Bears at Cowboys -- Week 4
Where: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas (turf, indoors)
When: Monday, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Spread: Cowboys by 3.5
Forecast: Indoors
Records: Cowboys (Overall: 2-1, NFC East: 1-0); Bears (Overall 2-1, NFC North 0-1)
Past results: Two most recent meetings -- Sept. 19, 2010: Bears 27, Cowboys 20; Sept. 23, 2007: Cowboys 34, Bears 10. Series record: Cowboys hold a 13-9 edge.
What matters: If Week 4 can provide such a huge momentum game for one team, it would be this Monday night matchup against the Bears. Not only are the Cowboys and Chicago even with 2-1 records, but this could easily have playoff implications down the road in terms of NFC tiebreakers. In the past two weeks, the Cowboys have had troubles on offense against aggressive defenses such as Seattle and Tampa Bay, and it doesn’t get any easier against the stingy Bears. And heading into the bye week that follows, a 3-1 record will look immensely different for the Cowboys than a 2-2 mark and a home loss to Chicago. So winning this one not only helps the mindset for the Cowboys, but the potential playoff picture if they can be in the hunt at the end of the season.
Who matters: Cornerback Brandon Carr already has proven to be a difference maker in a matter of three games. Whether he’s shutting down bigger receivers like he did last week with Tampa’s Vincent Jackson, or showing off his versatility to play some safety to help out for injuries, Carr seems well worth the $50.1 million contract he signed in March. His time with the Chiefs not only helped him prepare last week against Jackson -- a former Charger. Carr will turn his attention to Chicago WR Brandon Marshall, a player he’s seen several times in meetings with the Broncos. Carr might be asked to play some safety in nickel situations but on regular downs, look for him to match up with Marshall.
Key matchups: Both teams have the same strengths and weakness.The Bears and Cowboys have tenacious pass rushers in Julius Peppers and DeMarcus Ware with a great supporting cast, too. Both teams have struggled to block well on the edge with their tackles. Chicago’s J’Marcus Webb has struggled in pass protection, while Cowboys tackles Tyron Smith (five) and Doug Free (four) rank first and second in the NFL in false start penalties. Whichever team can control their own weakness the best Monday night will have a great shot of keeping its quarterback upright and able to make plays.
Injuries of note: The Cowboys are preparing to play their fourth straight game without defensive tackle Jay Ratliff, who hasn’t practiced once since a suffering a high-ankle sprain on Aug. 25. Safety will be an interesting position this week with Barry Church on to IR with a torn Achilles. Danny McCray will start alongside Gerald Sensabaugh, who missed last week’s game with a calf strain. Veteran safety Eric Frampton signed this week to help with depth and special teams. Anthony Spencer (shoulder) missed some work this week but should able to play this week. Still, the Cowboys have the No. 1 defense in the NFL, averaging just 250 ypg.
Inside stuff: While Tony Romo has been criticized for not being a clutch quarterback at times, no active quarterback in the NFL has a higher fourth-quarter rating than Romo, and it’s not even close. For his career, Romo has a 103.1 QB rating with 45 touchdowns to 18 interceptions and a league-best 64 completion percentage. Second to Romo is Aaron Rodgers (95.8). So if this game gets to the fourth quarter and the Cowboys need Romo to lead a comeback or protect the lead, no one has been more efficient than Romo in the final quarter.
Stat you should know: Since the NFL implemented the bye weeks back in 1990, the Cowboys have been rather strong in games before the week off. The Cowboys are 18-5 preceding the bye, including a 7-2 record dating to the 2003 season.
Looking ahead: The Cowboys get a week off with a bye week before hitting a brutal stretch of four road games in five weeks. Dallas plays at Baltimore and Carolina, returns for the defending champion Giants at home, before playing at Atlanta and Philadelphia.
Prediction: Cowboys 23, Bears 21
For more Cowboys coverage follow Nick Eatman @CBSCowboys and @nickeatman.
