Cowboys: The Bears' biggest weakness that must be capitalized on next Sunday
When the dust settled after the Dallas Cowboys' victory over the Detroit Lions last Sunday, I looked at the schedule and thought to myself what most fans probably did. "The Chicago Bears are next? Yeah, that should be a win next weekend." Then Monday Night Football happened. The Bears blew out the New England Patriots […]
When the dust settled after the Dallas Cowboys' victory over the Detroit Lions last Sunday, I looked at the schedule and thought to myself what most fans probably did.
"The Chicago Bears are next? Yeah, that should be a win next weekend."
Then Monday Night Football happened. The Bears blew out the New England Patriots 33-14 in a game in which Justin Fields looked like he did back when he was a super force at Ohio State. The defense looked legit as they stole the football four times. The Bears really looked like a team you worry about.
So, in an effort to find out what the Cowboys should expect from another noon game next week, I had SportsZone Chicago's Shawn Sierra on my show A to Z Sports Primetimeto go behind enemy lines.
Here's what we learned.
Quinn's defense must beware of the Bears' recently unleashed weapon.
"What happened is they took the reigns off of Justin Fields," said Sierra. "They weren't doing rollouts, bootlegs, waggles, things of that nature, threatening the edge. (Monday) night, they did."
Fields ran for 82 yards on 14 carries last Monday night. Despite being known as a dual-threat quarterback, he wasn't really being used as such by the Bears. But if they stick to a similar game plan (why the heck wouldn't you after your best game of the season?), the Cowboys should fully expect designed QB runs throughout the next game.
"You saw tons of play-action, a ton of quarterback runs. They had quarterback counters, quarterback sweeps, and quarterback leads. The running game was on point, and Justin Fields was a big part of it," explained Sierra.
The shift for the Bears' offense is definitely a relevant one ahead of next weekend's match-up versus the Cowboys. While Dan Quinn's defense has taken over the NFL, the team still struggles against the run.
The Cowboys allowed 5.3 yards per carry from the Lions' running back Jamaal Williams who was starting in place of an injured D'Andre Swift. In the game, the Lions had three runs of 10 yards or more.
The Bears provide an additional challenge in that they have Fields at quarterback, who can mess up with the math of a defense thanks to his ability to run the football.
That means Chicago can leave players like Micah Parsons unblocked and let him run zone reads and RPOs to mess with defenders. That was a tactic used by the Eagles and Jalen Hurts in Week 6.
Speaking of the run game… The Cowboys have an edge there, too.
The Bears can't stop the run. They allow 4.7 yards per carry, which ranks 24th in the NFL.
"That's the area that I'm really concerned about," said Sierra about facing Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. "I don't know what our defense is going to do. That Dallas running game is tough. That two-headed monster that you have, they complement each other really well."
The Cowboys' offensive line has been physical in the run game. Tyler Smith plays some nasty football and Terence Steele has also been throwing people around. Will the Bears be able to match that intensity?
"That will be the biggest issue (for the Bears)," Sierra pointed out. "That will be the biggest way and the best way for you guys. To come at us. Literally, come at us. We have smaller linebackers in Roquan Smith and Nick Morrow. Don't run away from them because they'll catch you."
"If you run right at them, we're talking they're 230-235 pounds. You know a lot lighter than a stereotypical 240-250 linebacker of yesteryear. If you put a 270-300 pound lineman on them, they're not very good at disengaging from the blocker, or shedding blocks."
It sounds like we'll get some old-school, smash-mouth football action next Sunday and I'm here for it.
For more on the upcoming Cowboys game, check out the full conversation with Shawn Sierra on the show below. We talk about more key match-ups in the game, where Fields' career stands, and what's next for LB Roquan Smith.
Also, have you ever wondered what pro football is like in… Italy? Check out Sierra's anecdotes as a former pro player on the other side of the world!
Featured image via Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports