Cowboys look to build on wild win, keep Bears searching for first victory under coach Ben Johnson

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Dallas (1-1) at Chicago (0-2)

Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, FOX

BetMGM NFL Odds: Cowboys by 1.

Against the spread: Cowboys 1-1, Bears 0-2.

Series record: Cowboys lead 16-12.

Last meeting: Cowboys beat Bears 49-29 on Oct. 30, 2022, at AT&T Stadium.

Last week: Cowboys beat New York Giants 40-37 in overtime at home; Bears lost 52-21 at Detroit.

Cowboys offense: overall (3), rush (11), pass (7), scoring (5)

Cowboys defense: overall (30), rush (23), pass (30), scoring (T27)

Bears offense: overall (15), rush (12), pass (19), scoring (15)

Bears defense: overall (28), rush (27), pass (22), scoring (32)

Turnover differential: Cowboys minus-1, Bears minus-2.

Cowboys player to watch

K Brandon Aubrey. The two-time Pro Bowler again showed his value last week, kicking a 64-yard field goal to end regulation and then nailing a 46-yarder as time expired in overtime. Aubrey joined former Cowboy Brett Maher as the only kickers in NFL history with four field goals of at least 60 yards. His 27 field goals of 50 yards or more are tied with Dan Bailey for the franchise record.

Bears player to watch

QB Caleb Williams. The Bears need more from Williams following an uneven rookie season, and they're not getting it yet. The No. 1 overall draft pick in 2024, he led a touchdown drive on Chicago's first possession in the opener against Minnesota and did it again last week. But in both games, he faded after strong starts. Williams finished 19 of 30 for 207 yards with the two TDs to Odunze and was sacked four times against Detroit. He ranks around the middle to bottom third of the NFL in most important categories.

Key matchup

Cowboys WRs CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens vs. Chicago's secondary. The two played a big role last week in a fourth quarter that included five consecutive lead-changing touchdowns, and they'll be going against a secondary likely missing injured cornerbacks Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. Lamb, a four-time Pro Bowler, made a terrific leaping third down catch on one of those drives. Pickens had a 6-yard TD in the closing minute of regulation.

Key injuries

Cowboys: The Cowboys expect C Cooper Beebe to miss six to eight weeks with what coach Brian Schottenheimer said this week was a foot injury. The team announced during the Giants game that he had left with an ankle injury. ... WR/KR KaVontae Turpin (neck) left last week's game.

Bears: Two-time Pro Bowler Johnson (groin) indicated he might have season-ending surgery after leaving last week's game. ... Gordon (hamstring) and LB T.J. Edwards (hamstring) are week to week. Gordon has not played this season, and Edwards left the Detroit game. ... DT Grady Jarrett (knee) was also banged up.

Series notes

Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score in the most recent game between these teams. ... The hosts have won four of the past five meetings in the series, with the Bears taking two of three at Soldier Field.

Stats and stuff

Dallas' Brian Schottenheimer earned his first victory as a head coach last week after spending a quarter-century as an NFL assistant, while Chicago's Ben Johnson is still seeking his first. ... Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus goes against the Bears for the first time since they fired him as head coach following a Thanksgiving loss at Detroit last season. The first time the founding NFL franchise let a head coach go during a season . ... Dak Prescott would tie Tony Romo for third on Dallas' quarterback wins list with 78 if the Cowboys beat the Bears. ... RB Javonte Williams joined Herschel Walker (1986) and Alvin Blount (1987) as the only players with three rushing touchdowns through their first two games with the Cowboys. No player has run for a TD in each of their first three games with Dallas. ... LB Jack Sanborn had 149 tackles for the Bears from 2022-24. ... The Cowboys signed veteran DE Jadeveon Clowney this week, though it wasn't clear if he would play. ... Chicago is within two victories of joining Green Bay as the only franchises with at least 800 regular-season wins. The Packers have 812. ... The 52 points allowed against Detroit were three shy of the franchise record and the most since they were beaten 55-14 by Green Bay in Week 10 of the 2014 season. ... Chicago has allowed 73 points over the past five quarters. ... The Bears will try to score a touchdown on their first possession for the third straight week, something they haven't done since Weeks 10-12 in 1995. ... The Bears are tied for third in the NFL with 20 penalties and are third in penalty yards with 177. ... WR Rome Odunze set career highs with seven receptions for 128 yards and matched one with two touchdowns last week. The second-year pro is tied for the league lead with three TD receptions after getting three in 17 games as a rookie.

Fantasy tip

Prescott leads the league with 59 completions and could have plenty of open receivers going against a short-handed secondary.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

 

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