Thursday Night Football Preview: Cowboys at Bears
This week, Thursday Night Football will showcase two teams that are trying desperately to turn their seasons around. The Dallas Cowboys will be heading into the windy city to take on the Chicago Bears. Both teams are 6-6 on the year and have disappointed their respective fanbases considering the high hopes they had coming into 2019. The Cowboys are lucky enough to currently lead the weak NFC East, but the Bears are struggling to stay relevant in the powerhouse NFC North. It will be a cold December night where we will finally learn if the leagues best passing offense can overcome one of the leagues best passing defenses. Who should you put in your fantasy football lineups? Who should you wager on? Find out here in our Thursday Night Football preview!
Offensive Comparisons
As mentioned above, the Dallas Cowboys come into this game with the leagues best passing offense, averaging 305.2 passing yards per game. They have however struggled these last few weeks. On the season, they have put up 31 points or more six times, but have only scored 24 points combined in the last two weeks. The fault cannot entirely be put on the QB Dak Prescott, who is having an incredible season. Prescott has completed 298 of 447 passes for 3,788 yards with 23 touchdown passes against 11 interceptions. He has played fantastic, but the terrible weather game against New England and the no show against Buffalo have hurt the team’s stats.
The Cowboys have been using a slew of offensive weapons this year. Amari Cooper is the team’s leading receiver with 64 receptions for 971 yards and seven scores. But sophomore Micheal Gallup has stepped up as well with 49 receptions for 796 yards plus three scores. Newly acquired Randall Cobb has also been a factor with some key grabs in big games.
Dallas has been up and down this season with the ground game. The season got off to a rough start as Ezekiel Elliott held out until the week before the season opener trying to obtain a new contract. Dallas has gone over the 100-yard mark eight times in their 12 games this season, including four games where they have run for at least 170 yards. However, the month of November was not kind to the run game, with the Cowboys only surpassing the 100-yard mark twice. One piece of the puzzle that has surprised many Dallas fans is the emergence of rookie Tony Pollard. Pollard has 58 carries for 264 yards plus a score on the season but has made some big, electric plays. The more he is involved, the better it seems to be for the Dallas offense.
Chicago, on the other hand, has seen their passing game sputter all season long and it’s a major reason why the team has struggled this season. The Bears have just one 300-yard passing game this season. They have thrown for under 200 yards on five separate occasions. The reality of the situation is that Mitch Trubisky has struggled this year. He has completed 230 of 361 passes for 2,196 yards with 13 touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
Even with Trubisky struggling, Allen Robinson has been a solid fantasy option. He currently leads the team with 71 receptions for 850 yards and five scores on the year. Rookie running back David Montgomery has been mishandled all year, with head coach Matt Nagy openly admitting that he needed to utilize him more. Unfortunately, the ground game has been all but nonexistent for Chicago. The team ranks 28th in the league averaging only 79.3 rushing yards per game.
Defensive Comparisons
We know that the Cowboys are one of the best on offense, but how do they fair on defense? The team has done a solid job against the pass, for the most part, this season. The Cowboys have given up only two 300-yard games through the air, and one of them was the first game of the season. The Cowboys gave up 259 yards through the air to the Bills last week, marking the highest total they had allowed since their loss to the Jets. They are currently eighth in the NFL against the pass. This does not bode well for an already struggling Trubisky and the Chicago offense.
The issue for the Cowboys defense is the run. The Cowboys have allowed at least 100 yards on the ground in seven of their 10 games this season. That includes six of the last seven contests and each of the last four games. Dallas has let the opposition gain at least 4.1 yards per carry in seven of their 10 games. In a game where the weather might play a factor, look for Chicago to try and take advantage of this weak Cowboys run defense.
On the other side of the ball, Chicago still has one of the strongest defenses in the NFL. They are nowhere near as daunting as they were last season, but they still have impressive numbers. The Bears have allowed just one 300-yard passing game all season. It was back in Week 3 in a blowout win over Washington. Chicago has held two of their past four opponents to under 150 yards through the air.
The Bears have also been good against the run, but have begun to show signs of weakness heading into the holiday season. The Bears have given up three 100-yard games in the last month, including last week against the Lions. In that contest, they allowed Detroit to run the ball 27 times for 105 yards. Ezekiel Elliott is not the kind of running back you want to face when your run defense is struggling. Look for the Cowboys to try and establish the run in the windy city.
DFS and Fantasy Suggestions
With so many offensive weapons in this game, one would think that it should be an explosion of scoring. Be wary, however, with the cold, winter Chicago weather this one might actually be closer than everyone thinks. The game total currently sits at 43.5, meaning bookmakers foresee a lower scoring affair. I would tend to agree with them, especially with both teams looking to establish the run against poor run defenses.
Obviously, it is difficult to say that you should bench superstars like Cooper and Miller. But, in this matchup, I wouldn’t be surprised to see both of them struggle. In Daily Fantasy, I will make sure Elliot and Montgomery are in my lineups. I can see both of them having huge fantasy days. Also, look for Tarik Cohen to have a sneaky good game from the slot. The Cowboys have had a hard time defending the slot this season, and Cohen is usually at his best catching short, quick routes.
Prediction
Dallas is the better team offensively by a wide margin. The Cowboys are first in the league in total offense with 432.8 yards per game and stand first in yards per play with 6.5 yards per snap. Compare that to Chicago who are 27th in the league and you have a significant mismatch. However, one thing that we have seen of late is that the Cowboys have struggled to put points on the board against quality defenses.
This game is important for both of these teams if they want to stay alive in the playoff race. I believe the Dallas Cowboys will be able to ride a huge performance from Ezekiel Elliott to a victory. The weather will play a huge factor in this one but look for the Cowboys run game and field goal kicking to carry them to their seventh win on the year.
Final Score: Dallas 20 – Chicago 13
