Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in the Cowboys' Week 14 Contest with the Bears

The 8-4 Dallas Cowboys will visit the 5-7 Chicago Bears Thursday in a rematch of one of the more one-sided games of last year. In 2013, the Bears dominated the Cowboys in almost every facet of the game as they took a 45-28 victory. 

The Cowboys are right in the thick of the playoff race, and they cannot afford many more slip-ups, especially to a conference opponent. If the playoffs started today, the Cowboys would be on the outside looking in, so they have some catching up to do. 

The Bears have been one of the most disappointing teams in the NFL this season as they have had a very tumultuous year. The Bears have been let down by their defense and the turnover-prone offense throughout the season. 

Now, let's take a look at the three matchups that will go a long way toward deciding a victor in Thursday's contest. 

1. Brandon Carr vs. Brandon Marshall 

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

The most important individual matchup Thursday may be when Brandon Carr lines up on the outside against Brandon Marshall. 

In the 2013 matchup, Marshall had four catches on five targets for 68 yards when he was lined up against Brandon Carr, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Cowboys will need a better effort from Carr this time around if they hope to do a better job against the Bears' passing attack. 

Overall Grade	Rank Among CB	Receptions allowed/Targets	Yards Allowed	Touchdowns Allowed
-13.0	110th	39/64	675	4

Thus far this season, Carr has been one of the worst starting cornerbacks in the NFL. He has struggled in both man and zone coverage as he struggled to maintain sound technique. 

He has trouble getting the proper depth in his zone. If Carr doesn't get to the proper depth, it leads to huge holes in the zone coverage that are easily exploitable by opposing quarterbacks, evidenced by Jeremy Maclin's 58-yard catch against the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. NFL.com's Bucky Brooks provided an analysis of Carr's shortcomings as a cornerback in describing the role of that position, noting the aforementioned play:

Carr needs to do a better job of getting his hands on opposing receivers and disrupting their routes. Carr was brought in to be a big physical cornerback for exactly these types of situations; however, he has yet to do a competent job this year.  

If Carr doesn't get his hands on Marshall, then he will lose the majority of the time. Marshall is too big strong and athletic for Carr to think he can just run with Marshall without disrupting Marshall's timing with Jay Cutler. 

In order for Carr to be able to slow down Marshall, he needs to get his hands on him early in the route and stay glued to Marshall's back hip. Furthermore, Carr must get to his proper depth in his zone so that Marshall can't sneak behind him for a big play. If Carr can do both of those things, then he should be able to hold his own against the star receiver. 

2. Rolando McClain vs. Matt Forte

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The best offensive weapons on the Bears roster is Matt Forte, and the player who will be primarily responsible for taking him away will be Rolando McClain. 

Last year, Forte had 20 carries for 102 yards and seven receptions for 73 and a touchdown, per PFF. However, the Cowboys didn't have McClain last year, so the matchup should go a little bit differently this time around. 

McClain is one of the best linebackers in the NFL at coming downhill and making stops in his gap. McClain brings a physicality to the Cowboys defense that it didn't have last year. 

For as good as McClain is in defending the run, he has also been extremely effective in pass coverage. He does a great job of getting to the right depth in his zone and breaking on underneath routes. 

He will need to be on top of his game because he will be defending the NFL's best receiver out of the backfield in Forte. If McClain doesn't play with sound technique and good instincts, Forte could have a big day against the average Dallas defense.

Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram pointed out that, even though the team feels he will be "OK" to play, he must step up his game in order for the defense as a whole to be "OK": 

McClain is suffering from an apparent knee injury he suffered in the game against the Philadelphia Eagles, but he should play against the Bears. It was easy to tell that his knee affected him as he was slow and sluggish throughout the game against the Eagles. 

If McClain is healthy against the Bears, then he should be able to do an adequate job of stopping Forte for the most part. However, if his knee is hampering him again, then the Cowboys may have to devote further resources to stopping the Bears' premier running back.

3. Cowboys Offensive Line vs. Bears Defensive Line

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Last week, one of the keys to victory for the Cowboys was that their offensive line beat the Eagles' defensive line on a regular basis. However, they failed to do so as the Eagles' defensive line constantly applied a ton of pressure on Tony Romo and limited DeMarco Murray's effectiveness throughout the game.

This week will be no different as Dallas' offensive line must put together a great performance against the Bears. 

Overall Grade	Run-Blocking	Pass-Blocking
+26.2	13.7	+7.7

For that to happen, Ronald Leary needs to do a much better job of playing balanced in his pass set against the Bears. You can see Leary's technical flaws here as he gets tossed aside by Brandon Graham (via Kyle): 

The Bears give offenses a variety of looks with their front four, so Leary will have to be able to deal with the power of Stephen Paea or the quickness of Jeremiah Ratliff (if he plays) or Will Sutton. 

Also, Doug Free will have his hands full for another week as he will line up against Willie Young for most of the day. Young is an extremely athletic defensive end who has the potential to give Free a ton of problems. Free will have to do a great job of getting out of his pass set quickly so that he can deal with Young's quickness. 

Overall, the Cowboys' offensive line must bounce back from its porous performance and put together a game reminiscent of the contest against the Jacksonville Jaguars. If the Cowboys do that, then they will be able to control the clock and easily move the ball against a porous Bears secondary.