Chicago Bears
vs.
Dallas Cowboys
Week 3
NFL Pick
9/25/16
The Chicago Bears visit the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night in Week 3. The Bears have floundered as they have begun the season 0-2. The Cowboys have played two extremely tight Games and are 1-1. Dallas is currently -7 -120 with a total of 44.5.
After a much-publicized preseason, Dak Prescott is easing into things in the regular season. He hasn’t been bad. But the stellar moments he showed in the preseason have been slower to come through the first two weeks. Prescott has completed nearly 63% of his passes for 519 yards and no interceptions. Pretty good, right? Yes, certainly. But there also hasn’t been a touchdown pass yet. Don’t worry, Dak. Those will come soon enough (Prescott does have one rushing touchdown).
One of the difficulties with the Dallas offense has been that Prescott has not completely syNCed up with with his receiving corps. Dez Bryant only has eight receptions for 110 yards with no interceptions through the first two Games. This is largely due to Week 1 against the Giants. In that Game Prescott only connected with Bryant one time for eight yards on five targets. Last week showed more of what people should expect to see from Bryant as he caught seven passes for 102 yards. You shouldn’t be worried that the Week 1 performance will be the norm, but this duo should be monitored as they work together more.
Ezekiel Elliott has had his own level of hype as his rookie year is getting underway. He has 134 yards on 41 attempts to go with one touchdown. Chicago has one of the best overall defenses, statistically, in the league, but their rush defense has been below average as they’ve surrendered 114.5 yards per Game on the ground. Look for this Game to be an opportunity for Elliott to have a big Game early in his career.
Jay Cutler is battling a sprained thumb and has been average to start the season. There’s no guarantee he’ll even be out there. When on the field, Cutler has completed 60.9% of his passes for only 373 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Additionally, Cutler has faced a lot of pressure in being sacked eight times through two Games.
Alshon Jeffrey is a star. Everyone knows that. He’s gone off for 201 yards on only nine receptions this year. Jeffrey has not gotten in the end zone, but he is averaging 22.3 yards per reception. Kevin White is playing his first NFL Games after sitting out his rookie season with an injury. He has seven receptions for 70 yards. The good news for White is that while he’s adjusting to NFL defenses he’s going to have plenty of attention taken away from him by Jeffery.
Jeremy LAngford has struggled to have anywhere to go. Now in his second season out of Michigan State, LAngford only has 85 yards and two touchdowns on 28 rushing attempts. That comes to an average of just 3.0 yards per carry.
Prediction: The Cowboys have home-field advantage. The Bears may very well be without Jay Cutler. The Bears offense has been bad. If there’s reason to expect this Game to be close, it’s because the Cowboys haven’t fully clicked yet. My expectation is that Dallas starts figuring things out this week. A limited Cutler, or lack thereof, should be enough to allow the Cowboys to pull away. SCore: Cowboys 27, Bears 17