The Chicago Bears welcome the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. It’s the national late game on Fox as Kevin Burhardt and Tom Brady will be on the call. The Bears are 0-2 and getting pretty desperate for a win, but the Cowboys are 1-1, and that win was a win by an eyelash against the lowly New York Giants, and they are looking to get their season on track as well.
The storyline in Chicago is the return of Matt Eberflus as the Cowboys’ Defensive Coordinator and his first time being back at Soldier Field since
he was fired after Thanksgiving last season.
To help get you set for this one, we chatted with David Halprin from SB Nation’s Cowboys site, Blogging with the Boys, to get the perspective from this week’s opponent.
1. On behalf of all Chicago Bears fans (and Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions fans, too): Make sure you kick Jerry Jones in the rear end if you see him for Micah Parsons. How are Cowboys fans dealing with the trade, and is there any justification for making this move?
There was definitely a segment of fans who actually didn’t mind the trade, but I would say the majority didn’t like it at all, myself included. So not all responses on the subject will be the same. If you are going just on football talent alone, it is hard to justify the move. Everyone knows Parsons is one of the top NFL players of this generation, and is still relatively young in NFL terms, so he has plenty of prime years left. The Cowboys are struggling to create a consistent pass rush right now, something that Parsons almost always gave them.
As for justifications, I’ll run through what has been thrown out there. Parsons’ contract was going to be very expensive, and the Cowboys already have Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb on huge contracts. So they saved that money and recently signed players to extensions like guard Tyler Smith and tight end Jake Ferguson, with Brandon Aubrey likely happening sometime. Then there are the two first-round draft picks and Kenny Clark, who frankly has been pretty good for Dallas. There are also some suggestions that Parsons wears down toward the end of the season as his late-season stats, including playoffs, have not been up to his normal standards. Plus, his weekly podcast and other media statements have rubbed some people in the organization, including players, the wrong way. Those are the justifications, but I wouldn’t have traded him,
2. The Cowboys’ defense (under Matt Eberflus) hasn’t looked great so far this season. What are the biggest issues facing this defense, and how could Ben Johnson and the Bears exploit it?
One part of the problem is that the team came into the season with a banged-up cornerback room. Trevon Diggs looks like he is still trying to recover from his knee injury from last season. DaRon Bland played one game but missed last week and will miss this week. Draft pick Shavon Revel has not been healthy enough to go. A couple of other backups are also injured. So the Cowboys were likely to struggle in pass coverage. They also traded Parsons, who was able to cover up for a lot of problems in pass defense. To cap it off, last week the corners and the safeties couldn’t get on the same page in their zone coverage responsibilities, leaving receivers running free deep down the field. So it has become a little bit of a mess back there. The Cowboys’ offense is going to have to out-score teams if things don’t improve quickly.
3. While the defense is struggling, the offense, through two games, certainly looks like it can be pretty explosive. How good has the offense looked to you, and where do they need to improve?
The offense does look very good. Dak Prescott is back and is in fine form so far, looking in full control of the new offense under Brian Schottenheimer. The scheme has been modernized to include a lot of elements of motion and disguise that we just didn’t see under Mike McCarthy. Adding George Pickens to the receiving room with CeeDee Lamb has created a real problem for secondaries, and tight end Jake Ferguson can also be very effective. Additionally, running back Javonte Williams looks very good in the run game as the Cowboys have revamped their running scheme. So that side of the ball has a lot going for it, but it still has a flaw. The pass protection can be spotty, and things would be worse for Dallas if Prescott doesn’t make a lot of escapes from would-be sacks. That is their weakness right now on offense.
4. Brian Schottenheimer has been an assistant coach in the NFL for a long time. Now that he’s finally gotten his first chance as a head coach, what have been your thoughts about him thus far through his first 8 months on the job?
I’ll be honest, I wasn’t thrilled with the hire when it first happened. It felt like some kind of fallback option. But I have changed my mind so far. He took control right away and put together a really good coaching staff. He’s also revamped the offense, bringing it into modern times, and has the running game actually working. His play-calling and game management have been fine so far, and the players really like playing for him. At this point, I am feeling good about his hire, but we’ll see how I am further down the road.
5. How do you think this game plays out on Sunday?
The Cowboys aren’t world-beaters by any stretch of the imagination right now, but their offense is really good. Prescott is doing a great job so far this season, so I expect Dallas to score a lot of points, especially with some of the injuries you guys have on defense. The Cowboys’ defense is not that good, but the hope is that last week was a wake-up call and that they can at least get the fundamentals down instead of completely blowing coverages. Both teams will get their chances and points will be scored, but in the end, I think the Cowboys have a few more playmakers and they will win a high-scoring game.
