With an ugly win over the Lions in the rear-view mirror, the Bears are heading down to Big D for a noon kick-off against the Cowboys. Not wanting to waste your time, let's get right into some analysis!
(1-0) Chicago Bears at
(0-1) Dallas Cowboys
Ignoring the four ridiculous turnovers, the Bear offense looked fluid and functional against the Lions last week, an odd change-up from recent years. Jay Cutler was on target with his throws and made great decisions with the football. However, that was against the Lion defense. If the they could muster four sacks on Cutler, how much is the line going to struggle to block exceptional tackle Jay Ratliff, end Marcus Spears or linebackers Anthony Spencer, Bradie James or All-Pro DeMarcus Ware? I'm not thrilled at their prospects. Chris Williams will have his hands full. Look for plenty of Mike Martz screen passes to the running back to off-set and take advantage of the 'Boys' rush, but eventually he'll have to take his shots downfield. Terence Newman and Mike Jenkins have speed and toughness at the corner position, but they will be out-of-place on occasion. Devin Aromashodu should be able to take advantage of his size as Knox may struggle to get open if Newman's on his back. As much as he avoids it, Martz can't ignore the running game today, or Jay Cutler will get smacked around even more than he already will. Hand-offs and screen passes will be Jay's Best friend. Getting Greg Olsen in mismatches against safeties or 'backers will be another outlet for Jay if he's in trouble.
From the defense's perspective, Chicago will have a noticeable advantage today. Despite tackle Marc Columbo and guard Kyle Kosier's return to the starting line-up (so no penalty-invoking Alex Barron today), defensive end Julius Peppers should have a great day coming off the edge. Columbo's is coming off a knee injury and left tackle Doug Free is still new to the position. What could be better for a skilled rusher? The trick will be getting Tony Romo on the ground, as he's extremely mobile and never stops looking for a receiver. Getting penetration up the middle from Tommie Harris could keep Romo off his game. Chicago played fairly well against the run last week, but the Cowboys have three solid runners on their roster. Marion Barber is getting older but he still punishes would-be tacklers, something the Bears' speedy but small defenders have trouble with. Safety Chris Harris will be integral in stopping Barber's runs. Felix Jones is the real issue, since his speed could make things ugly.
Despite the Cowboys' excellent wide-outs, the Bears match up better than you'd think. Zack Bowman will have some trouble with Miles Austin (as everyone does), but he won't be under-sized and will certainly get help over the top. Charles Tillman should get plenty of Roy Williams, who can't out-run anybody. Dez Bryant is the wildcard of the group, and could take advantage of D.J. Moore. Tillman could see him a bit as well. Where the Bears will see problems is in covering tight end Jason Witten. He's bigger than their safeties and faster than their linebackers and catches almost everything he sees. Still, if the Bears can keep everyone else under wraps, letting Witten go won't hurt as much.
Odds:
The 'Boys are favored by 7, down from 8.5 earlier in the week.
Prediction:
While it's entirely possible for the Bears to win in Dallas, I just don't see it happening. Still, the Bears always manage to make things interesting for us. They'll keep it close and I'll have two heart-attacks by the time it's over.
Message to the Bears:
If you win this game, you're allowed to puff out the chest a bit. You have to win first, though.
