Cowboys shut out in second half, falling to Bears 31-14
After the Dallas defense gave up two explosive pass plays on the Bears’ second possession of the game, resulting in a 35-yard touchdown pass to Rome Odunze, the very next drive saw the Bears need just one play to find the endzone. Caleb Williams, on a flea-flicker, hit Luther Burden for a 65-yard touchdown pass. His 239 passing yards were the most for Williams in any half this year.
If the first half’s explosiveness was any indication of what was to come, things only got worse in the second half.
The third quarter featured a 19-play, 76-yard drive by the Bears that resulted in a fourth-down touchdown pass to the widest open DJ Moore you’ll ever see in the back of the endzone. The drive took 9:54 off the clock. The Cowboys, meanwhile, didn’t score.
The fourth quarter saw the Cowboys move the ball down the field. However, after getting to the 1-yard line, Dallas couldn’t convert, and instead Prescott got picked off in the endzone. The Cowboys were shut out in the second half by a Bears defense that has several key players out due to injury.
Looking at the game as a whole, the Cowboys’ secondary looked even worse today than it did against New York in Week 2. They gave up a total of 260 passing yards, while Caleb Williams finished with a passer rating of 142.6. Williams had all day to throw. The Cowboys didn’t record a sack, and only Sam Williams was credited with a quarterback hurry.
While the Cowboys were successful at stopping the run in the first half, only giving up 36 rushing yards, they allowed five rushing first downs. Overall, the defense will require significant improvement if the Cowboys want a chance to be competitive against playoff-caliber teams.
Not only did the play on the field prove worrisome, but the Cowboys suffered several injuries to key players.
CeeDee Lamb exited the game after his first target with an ankle injury. Trevon Diggs left in the third quarter after making his second tackle of the game, but he would later return. Kenny Clark also left during the second half, but would return as well.