Dallas Cowboys at Chicago Bears: Late pressure meets late hope
Both teams are 6-6 - while one has their postseason fate in their own hands, the other can only hope for late drama - watch Cowboys at Bears on Sky Sports Action at 1.20am on Thursday night/Friday morning; coverage starts at 12.30am
Friday 6 December 2019 09:20, UK
Playoff implications will be on the line when the Dallas Cowboys (6-6) look to weather recent turbulence against a Chicago Bears (6-6) side attempting to reignite its postseason charge on Thursday.
While both are fighting to mask lacklustre seasons with January football, both find themselves in very different circumstances.
For the Cowboys, it is a case of swerving humiliation as they seek to tighten their grip on top spot in the NFC East from the Philadelphia Eagles (5-7). For the Bears, it is about keeping their last-ditch resurgence over the past fortnight alive.
Late hope in Chicago?
They couldn't, could they?
Any optimism in Chicago will have heightened on Monday when the Minnesota Vikings (8-4) were beaten by the Seattle Seahawks. As a result, the Bears find themselves two games behind the Vikings, who currently occupy the sixth seed, with four games left to play. Had they been in the NFC East, their chances would be looking a whole lot better.
After hosting the Cowboys, Matt Nagy's side are due to visit the Green Bay Packers (9-3) and welcome the Kansas City Chiefs (8-4) to Soldier Field before facing the Vikings on the road on the final day of the regular season.
There is, of course, also the Los Angeles Rams (7-5) to contend with after the 2018 NFC champs put themselves within one game of the Vikings with a win over the Arizona Cardinals. As far as the Bears are concerned, Thursday's game is a must-win.
Should the Bears, currently on a two-game winning streak, wish to pull off a late flurry, they will again be reliant on Mitchell Trubisky building on his improved form under center. The under-fire quarterback went 29 of 38 for 338 yards and three touchdowns along with one interception as he led Chicago to a 24-20 win over the Lions on Thanksgiving.
Getting the best from him will mean more of the up-tempo, no-huddle offense that the third-year play-caller looked comfortable with during recent victories over the Lions and the New York Giants.
Chicago's efforts with the football could prove futile unless their defense can match the Buffalo Bills in finding a way to thwart the NFL's No 1 ranked offense. That starts with linebacker and top tackler Roquan Smith starving Ezekiel Elliott of room to manoeuvre, along with Khalil Mack, who leads the Bears with 6.5 sacks, getting pressure on the NFL's passing frontrunner in Dak Prescott.
Spreading the ball between Anthony Miller, coming off a career game against the Lions, and ever-reliable safety blanket Allen Robinson, who leads the Bears with 850 receiving yards and five touchdowns, would be another wise route to follow.
This would be particularly key when up against a Packers defense allowing the fifth-most yards per game in the NFL (376.8) and a Chiefs side allowing the eighth-most (372.1).
Cowboys faltering?
Dallas are on a two-game losing run and holding on to first place in the NFC East, head coach Jason Garrett is fighting for his job and general manager/owner Jerry Jones is unhappy. Testing times call for a ruthless response from one of the league's most talented but under-performing teams.
For Thanksgiving this year, the Cowboys were thankful for belonging to a division in which six wins is enough to put them top as deep into the season as Week 14. Such has been their limping pursuit of the playoffs that the Washington Redskins (3-9) are still capable of taking the NFC East title.
Dallas are set to follow up their meeting with the Bears by hosting the playoff-chasing Rams before entering potential deciders against the Eagles and the Redskins to finish the season. The Eagles are meanwhile scheduled to play the Giants twice, once either side of their matchups with the Redskins and the Cowboys.
Striking some balance on offense should be a key aim heading into the final four games after a bizarre dip in Elliott's production out of the backfield.
The Cowboys running back is averaging the fewest touches per game of his NFL career, with his 12 carries against Buffalo marking the sixth time he has registered fewer than 20 this season. Elliott has failed to rush for over 100 yards in the four games since the Week Nine win over the Giants, going for a combined 249 yards including just 45 off 16 carries in the win over the Lions.
Prescott has attempted at least 40 passes in three of those four games as well as breaking into the 30s in the loss to the New England Patriots.
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Owner Jones addressed the Cowboys' offense following the defeat to the Bills, during which Elliott carried the ball a tied-season low 12 times.
"We're not consistently taking the best of what we've got and running it down the other team's throat," he told 105.3 The Fan.
Increasing Elliott's alongside Prescott will not only stretch opponents but also prove useful in wearing teams down and consequently granting the Cowboys' own defensive unit more rest time. It's a blend offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has to polish, not only to solidify a playoff spot but also to take the team closer to the level its talent dictates it should be.
Which team will come out on top? Watch Cowboys at Bears on Sky Sports Action at 1.20am on Thursday night/Friday morning; coverage starts at 12.30am.
