The Dallas Cowboys are now 6-2 going into the bye week, and they had a LOT to like on Sunday. After going into halftime with a 28-17 lead, the offense didn’t let up and took care of business against the Chicago Bears, 49-29.
It may be a bit of a surprise to see the defense allow as many points as they did, but it is certainly a relief to see the offense perform as well as they did. This 49-point effort is the most points they’ve scored since Week 18 against the Philadelphia Eagles last season.
Both teams combined for over 800 yards of total offense on the day, even though most expected this game to be a fairly low-scoring game, given how these offenses have performed to this point. Those are some quick takeaways. Here are six other things we learned from the Cowboys’ win over the Bears in Week 8.
6 takeaways from the Cowboys’ offensive clinic against the Bears
1. Penalties, penalties, and more penalties
This just seems to be an ongoing theme with this team, but penalties continue to be a huge issue, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Even just through the first half, the Cowboys had four penalties.
Offsides penalties, roughing the passer penalties, no matter what it is, they keep making undisciplined actions which keep leading to extended drives for opponents. For the defense, their worst enemy is themselves as they keep allowing teams to get back into games with unnecessary flags.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs' interception was negated because of roughing the passer penalty on DE Chauncey Golston. Next play: touchdown. Dallas needed four drives to score season-high 28 points and convert season-high six third downs. But Bears aren't going way. 28-14.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) October 30, 2022
The penalties were mostly cleaned up in the second half, but they really can expose this team when they start getting out of control. It wasn’t necessarily the number of penalties that was an issue on Sunday, rather than the context of those penalties.
The team amassed six penalties for 41 yards against the Bears. It wasn’t the worst showing, but they still need to be cleaned up, as those allowed the Bears to extend drives, leading to points, and a much closer game than it should have been.
2. A Dak Prescott-led offense proves that Cooper Rush held the offense back
When Cooper Rush was the quarterback for the Cowboys, he kept the team alive. The Cowboys made out of the stretch with a 4-1 record under Rush, and some people felt the need to stir up a controversy surrounding the QB1 position.
Over his five starts, Rush led the offense to just 21.4 points per game, which is not bad, but also is not good. For how much firepower this offense has in terms of its skill positions, there’s no reason the team shouldn’t be averaging at least 25 points per game.
https://twitter.com/dallascowboys/status/1586771361946820609
The truth of the matter is that Rush is no Prescott. He did a great job of keeping the team afloat, but it was proven today that the team will only thrive with No. 4 under center. He made throws that Rush simply doesn’t have the arm talent to make, including the one above.
This game helped people remember what it was like for Prescott to be the head man of the offense. They look like a completely different unit, more confident, and more opportunities are opened up for the team. This is a Super Bowl contender under Prescott.
3. Tony Pollard could (and should) be the lead back
Coming into this game, I was personally very interested to see how Tony Pollard would handle the true RB1 role against the Bears. As I had expected, he did a phenomenal job and was a key factor in the offense’s success on Sunday.
While he didn’t even hit the 15-carry mark, he didn’t need to. Pollard exploded for several long runs and didn’t need to be fed the ball 5-7 times every drive to get down the field.
https://twitter.com/dallascowboys/status/1586806494883770368
No. 20 racked up 131 rushing yards on just 14 carries and three touchdowns. If that isn’t the most college running back stat line. Pollard absolutely dominated on the ground, and even chipped in in the passing game, making a grab for 16 yards.
The former fourth-round pick somehow averaged even more yards per attempt (9.4) on an increased workload and led the league in years per carry for Week 8. The offense looked electric and more versatile with him taking most of the touches, and this should continue, even when Zeke is healthy.
4. Prescott tore it up through the air, but he can run too
After his gruesome ankle injury back in 2020, Dak Prescott has shied away from tucking the ball and going. Prior to his injury, it was a fairly prominent part of his game, but, understandably, he has become weary of what the consequences can be.
On Sunday, he not only looked sharp when throwing the ball, but he also made an effort in the run game as well. A 25-yard scramble was the longest run for him on the day, but he also was able to take it himself on a read option for the team’s first score of the game.
https://twitter.com/dallascowboys/status/1586767800164446208
The Bears expected to see a lot of Pollard on Sunday, but they definitely didn’t expect to see No. 4 make this big of an impact on the ground. The former Offensive Rookie of the Year carried the ball three times for 36 yards and the touchdown and was responsible for nine of Dallas’s 11 third-down conversions.
This could be another facet of the offense that helps open things up. Teams will have to not only worry about Pollard and Elliott when he comes back, but they will also need to remember that Prescott can make a run of it if he needs to.
5. The tight end room is one of the deepest in the league
One of the biggest talking points surrounding the Cowboys throughout not only last offseason but even up to this point was what to do with Dalton Schultz. The fanbase seemed pretty split, some thinking he should get extended, and others thinking they should let him walk.
Schultz has struggled to stay on the field due to injury this year so far, which has opened the door for rookies Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot to audition for possibly a bigger role as early as next season.
https://twitter.com/dallascowboys/status/1586781189826043904
Both Ferguson and Hendershot have shown flashes. Ferguson snuck in for a touchdown on Sunday, and Hendershot keeps finding ways to get open, becoming an athletic target at the tight end spot.
Schultz had a great game as well on Sunday, totaling over 70 yards. While in the long-term, this may not look good for Schultz’s future on the Cowboys, it is certainly reassuring knowing that the position should be in good hands regardless of where Schultz ends up next season.
6. The defense continues to struggle against the run
In a defense that has been one of the best in the league, they are still not quite perfect. Against one of the premier rushing attacks in the league, the Cowboy defense struggled to contain the run, yet again.
Going into the week, the defense had allowed 4.4 yards per carry. After Sunday, that number will grow after surrendering 240 yards on the ground on 43 attempts, allowing 5.6 yards per attempt and two touchdowns.
https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/1586795730429038592
The three-headed ground unit of quarterback Justin Fields and running backs Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery had their way with the Cowboys’ defense. The Bears’ run game is something they lean on heavily, and they were able to succeed in that aspect on Sunday, opening things up in the passing game as well.
We saw, in a more extreme manner, how bad this defense can be. Stopping the run is a huge issue, and if the offense can’t get going and they get down early, the team could be in big trouble due to not being able to contain the run. The team did add Johnathan Hankins in a trade, but he wasn’t a major difference-maker against the Bears.
7 plays that proved that Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense are back
The Cowboys offense was on fire against the Bears. Here are the best plays to prove Dak Prescott and his squad are back after the 49-29 win.