Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears: Complete Week 14 Preview for Dallas
The Dallas Cowboys (8-4) are set to face off against the Chicago Bears (5-7) Thursday night at Soldier Field. Both teams are coming off subpar performances on Thanksgiving against division rivals.
The Cowboys took a beating to the tune of 33-10 against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Cowboys appeared to not be adequately prepared for the tricky Eagles offenses and didn't execute well enough on offense to make up for it.
The Bears continued their disappointing season as the Detroit Lions beat them 34-17. The Bears have had a frustrating year, and their game against the Lions only continued that trend.
When these two met up last season, the Bears dominated the Cowboys 45-28. The Bears offense seamlessly dissected the Dallas defense, and the Dallas offense was not on the same page for the majority of the night.
The Cowboys are in the middle of a tough playoff race, so they can't afford too many more hiccups this season. They are currently on the outside looking in for the NFC playoff race, so they need to start playing at a much higher level.
Read on for some news and notes, injury information and players to watch on Thursday.
Cowboys' Week 13 Recap
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The Dallas Cowboys (8-4) were soundly beaten as they lost 33-10 to the Philadelphia Eagles (9-3). The loss gave the Eagles a one-game lead in the NFC East race.
The Eagles controlled the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football. They were able to do whatever they wanted when they were on offense and limited the Cowboys' effectiveness on defense.
The Cowboys offense played very poorly, as Tony Romo put together one of his worst games of the year.
The defense appeared to be confused by the wide variety of looks from the Eagles offense. LeSean McCoy had huge holes to run through, and Mark Sanchez found open receivers all game.
The only thing the Cowboys did well was in special teams. Dwayne Harris and Lance Dunbar had a couple of nice returns, and the Eagles special teams didn't make any game-changing plays.
The Cowboys can't afford to have any more of these types of performances as they head into the stretch run.
They now look ahead to a game against the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at Soldier Field.
News and Notes
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Will Josh Brent Finally Be on the Active Roster?
Josh Brent was activated to the 53-man roster two weeks ago, but he has yet to be on the active roster on game day. ESPNDallas.com's Todd Archer thinks this could be the week for the defensive tackle:
"I wonder if this is the week we see Josh Brent. The Philadelphia Eagles ran for 256 yards on 45 carries on Thanksgiving. They were able to control the line of scrimmage. With Matt Forte, the Bears have a formidable running back and he can control the game. Maybe the Cowboys can use Brent’s size to help clog up the middle and keep blockers off Rolando McClain. But before you get carried away, don’t look for Brent to be an immovable force. He has not played in two years. He has practiced for about a month. He was a good -- repeat good -- player but not special. And he was playing a different scheme. So temper whatever expectations you might have for him."
Brent is the type of player who will likely not make a huge impact this year since he has been out of football for so long. However, any time he gets now will make him that much better. Plus, he'll have that much less rust to knock off next year.
Also, it is not like the Cowboys have gotten great play from their 1-technique defensive tackles this year; therefore, Brent won't be a downgrade at the position.
Cowboys Need to Generate More Pressure
While the secondary and linebackers have had problems in recent games, the biggest problem for the defense has been its inability to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Nick Hayden says the lack of pass rush comes down to a few things, per ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins. "We showed some flashes," defensive tackle Nick Hayden said. "Obviously it’s never good enough but there’s always room to improve. It comes down to just being relentless as a pass-rusher out there, and communication is huge."
The lack of a pass rush was the biggest reason for Mark Sanchez slicing and dicing the Cowboys defense on Thanksgiving Day.
This week the Cowboys face another quarterback in Jay Cutler who can put up big numbers if they don't get pressure.
The Cowboys need to be better at rushing the passer, or their defense will continue to falter.
Henry Melton Faces Old Team
Henry Melton spent his first five seasons in the NFL with the Chicago Bears, and Thursday's game will be the first time he goes into the visiting locker room in Chicago.
Melton had this to say about leaving the Bears, per Archer: "That’s how it goes. You know, it’s a business: One day you’re a franchise player, and the next year you’re gone. It’s no hard feelings, but it’s a business."
He has done a good job for the Cowboys at the under-tackle position, but with the lack of a pass rush, they need Melton to be even better versus his former teammates.
