Dallas Cowboys vs Chicago Bears: Week 8 Know Thy Enemy

What We’ve Seen and Possible Offensive Gameplan Against Dallas

Points Per Game: 18 points

Passing Yards Per Game: 149.7 yards

Rushing Yards Per Game: 181 yards

Total Yards Per Game: 307.3 yards

Third Down Conversion Percentage: 40.7%

Red Zone Conversion Percentage: 47.4%

It’s pretty easy to figure out what makes this Bears’ offense run, and it’s exactly that, their strong running game. But it’s not just their running backs Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery who are doing all of the damage. Quarterback Justin Fields is right there with them in terms of their effectiveness on the ground.

The Bears currently rank second in the NFL in rushing attempts (242) and first in rushing yards (1,267). They also have the fifth-best yards per carry average in the league at 5.2 yards per attempt.

So, we know exactly how the Bears plan to attack the Cowboys’ defense but what else are they able to do against this Cowboys’ offense?

They have a banged-up offensive line with their center going down on Monday night with a toe injury and their starting left tackle is still out with an illness. This means more quick throws from Fields who has a cannon for an arm but is still learning to read defenses and get faster going through his receiver progressions.

Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has done a great job of putting Fields in situations that make it easier for him to read defenses and make quick decisions with the read-option being the main staple of this offense.

And yet while the running game is the engine that keeps this Bears offense going, their receivers and tight end are spark plugs that keep the offense on the field in tough situations. Receiver Darnell Mooney and tight end Cole Kmet are two of Fields’ favorite targets and in crunch time they are the playmakers in the passing game he’s going to be looking at to make plays.

The Cowboys are going to have their hands full with this group and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn is going to need to be able to come up with a scheme that is able to restrict Fields in the running game and force him to make plays with his arm behind a weakened Bears offensive line.

The addition of Jonathan Hankins to the Cowboys’ defensive line will be a nice boost in order to stop Montgomery and Herbert but to stop Fields, he’s going to need to figure something else out because his size and strength make him more difficult to defend compared to the likes of Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts.