Cowboys Carve Up Bears, 49-29, Behind Prescott, Pollard, Parsons: 10 Whitty Observations
It may be Halloween but the Dallas Cowboys treated the Chicago Bears as if it was Thanksgiving, carving up their hapless turkey of a defense with a season-high 442 yards and 49 points en route to a easy victory at AT&T Stadium.
(Speaking of Halloween, Jerry Jones pulling an all-time troll is genius!)
10. 3Ps - Back in the 1990s the Dallas Mavericks tried a rebuild with a young foundation of Jason Kidd, Jim Jackson and Jamal Mashburn. The "Three Js" they dubbed it. The Cowboys might have just introduced us to the "3Ps" - Dak Prescott, Tony Pollard and Micah Parsons. The three stars combined for all seven Dallas touchdowns: three on the ground by Pollard, two passing and one rushing by Prescott, and a fumble return by Parsons. For what it's worth, the 3Ps have already been more successful than the Three Js.
9. Bearly There - The Cowboys were clicking. But, let's face it, Chicago's defense was laughable. Like, more unintentionally funny than one of those God-awful attorney Ben Abbott TV spots. Zero pressure on Prescott. Confusion in following the Cowboys' backfield misdirection. Even allowing a 25-yard run on a quarterback sneak designed to get 12 inches. Dallas scored touchdowns on its first four possessions and, in reality, got to choose who scored and how. It's as if the Cowboys were running plays during a no-pads walk-through. A far, far, far cry from the vaunted '85 Bears defense that stormed into Texas Stadium 37 years ago and embarrassed the Cowboys, 44-0. Buddy Ryan is rolling over in his grave.
8. Color Blind - Blue vs. Orange? This was one of the strangest, most colorful clashes as both teams wore their road, alternate uniforms. Looked more like spilled Skittles than an NFL game. Dallas donned its blue jerseys while the Bears went with their hideous Halloween pumpkin orange. It looked like a game between two small-town Texas high schools that have the budget for only one look. But we love the Cowboys' white pants with the silver-and-blue stripe. Sharp.
7. Parsons' Persistence - Parsons is obviously gifted. But he's proven the last two games that he's also gutsy. Two Sundays in a row the Cowboys' linebacker has made a game-changing play with his speed and hustle. In the win over the Detroit Lions, he chased down a tight end for a tackle at the 1-yard line that saved a fourth-quarter touchdown. And against the Bears - on a play he was initially blocked out of - he sealed the deal with a 36-yard fumble return for a score. On a completion to Chicago's David Montgomery, Parsons chased down the play and pounced on a fumble caused by linebacker Leighton Vander Esch. Inexplicably, Bears' quarterback Justin Fields decided to hurdle Parsons instead of simply touching him down. Showing better awareness and a higher football IQ than Fields, Parsons got to his feet and rambled for the touchdown and a 42-23 lead.
6. Dak's Thumb! - No, not that one. Whew! Prescott missed five games with a fractured right thumb suffered in Week 1. But in the second quarter he suffered not an injury - but certainly pain - to his left hand when it was stepped on during a tackle by Chicago's Eddie Jackson at the end of the 25-yard quarterback sneak. Dak's right thumb is still wrapped in black precautionary tape. His left hand sported some white tape.
5. Giddy Up - We're not big on choreographed touchdown celebrations, but Dallas' tight ends get a thumbs up for their second-quarter playlet. After catching a 1-yard scoring pass rookie Jake Ferguson pretended to lasso and then calf-rope teammate Dalton Schultz, who perfectly played the part of a helpless and eventually tied-up calf. It was short, with a Texas twist. Bravo.
4. Angry Boot - Punter Bryan Anger's fourth-quarter punt was the longest in franchise history. Eighty. Three. Yards. That one will stand for a while.
3. Offensive Overdrive - Cowboys hadn't scored more than 25 points in a game this season. They had 28 against the Bears in the first 23 minutes. Yes there are things to clean up. But Dallas' last four victories have been by 15, 12, 18 and 20 points.
2. Double Division Champs? - To stay in the race for the NFC East - the Philadelphia Eagles won to improve to 7-0 - the Cowboys must win the … NFC North? After dispatching of the Lions and Bears, they won't play an opponent outside the North until you’re carving your Thanksgiving turkey. After next week's Bye it's Green Bay Packers and then the Minnesota Vikings. The Cowboys need a clean 4-0 sweep of the downtrodden division. Dream scenario: In 2022 the Cowboys could win two division titles. Off to a good start.
1. Cowboys Controversy? - Prescott has made us all but forget about Cooper Rush. But Pollard's eye-popping performance and unique skill-set will do nothing but amplify fans who think he deserves to be RB1 over Ezekiel Elliott. Pollard promised to "haul it" in Zeke's absence with a sprained knee, and he did just that with 131 yards and three touchdowns on only 14 carries. On his 18-yard, second-quarter touchdown run, he made a smooth jump-cut into a gaping hole up the middle before totally juking Chicago's safety with a sharp move to his right. In the fourth quarter he hopped into a hole and then used breakaway speed on a 54-yard scoring run down the left sideline. Sorry, but Zeke no longer scores on either of those plays. Pollard finally got his spotlight. His show was worth the wait. Asked if he answered questions about his ability to be an every-down NFL back Pollard responded, "I guess check the stats." Defiantly, however, Jones said in the locker room that Pollard's performance won't alter the workload of his team's running backs: "We’re going to go as Zeke goes.”
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