He has the unique ability to win with his quickness or power, which allows him to keep opposing linemen guessing. If the Cowboys do end up getting significant pressure on Cutler, you can bet Melton will be a big reason why.
Injury Report
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| Josh Brent (groin) | DT | Probable |
| Tony Romo (back) | QB | Probable |
| Tyrone Crawford (knee) | DT | Probable |
| Tyler Patmon (knee/ankle) | CB | Out |
| Doug Free (foot) | OT | Probable |
| Nick Hayden (shoulder) | DT | Probable |
| Rolando McClain (knee) | LB | Probable |
| DeMarcus Lawrence (chest) | DE | Questionable |
| Jeff Heath (thumb) | SS | Out |
| Dekoda Watson (hamstring) | LB | Out |
| Terrance Williams (finger) | WR | Probable |
| George Selvie (thumb) | DE | Probable |
| Tyron Smith (illness) | OT | Probable |
The Cowboys have a lot of players on the injury report, but luckily none of the serious injuries are to their main contributors. Jeff Heath will be missed on special teams and in sub-packages on defense, but he is easier to replace than a starting player would be.
If George Selvie ends up being out for the game, Anthony Spencer will start at left defensive end. The Cowboys are lucky to have skated by 75 percent of the season without any major injuries to their main contributors.
All injury information comes from the Cowboys' official team website.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Brandon Carr vs. Brandon Marshall
One of the matchups that will sway this game in either team's favor will be when Brandon Carr matches up against Brandon Marshall.
When these two played against each other in 2013, Marshall had four catches on five targets for 68 yards, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Thus far this season, Carr has struggled in both man and zone coverage and has had trouble maintaining sound technique. He has consistently been a liability in both the running and passing games. As a result, he appears to have taken a big step back this year as opposed to last.
In order for Carr to slow down Marshall, he will need 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 hold his own against the star receiver.
Cowboys Offensive Line vs. Bears Defensive Line
Last week, the Cowboys needed their offensive line to win its battles against the Eagles defensive line on a regular basis. However, the O-line didn't do that, which led to the Eagles defense stifling the Cowboys offense for a majority of the game.
The Cowboys need their offensive line to be much better this week against the Bears.
For that to happen, Ronald Leary needs to do a much better job than he did against the Eagles. He will have to do a good job of remaining balanced as he lines up against Stephen Paea, Will Sutton and possibly Jeremiah Ratliff.
Doug Free will have another tough matchup this week, as he will have to block Willie Young for most of the day. Young is an athletic defensive end who can present a lot of problems for Free when he rushes the passer. 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 control the clock and easily move the ball against a porous Bears secondary.
X-Factor of the Week: Rolando McClain
When Rolando McClain is healthy, the Cowboys defense is a much better unit as a whole. Last week, he was not healthy, as he was slowed by a knee injury throughout the game against the Eagles. This led to the Cowboys defense struggling to stop the Eagles run game.
This week, it appears as though McClain will give it a go, but the Cowboys will need him to be close to 100 percent if they hope to stop the Bears offense.
The biggest weapon for the Bears offense is Matt Forte, and McClain will have the biggest say on whether Forte has a quiet or a productive game.
The Bears use Forte a lot as a receiver out of the backfield; therefore, McClain will have his hands full throughout the game.
For the Cowboys defense to put together a better effort than it did against the Bears last year, McClain must have a great game.
Prediction
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Even though the Bears embarrassed the Cowboys a year ago, Dallas is a much better team this year, while the Bears are playing much worse.
Jay Cutler has been erratic and turnover-prone throughout this season, and the Cowboys need to take advantage. As is the case every week, the Cowboys need their defensive line to get pressure on Cutler so that they force him into positions where he is susceptible to making mistakes.
On offense the Cowboys receivers need to do a better job of winning their individual matchups than they did last week, and the offensive line must do a better job of protecting Romo. If they both do their jobs, Romo should have his way with the mediocre Bears secondary.
Overall, the Cowboys offense should put up significant numbers against the Bears defense, and the Cowboys defense should slow down the Bears offense enough for Dallas to get the win.
Prediction: Cowboys 38, Bears 31
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