giving up explosive plays. Against the Bears, they surrendered a 35-yard touchdown to Rome Odunze when Trevon Diggs fell down. On the Bears’ next offensive play, they caught the Cowboys’ defense napping when a flea-flicker left rookie receiver Luther Burden III wide open for a 65-yard touchdown.
3. Can’t stop the short plays
During the first half, the Cowboys’ defense was bitten by the big plays, but as the game progressed, they proved to be ineffective across the board. Chicago put together a seven-play, 71-yard drive at the end of the first half that felt like a dagger, giving the Bears a 10-point lead. Then, the real dagger came when the Bears put together a 19-play, 76-yard drive that used up almost 10 minutes of the third quarter. The Cowboys’ defense couldn’t get off the field as the Bears just moved down the field methodically.
4. Losing CeeDee
It’s never a good thing when you lose your biggest playmaker on offense, but that’s exactly what happened early in the game. On a designed run, the team’s star receiver CeeDee Lamb injured his ankle. Lamb tried to return, but it was clear that he wasn’t able to cut effectively, ending his day. Lamb had a streak of four-straight 100-yard games dating back to last season, but that streak is no more.
5. J-Dub running with power
The game script added a wrinkle to the Cowboys’ game plan when it came to running the ball, but when it was relevant, they looked pretty good. Williams continued to run with power as he had 76 yards on just 10 carries for an efficient 7.6 average. He made the most of his opportunities, lowering his shoulder and keeping his legs churning. It’s hard to find a silver lining in a messy game like this, but Williams continued to show that he’s an asset to this offense.
6. Dinking and dunking with Fergy
Statistically, it was a nice day for tight end Jake Ferguson as he finished the game with 13 catches for 82 yards. Unfortunately, he was used far too often, giving the Cowboys no versatility to their offense. George Pickens did have five catches for 68 yards, including a touchdown, but Prescott only averaged 6.3 yards per completion on Sunday. Not having Lamb available is no excuse for such a conservative offense, especially against a porous Bears defense.
7. Career day for Caleb
A week after letting Russell Wilson look like the Russell Wilson of old, the Cowboys’ defense again made another quarterback look like a star. Second-year QB Caleb Williams had his best day as a pro, throwing four touchdowns and no picks. He finished with a 142.6 passer rating, the highest of his young career. With a pass defense as bad as the Cowboys, this might become a regular occurrence as subpar QBs come in and have their way with them.
8. Red zone struggles
With a defense that doesn’t give much room for error, the Cowboys’ offense has to be better at closing the deal when they get in scoring position. The Cowboys outgained the Bears in total yards 396 to 385, but that didn’t translate to as many points because Dallas was only one for four in the red zone. It was an underwhelming performance for the Cowboys’ offense despite having some success moving the ball. If they can’t finish the drives, it’s going to be a frustrating year for this football team.
9. Giving it away
The Cowboys lost the turnover battle as they gave the ball away four times, while the Bears never committed a single turnover. The Cowboys had three interceptions and the Williams strip. A couple of the picks were errant throws, while one came off a dropped pass. Finishing minus four in the turnover margin won’t win you a lot of games. The Cowboys were sloppy and the Bears made them pay for it.
10. A Milton sighting
It’s not how we wanted to see it, but we got our first regular-season glimpse of second-year quarterback Joe Milton. In the last five minutes of the game, Milton came in and slung it around. He started well, completing his first three passes (would have been four had it not been for an illegal man downfield penalty). His last pass ended up in the arms of the Bears’ safety, so even that small feeling of goodness didn’t last long.
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