The Chicago Bears (3-4) will face the Dallas Cowboys (5-2) as they play back-to-back road games. Both teams are looking to extend their win streak to two games following wins over New England and Detroit, respectively.
Sunday’s game against Dallas will be a challenge for the Bears. Dallas has one of the best defenses in the NFL in yards allowed, points allowed, takeaways, and sacks.
The Bears will have to play mistake-free football, do what they’ve struggled to do all season – protect Justin Fields, and find a way to score points against the Cowboys.
However, it’s hard to see them leaving Texas with a victory if they don’t address the following concerns.
1
The Cowboys' defense is top 10 in takeaways
Dallas is one of the best defenses in the NFL at taking the ball from opposing teams. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn oversees a unit with a combined 15 total takeaways. Teams facing the Cowboys end drives in turnovers 15.4% of the time, which is sixth best for NFL defenses.
While improving at protecting the football, the Bears are still the 10th worst in the NFL for drives ending in turnovers. Justin Fields is also turnover prone. His 17 combined turnovers (11 fumbles and six interceptions) are second only to Matt Ryan (20 total turnovers), who was benched earlier this week.
The Bears’ second-year quarterback has to continue getting better at protecting the football – especially as Chicago looks to use him more as a runner. Turning the ball against Dallas plays into the strength of their defensive philosophy and will lead to a long day for the offense.
2
Dallas leads the NFL in pressure rate and sacks
While Micah Parsons gets most of the notoriety, the Cowboys’ defense generates sacks and pressure with several other players. Specifically Dorance Armstrong, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Dante Fowler. Excluding Parsons, this group has 11 of Dallas’ 29 total sacks.
Unfortunately, Fields is the most sacked quarterback in the NFL. On pass attempts this season, he’s sacked a league-leading 17% of the time. The next closest quarterback is Marcus Mariota at 10%. So the Bears’ offensive line will have to find a way to protect Fields – something they have struggled to do all year.
It’s almost a given that Dallas will put pressure on Fields and sack him often. First, however, the Bears have to find a way to overcome the pass rush. If Chicago allows the pressure to kill offensive drives or lead to turnovers, it’s unlikely they will win the game.
3
Dallas allows the second-fewest points per game
Chicago is already one of the lowest-scoring teams in the NFL (10th worst) at 18 points per game. However, Dallas has only allowed two teams to score 18 or more points this season. The Cowboys are holding teams to an impressive 14.9 points per game.
Sunday’s game in Arlington will be difficult for Chicago’s offense. But if they can score 18 or more, they could have a shot at winning. In their two losses, Dallas allowed 19 points to the Buccaneers in week one and 26 points to the Eagles in week six.
