Rob Carr
The Dallas Cowboys (6-7) were destroyed 31-24 by the Chicago Bears (7-6) and don't let the score deceive you. Dallas was only in the game for about the first 8 minutes, then the Bears took over and they never had a chance after that.
Recap
For the 2nd week in a row the Cowboy offense took their opening possession and scored a touchdown, but just like last week that was about all they did right.It looks like coach Garrett has lost the team and there needs to be a change.
Quarterback Dak Prescott was 27/49 for 334 yards, 1 touchdown, and NO turnovers. The NFL's leading passer put up another good looking statistical game but it still led to a loss. Prescott connected with 6 different receivers and 2nd year man Michael Gallup led the way with 6 catches for 109 yards. Dallas' #1 receiver Amari Cooper had 6 catches for 83 yards and a late garbage time touchdown towards the end of the game.
Pro Bowl running back Ezekiel Elliott had a good game. He carried the ball 19 times for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns. After the first drive he looked like he was set to have a big day but the Bears made better adjustments that Dallas couldn't keep up with.
Dallas (6-7) has now lost 3 games in a row but are luckily still leading the NFC East even though their division rival Philadelphia Eagles (6-7) won. No matter how bad they have been playing, they still have a 67% chance of winning their division and making the playoffs. Essentially they only need to win their game against the Eagles in Week 16.
3 Things to Watch For
1.Ezekiel Elliott (Running Back): Zeke had good game stat wise, but he is going to have to put the team on his back to get them a win this week against another top 10 defense in the Los Angeles Rams.
2.Cowboys Defense (All): Just made Mitch Trubisky and one of the worst offenses in the NFL look like All Pros, hopefully linebacker Jaylon Smith can help contain ProBowl running back Todd Gurley. If not, they could be in for another loss just like the last 2 games.
3.Kai Forbath (Kicker): The Cowboys finally cut kicker Brett Maher who was leading the league in missed field goal attempts so this will be Forbath's first game with the Cowboys this year. Forbath was just cut by the New England Patriots last week. Let's see if he can provide some easy points.
Coming Up
The Dallas Cowboys (6-7) will be at home taking on the Los Angeles Rams (8-5) on Sunday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set at 3:25 pm Central time. The Cowboys are somehow favored to win this but I can't see a scenario where they come out with a win here. They are a very talented team that just can't seem to put together a whole game.
If you have any fantasy players, the only must start players are:
Cowboys: Ezekiel Elliott (RB), Amari Cooper (WR), Dak Prescott (QB), Michael Gallup (WR)
Rams: Cooper Kupp (WR), Todd Gurley (RB), Robert Woods (WR), Jared Goff (QB)
For you gamblers out there, the Cowboys are currently -1 and the over/under is 48. Dallas has not beaten a team with a record of.500 or better this year, the Rams are 3 games over .500. Bet the Rams for an easy win.
L.J. Cryer scored 14 points, Milos Uzan added 12 points and six assists, and No. 6 Houston beat Baylor 76-65 on Monday night for its third straight victory.
Terrance Arceneaux had 11 points and J’Wan Roberts scored 10 for Houston (20-4, 12-1 Big 12). Emanuel Sharp also finished with 10 after missing two games with an ankle injury.
The Cougars shot 51% and went 10 of 24 on 3-pointers. They reached 20 wins for the 10th consecutive season.
Norchad Omier scored 19 points and Langston Love added 15 for Baylor (15-9, 7-6), which shot 58% — including 9 of 15 on 3s. VJ Edgecombe had 14 points and Robert Wright III finished with 10.
Baylor lost its third straight road game and fell to 0-4 against ranked opponents in true road games this season.
Takeaways
Baylor: The Bears missed an opportunity to add a marquee win and fell to 4-8 in Quad 1 games. Baylor’s lack of depth came into play as Houston outscored the Bears’ bench 24-1, and three starters played at least 35 minutes.
Houston: The Cougars improved to 5-3 in Quad 1 games and remained atop the Big 12 standings.
Key moment
Uzan hit a 3-pointer that sparked a 10-1 run and gave the Cougars a 26-16 lead with 7:53 remaining in the first half. Houston’s lead never dipped below six the rest of the way.
Key stat
Houston, which entered forcing more than 14 turnovers per game and ranking in the top 10 nationally with a 5.2 turnover margin, forced Baylor into 15 turnovers and converted them into 28 points.
Up next
Houston visits No. 13 Arizona on Saturday, while Baylor hosts West Virginia the same day.