All eyes were on AT&T stadium last night as the Cowboys prepared to take on an injury-struck Bears team on Sunday Night Football.
Would Dak Prescott continue his dominance? Can Ezekiel Elliot have his breakthrough game? Can the Bears survive without their man Jay Cutler?
It was a very crucial game for both sides, as the Bears were looking to prevent going 0-3, and the Cowboys were looking for a big win to stay in the hunt for the top spot in the NFC East.
The game started off fast with a quick 22-yard run from Ezekiel Elliott, followed by an 11 yard completion to Dez Bryant. Surely a start that the Cowboys needed, and they didn’t look back from that point.
The Cowboys jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead, behind a quarterback keeper from Dak Prescott for his 2nd rushing touchdown of the year, followed by his first ever passing touchdown on a connection to Dez Bryant.
The second half was all Bears, as they outscored the Cowboys 14-7, but that just wasn’t enough. The Bears just seemed to be lost with Brian Hoyer under center, only accounting for 390 total yards.
It was really a tale of two stories. The Cowboys defense looked revitalized, forcing 2 fumbles and starting the game the game by forcing three straight Bears 3-and-outs. On the other hand, the Bears defense looked unable to stop the Cowboys in both the passing a rushing game.
Dak Prescott continued his dominant season, accounting for 2 total touchdowns, but most importantly, not turning the ball over. He broke the record for most passing attempts without an interception to start off a career, with 99, a record that was broken by Carson Wentz earlier in the day yesterday.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from last nights game for the Cowboys, is that Ezekiel Elliott finally hurdled the doubters (literally). The 4th overall draft pick finally broke through yesterday, rushing for 140 yards on 30 carries, and adding to the wow factor by hurdling Bears defender Chris Prosinski. Here’s what Elliott had to say about his early season struggles,
“It feels good, just to see the hard work and see the results from it.”
“Kind of going to work every week and not necessarily getting the results you want the first couple of weeks, but having the teammates that I do who’ve continued to have confidence in me no matter what we went through. The first game, shaky. The second game, two fumbles. For the guys to still have the ultimate confidence in me, just all the vets telling me, ‘This is going to be your game, Zeke. This will be the one.'”
The Cowboys ended up defeating the Bears by a score of 31-17, pushing Dallas to (2-1), while the Bears plummeted to (0-3).
The Cowboys will face off against the (1-2) 49ers in Levi Stadium next Sunday.
As for the Bears, they will play host to the Lions (1-2) in a battle of the bad.
For all other news about the Cowboys, be sure to follow @CowboysGameday_ on twitter.
-Connor Hall (@518SportsChall)
