Monday night the (2-1) Dallas Cowboys welcome the (2-1) Chicago Bears to Big D for an early season matchup that could prove to be important at the end of the year when playoff spots are up for grabs. Last season, the Cowboys and Bears were in the wild card race and fell short after losing games they should have won. Both the Cowboys and Bears are coming off ugly wins last Sunday against the Bucs and Rams. However, in the NFL a win is a win and both teams are (2-1) and not (1-2). Monday night will features two great defenses and two offensive lines that need to start playing improving if their teams’ playoff aspirations are to come true.
To date, the Cowboys signing DB Brandon Carr, drafting DB Morris Claiborne and not trading DB Mike Jenkins has proven to be one of the best off season moves by any team in the league — and last Sunday proved it.
Facing a talented Bucs WR tandem of Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams – Carr, Claiborne and Jenkins held the Bucs receivers to 3 combined catches for 62 yards on 13 targets. In addition, when SS Barry Church was lost for the season with a torn Achilles tendon, Carr played safety and allowed Jenkins to press Jackson. To date, the Cowboys have not allowed a TD to an opposing WR. The Cowboys biggest weakness has turned into their biggest strength. When asked about the possible move to FS, Carr told ESPN Dallas:
“It’s still an ongoing discussion, I guess… I just told them where they need me, duty calls and I’ll be available. I’m going to try my best to get the job done and it’s still early in the week.”
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys offensive line will need to give Tony Romo time to find open WRs and DeMarco Murray holes to run through. Last Sunday, the offensive had trouble doing both. Romo was sacked 4 times and Murray only totaled 38 yards on the ground. When asked about his team’s performance, head coach Jason Garrett told ESPN Dallas:
“I thought at times we played well. At times, we didn’t play as well as we needed to,” … “That’s both in the run game and in the pass game. Some of that was because we were behind the chains a little bit in some obvious pass type situations where they could pin their ears back a little bit. So that’s a collective type of thing…”
After watching both teams play this year, it is safe to say this game will be decided in the trenches. Like the Cowboys, the Bears have had issues protecting their QB. In the last two weeks, Bears QB Jay Cutler has been sacked 9 times. Look for the team who best protects their QB to win the game.
