Tonight, the Dallas Cowboys will be taking on the Chicago Bears at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys are the clear favorites tonight. With the Bears’ sloppy defense plays, “lack” of a starting quarterback and a pathetic game against the Carson Wentz-led Eagles, the odds are definitely in the Boys favor. Before the game kicks off, here are my 5 predictions for the game!
1. Dak Prescott Throws A Passing Touchdown
You might be thinking to yourself, well isn’t this obvious? Not exactly! Dak Prescott has been running the Dallas offense like a pro from day one but has yet to throw a passing touchdown. Each time Prescott sails the ball towards the end zone, it usually ends up in disaster. Drops, overturned calls and mistakes by his teammates have the rookie QB still waiting for his first career passing touchdown.
To some fans, it might not seem like a big deal because Prescott is getting the job done but it’s three games in and he has yet to throw one. A shaky Bears defense should allow the rookie the chance to make some strong throws and maybe get a few to the end zone. Hopefully, this time, Cole Beasley and Dez Bryant have his back or even Terrance Williams (who I am still mad at) but the number of targets is endless which is why I believe Prescott will get his chance tonight.
2. Ezekiel Elliott Rushes For At Least 150 Yards
As the fourth overall pick, Ezekiel Elliott is doing pretty well. He has averaged a decent amount of carries and has seen a lot of the field despite sharing it with Alfred Morris. He might have a little bit of a maturity problem but at age 21, I wouldn’t expect anything else.
If you haven’t noticed, the Bears defense is pretty bad as I mentioned earlier. The Bears D is missing a few key players and let’s just say finding replacements isn’t great for the Bears (i.e. Brian Hoyer) but it’s great news for Dallas. Elliott rushed for 83 yards last week against Washington and without the fumbles probably would have seen the field more, but that problem should be taken care of now.
Elliott would have to almost double what he did against Washington which shouldn’t be hard. A sloppy D-Line, the Cowboys great O-Line and Elliott’s skills should be enough to have him running for at least 150 yards tonight.
3. The Defense Gets Their Third-Straight Pick
Picking off Brian Hoyer isn’t hard;a lot of people have done it. The Dallas Cowboys aren’t known for their defense. The team is all about generating momentum on offense to keep the defense off the field but it seems like the defense is slowly improving. Crazy, right?
In their first game, Brandon Carr picked off Eli Manning and in their second game, Barry Church picked off Kirk Cousins. Hoyer came from Houston where he played in 11 games and was benched for throwing too many picks and making bad decisions. It’s hard to tell who will be picking Hoyer off, but a bad decision by Hoyer is almost guaranteed.
Hoyer is pretty mediocre especially compared to Eli and even kind of makes Kirk Cousins look good. Did I actually just say that? Regardless, the team should be able to get an easy interception and maybe a pick-six off of Hoyer.
4. The Team Puts Up 30+ Points
I know that’s a stretch, but just hear me out for a minute. The Cowboys have a huge chance to put some major points on the board tonight. Defensively, the Bears are missing players who are difference-makers and relying on backups which Dallas knows is sometimes just not enough to get the job done. Offensively, the Cowboys should be able to put up some reasonable numbers even though some of them might end up coming from Dan Bailey.
No matter, Prescott has shown he can put together some impressive drives so why not expect the same thing tonight? Prescott throws a few passing TDs, I’ve already predicted three. He has a great relationship with his receivers especially Beasley, Bryant and Witten so why not expect him to get them the ball? If the line can let Prescott, Elliott, and Morris make it to the end zone, then those are some guaranteed TDs.
Defensively, the Cowboys could have a chance to put some points on the board too. As I’ve mentioned above, picking off Hoyer should be expected and could end up in a pick-six or maybe even two if the Cowboys are lucky. The Cowboys don’t usually go for a blocked field goal or “trick plays” but using special teams could be another great way to score some points too. Plus Connor Barth isn’t setting himself up for success so a blocked field goal is a definite possibility.
5. The Cowboys Finally Get A Home Win
Usually, a team does great when they’re at home, but that’s not the case for the Dallas Cowboys. The team usually does better in other stadiums, in 2014 when the team went 8-0 on the road. The matchup with the Bears could turn the tide in the Boys’ favor, most of which I’ve mentioned above.
It would be a welcomed treat for Prescott to get his first career passing TD in Arlington, Zeke rush for over 150 yards and the Cowboys have a great game at home especially without Romo. No disrespect against Romo of course, I love the guy but I’d like to see the rookie get some more praise!
A win at home would hopefully get the Cowboys a chance at the top of the NFC East because right now it’s a pretty tight race between New York, Philadelphia, and Dallas. Each has a pretty even chance of making it into the playoffs at this point and I’d like to see the competition heat up even more throughout the season. Winning is the only way to make that hope into a reality.
