Dallas Cowboys: Midseason predictions and playoff cautionary tales
By Richard Ball
Week 14 – Cowboys at Bears
In Week Fourteen, Dallas will play their second Thursday game in a row when they travel to Chicago to play the Bears in the first week of December. The weather in Chicago at this time of year could be a factor.
It is games like this that a run game is important. Even in the pass-happy NFL of today, the run game matters when the weather gets cold.
Fortunately, the Cowboys feature a top-five run-blocking offensive line. They also have a talented running back in Ezekiel Elliott who loves to be fed especially in prime time.
On the other side of the ball, the Chicago offense is a complete mess so much so that their coach had zero thought about running or passing the ball when driving for a game-winning field goal against the Chargers. This largely centers on the lack of trust in third-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky who Chicago traded up for in the 2017 draft and picked instead of the 2018 NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
The Cowboys defense can’t take Chicago for granted but there isn’t much difference between the tanking Miami Dolphins offense and Chicago from an output perspective. However, the Chicago defense can not be underestimated.
The defense features linebacker Khalil Mack, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year, who is capable of wrecking a game all by himself. The unit is very good at forcing turnovers and has a linebacker who once intercepted former Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo in Romo’s best game of his life.
This is a game Dallas should win. As long as the offense keeps their hands on the ball, Dallas will beat Chicago and go to 9-4.