The 2014 NFL season is almost over, and a lot of teams are trying to earn the few remaining playoff positions. One of the teams still in the chase is the Dallas Cowboys, and they will get a chance to improve their playoff position when they travel to Chicago on Thursday night.
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Dallas Cowboys (8-4) vs. Chicago Bears (5-7), Thursday, December 4, 8:25 PM. ET. NFL.
Tony Romo was held to his second lowest output of the year with 199 yards against the Eagles, and he also didn't throw a touchdown pass for the first time this season, while throwing two interceptions.
A performance like that will likely cost them the game against the Bears, and further jeopardize their chances of winning the NFC East, or clinching a berth in the playoffs, so Romo has to be more careful with the ball in this game.
DeMarco Murray, who was an early season MVP contender, failed to run for at least 100 yards for just the second time this season. The Eagles limited him to 73 yards on 20 carries, and forced the Cowboys to give up on the run before they wanted to, because they fell behind by a lot early in the game.
The team will likely turn their focus back to their 2nd ranked running game, and try to exploit the Chicago run defense that gave up 91 yards to Joique Bell on Thursday. If that doesn't work, the Cowboys will air out the ball with Tony Romo, because Dez Bryant will create a lot of matchup problems for the Chicago secondary, due to his size and speed.
Chicago has had a pretty disappointing season so far, due to their inconsistencies. They have a very talented offense, but couldn't seem to put things together this season, due to injuries and a turnover prone Jay Cutler. They still have a chance to finish the season with a winning record, and a slight chance to make the playoffs, but they need to start playing better on both sides of the ball.
After giving up over 50 points in back to back weeks, their defense seemed to be getting better, allowing opponents to score 13 points in back to back weeks, before allowing the Lions to score 34 on them on Thursday. Their defensive lapses can be blamed on injuries, but the truth is that their defense hasn't been very good since Marc Trestman became their head coach.
Luckily for Chicago, they are playing a Dallas team that hasn't played well defensively in recent weeks, and should be able to move the ball through the air or on the ground in this game, and if they can avoid turning the ball over, they have a good chance of winning the game.
Game Line: The Cowboys are favored to win this game by 3.5 points, the Over/Under is 51 points.
Personal Pick: The Cowboys are the more talented team in this matchup, but they have a tendency to choke when the stakes are high, and will lose this game to the Bears.
