ClutchPoints
The Dallas Cowboys arrived in Chicago with hopes of steadying their season. Instead, they delivered a performance that deepened concerns. In front of a raucous Soldier Field crowd, the Cowboys looked flat and outmatched. It wasn’t just the scoreline. It was also the manner of the defeat. This was a game that exposed flaws across the roster and on the sidelines. It left Dallas facing hard questions heading into Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers.
The Bears defeated the Cowboys 31-14 in Week 3. Bears QB Caleb Williams delivered one of his finest performances to date. He tied a career-high with four touchdown passes and posted a 142.6 passer rating. Chicago’s defense compounded Dallas’s struggles by forcing four turnovers. Those included two late interceptions of Dak Prescott by linebacker Tremaine Edmunds.
The Cowboys’ offense never recovered after losing CeeDee Lamb to an early ankle injury. Though Dallas briefly tied the game at 14 in the second quarter, they fell apart after halftime. The Bears dominated the second half. Meanwhile, the Cowboys hurt themselves with mistakes on both offense and defense. For head coach Mike McCarthy’s team, now 1-2, this was a troubling warning sign.
Here we’ll try to look at and discuss the Dallas Cowboys most to blame for the discouraging loss to the Chicago Bears.
The offensive line has long been a cornerstone of Dallas football. On Sunday, however, left tackle Tyler Guyton was a glaring weakness. Sure, his first two games back from a knee injury carried some leeway. However, that excuse no longer applies. Against Chicago, he was repeatedly beaten clean off the line,. Guyton surrendered a sack in the second half that stalled a promising drive. Worse yet, his lack of discipline showed in critical moments. He had a false start in the red zone, followed by another penalty that erased a big gain late in the fourth quarter.
Through three weeks, Guyton’s improvement has been nonexistent. Each game features a handful of disastrous reps that directly impact the offense. If he doesn’t clean things up soon, the Cowboys may be forced to consider benching him for Nathan Thomas. Having a starting lineman play this poorly is plainly unsustainable.
When Lamb went down, Dallas needed George Pickens to elevate his game. Early on, it looked like he might deliver. Pickens hauled in a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab to tie the score at 7-7. However, that was the high point. From that moment forward, Pickens disappeared. He finished the game with little impact outside of a costly drop.
The most damaging moment came in the fourth quarter when a pass slipped through his hands and into the waiting arms of Edmunds for an interception. Instead of stepping up as Prescott’s go-to option, Pickens became part of the problem. With Lamb sidelined, the Cowboys cannot afford to have their No. 2 receiver vanish when they...
