Cowboys show off giant reason why they're legit contenders in latest win
Despite a few rough moments here and there, the Dallas Cowboys were mostly dominant on Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. They outgained the Bears in total yards 444-290 despite having 15 fewer plays (excluding final kneel-downs) while averaging over EIGHT yards per play. Dak Prescott was dealing as he completed 78% of his pass […]
Despite a few rough moments here and there, the Dallas Cowboys were mostly dominant on Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. They outgained the Bears in total yards 444-290 despite having 15 fewer plays (excluding final kneel-downs) while averaging over EIGHT yards per play.
Dak Prescott was dealing as he completed 78% of his pass attempts for an average of 9.3 yards per throw.
But bigger than Sunday's win itself was the number of injuries the Cowboys were able to overcome. Heading into the game, the team's inactive list included three starters in RB Ezekiel Elliott, WR Noah Brown, and FS Malik Hooker. On top of that, the defense was missing starting CB Jourdan Lewis, whose season ended last weekend with a foot injury.
Meanwhile, Micah Parsons, Anthony Barr, Jayron Kearse, and Dalton Schultz were among many players nursing injuries too. The Cowboys prevailed.
Tony Pollard stole the offensive show by averaging 9.4 yards per carry. He finished the day with 131 rushing yards and three touchdowns. He did so running outside and inside the tackles and even helped out with one catch for 16 yards in the passing game.
Jason Peters was a part of some of those runs following an injury to Connor McGovern, including Pollard's 54-yard touchdown.
Meanwhile, DaRon Bland looked good on defense. The rookie showed up big when Justin Fields challenged him in the end zone with a pass he was able to break up with great technique. Donovan Wilson also left the game in the second half and Jayron Kearse had a short absence of his own too.
In the second level, recently activated Damone Clark stepped up for Anthony Barr, who was ruled out with a hamstring injury. The rookie didn't hesitate to get involved with seven total tackles.
And the defensive line is no exception. Dante Fowler had a huge performance of his own with Micah Parsons being limited with a shoulder injury and Sam Williams being inactive. The defensive end had one sack, one tackle for loss, and a pass deflection along with multiple key pressures throughout the game.
If you want to be a Super Bowl contender in the NFL, you better have the depth to overcome shorthanded spots like Sunday's. Dallas was able to do that against the Bears. Now they head into the bye week to heal up and get ready for a trip to Lambeau Field in Week 10.
Featured image via Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
