The Chicago Bears delivered a 31-24 beatdown of the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football to improve to 7-6 on the season. It was Chicago’s third straight win as they look to keep their playoff hopes alive in the final quarter of the season.
Coming off an impressive performance against the Lions, the Bears offense had its best performance of the season against a solid Cowboys defense. They totaled 31 points and 382 yards en route to a convincing win that has this offense riding high after struggling most of this season.
Mitchell Trubisky continues to thrive on Thursdays. Following an impressive three-touchdown performance against the Lions on Thanksgiving, which earned him FedEx Air Player of the Week honors, Trubisky one-upped himself with his best game of the season against Dallas when the Bears needed it most.
Trubisky completed 23-of-31 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns with one interception for a passer rating of 115.5. He tossed two touchdowns to receiver Allen Robinson, who five receptions for 48 yards, as well as one to receiver Anthony Miller, who three catches for 42 yards.
While Trubisky lit the Cowboys up through the air, he also used his legs to make plays, something that he did successfully last season but has shied away from this year. Trubisky had 10 carries for 63 yards and a touchdown, and he was able to utilize his mobility to pick up key first downs.
Newly-minted NFC Special Teams Player of the Month Cordarrelle Patterson continued to prove his versatility on special teams and offense on Thursday. Patterson had two kick returns for 44 yards, and he added one reception for 33 yards on offense.
The Bears saw substantial production from their tight ends against the Cowboys, where J.P. Holtz and Jesper Horsted shined for Chicago. Holtz led the team in receiving with 3 receptions for 56 yards, including a 30-yard reception that set up the Bears’ first touchdown of the game. Horsted added 4 catches for 36 yards, which doubled his total catches in his previous two games.
While the score might not indicate it, the Bears defense took care of business against the NFL’s best passing offense. The Cowboys drove 75 yards in 17 plays on the opening possession, and it looked like they might have their way with Chicago. But the defense buckled down and contained quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, who was held to under 100 rushing yards for the fifth straight game.
While the Cowboys stacked yards and points against the Bears’ prevent defense in the fourth quarter, Chicago was able to stop one of the league’s best offenses without some of its biggest playmakers, including Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, Prince Amukamara and Roquan Smith, who was injured on that first drive.
Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski led the team in tackles with 10 combined tackles. Linebacker Khalil Mack and safety Eddie Jackson each had a sack of Prescott.
The Bears are riding a three-game winning streak with 10 days to prepare for a divisional contest against the Green Bay Packers. If Chicago can keep this momentum going — and the offense and defense continue to do their jobs — things should get interesting in these final three games.
[lawrence-related id=432467,432442,432434,432426,432420,432411]