The rest of Week 14’s game previews will be published on Friday.
Cowboys at Bears, 8:20 p.m., Fox and NFL Network
Line: Cowboys -3 | Total: 42.5
As far as votes of confidence go, Jerry Jones saying, “In my opinion, Jason Garrett will be coaching in the N.F.L. next year,” during a radio interview on Tuesday did not do much to confirm that he plans to retain his team’s head coach after this season. Considering how easily the Cowboys (6-6) have rolled over against good teams this year, it would hardly surprise anyone if Jones decided to go in another direction.
More fuel would certainly be added to the fire if Dallas cannot come away with a road win over the Bears (6-6) on Thursday. Jones has repeatedly implied that his team has Super Bowl aspirations — a fairly wild belief when you consider the Cowboys’ 0-5 record against teams with winning records — so a failure to put away a team that has been in disarray all season would potentially be the low point of an already trying season.
Dallas fans should brace themselves for the possibility of an upset. In last two weeks, the Cowboys were held to 9 points in a loss to New England and 15 in a loss to Buffalo. Chicago might not be on the Patriots and Bills’ level, but Khalil Mack leads a Bears defense that is ranked in the top 10 against both the run and the pass. Expecting things to be easy for Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott would be a mistake.
The Cowboys’ saving grace, however, should be Chicago’s offense. Mitchell Trubisky and the Bears looked great against Detroit’s horrific defense last week, topping 400 yards of offense for the first time this season. But they have been held to 20 or fewer points in eight of their 12 games and to single digits twice, so Dallas might not need all that much scoring to come away with a sorely needed win. Pick: Cowboys -3
Source: Football - nytimes.com
