← Locked On Cowboys - Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
Locked On Cowboys - Daily Podcast On The Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott and Caleb Williams Set for EXPLOSIVE Duel | Can Either Defense Get Stops?
00:27:02
Lorin Cox and Marcus Mosher break down the crucial matchup between the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys. They analyze Caleb Williams' progress, Dak Prescott's performance against blitzes, and key defensive struggles for both teams. The hosts dissect pivotal player matchups, including CeeDee Lamb vs the Bears' secondary and the impact of injuries.
Loading summary
Transcript58 lines
- [00:00]
Lauren Cox
Foreign podcast Network your team every day.
- [00:10]
ADT Commercial Announcer
Nothing makes you feel more like a champ than a DIY home project done right. But if your home security playbook involves using a fake sign in your yard, that's safe ish. Not safe. Don't settle for safe ish DIY with ADT to actually help protect your home. It's easy to set up and you get virtual assistance from ADT Support Team A. Plus you can still tell everyone you did it yourself. Don't settle for Safe ish. Get ADT visit ADT.com or call 1-800-ADT ASAP. That's 1-800-ADT ASAP.
- [00:48]
ExxonMobil Commercial Announcer
Can lighter structures really be stronger? Yes, they can. Exxon Mobil is helping advance American industrial innovation with Proxima systems, enabling a lighter and stronger alternative to traditional rebar while lowering greenhouse gas emissions to help build a more efficient construction industry with sustainability in mind. ExxonMobil let's deliver.
- [01:16]
Lauren Cox
So many fun storylines for Bears Cowboys. A Matt Eberflus revenge game, a shootout incoming, and what looks like maybe a must win for both teams in Week three. A lot to get into on today's Crossover Thursday Locked On Bears Locked On Cowboys podcast.
- [01:37]
Marcus Mosher
You are Locked On NFL Crossover, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day.
- [01:48]
Lauren Cox
Welcome into this Crossover Thursday Locked On Cowboys Locked on Bears podcast. I'm Lauren Cox, host of Locked On Bears alongside Marcus Mosher of Locked On Cowboys, previewing what should be a fun Week 3 matchup that I think a lot of people aren't excited about either of these two teams and yet something about that makes this matchup that much more exciting. Thank you for making Lockdown Bears or Lockdown Cowboys your first listen today. Crossover Thursday is presented by Prize Picks. Download the Prize Picks app today and use our promo code LOCKDOWN NFL to get $50 in lineups. And after you play your first $5 lineups, we're going to go through the biggest storylines of this game, the top matchups, keys to victory and game predictions. So Marcus, I guess let's start here. We both know that these two defenses have been struggling and it's been hard to get a stop for anybody expecting a high scoring back and forth matchup this week for both of these teams.
- [02:38]
Marcus Mosher
I mean, you would assume so, but there's been a lot of times where we watch these games and we think that these games are going to be high scoring and then you get into like a 17 to 14 grind it out type of thing. But I mean on paper with both these teams having injuries, you Bears with Jaylen Johnson going on ir. The Cowboys without Duron Bland again this week. And this sets up as a game where both of these teams want to lean on their playmakers. They both have outstanding wide receiver units. Lauren, I would think, like, I would think we're going to see a lot of points here on Sunday.
- [03:08]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, the, the problem for Chicago is that, like, we're still waiting for the Ben Johnson offense to fully take flight here. Like, we're getting close, we're getting to the end of the Runway, but it hasn't quite gotten to cruising altitude just yet. And so you made it this week.
- [03:23]
Marcus Mosher
Because you're playing the Dallas Cowboys defense. So we're there because last week, you know, Russell Wilson was coming off an awful game against the Washington Commanders, and then he throws for 450 yards and the Giants have over 500 yards of offense. So here, if it doesn't happen this week for Caleb, Caleb Williams and the. The Bears, maybe it never will.
- [03:41]
Lauren Cox
Yeah. And I mean, generally there was significant progress in week one to week two, and some of that was just going from a Brian Flores defense to, you know, facing the Lions was just a little bit of an easier step. And this should be an easier step from there. But I have to imagine from a Cowboys perspective, there were higher expectations that Matt Emerflues would come in despite his struggles in Chicago at least would have the defense be pretty good in Dallas, even if maybe he wasn't a great head coach. But that hasn't been the case.
- [04:04]
Marcus Mosher
No. And it's not all his fault. Right. You lose your best defensive player, you know, a couple days before week one in Micah Parsons, you trade him away, you're trying to cobble together some kind of pass rush, and then you lose your all pro cornerback Duron Bland in pract after week one. You know, it's difficult. You know, they've had a bunch of injuries. Their best linebackers are out DeMarvi and overshone. But I think Cowboy fans were hoping to see something a little bit more creative or these guys, you know, being more disciplined. It was better in week one against Philadelphia and then in week two against the Giants. It was just absolutely awful. So is this defense closer to what we saw in week one where they really stopped the run and they gave Jalen hurt some big problems in, in the second half, or are they closer to what we saw against Russell Wilson where they couldn't stop a nosebleed? I think this game against Ben Johnson, against Caleb Williams, I think it's going to tell us a lot.
- [04:55]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, I Think if Cowboys fans were expecting a lot of creativity from Matt Eberfluss, maybe that wasn't the best expectation. Maybe you'll be a little underwhelmed.
- [05:03]
Marcus Mosher
But.
- [05:03]
Lauren Cox
But discipline is something that has supposed to have been a part of his. His whole thing. He's got the hits principle and. And they enforce on tape when guys aren't running hard. And that. That worked well at the beginning in Chicago, and then by the end, it kind of fell a little flat and didn't feel like there was a lot of teeth behind some of that stuff.
- [05:19]
Marcus Mosher
You do see a more disciplined defense. They are much better against the run than they were last year. It's just now they're getting killed through the air. That's, again, not surprising when you don't have Micah Parsons, but I think people are anticipating.
- [05:32]
Lauren Cox
Okay.
- [05:32]
Marcus Mosher
Hey, if the pass rush isn't there, we know Matt Eberfluss is not a big blitzer, but maybe he'll start to send some more corner blicks, blitzes or start to send six guys. It just hasn't been the case. I'm gonna be. Well, I'm fascinated to see what he does this week against Caleb Williams, a quarterback that he should know pretty well.
- [05:49]
Lauren Cox
Yeah. On that same topic, Jadavian Clowney brought in in free agency expectations. I mean, is he ready to go full speed, full bore? Is it maybe like more situational pass rush? What are you expecting there?
- [06:01]
Marcus Mosher
I was really excited about the Jadevion Clowney signing because he can still stop the run. He gives you a little bit of juice as a pass rusher. And then I saw that he's wearing number 42, and I'm just out.
- [06:10]
Lauren Cox
There's.
- [06:11]
Marcus Mosher
There's just no way you're gonna be a good pass rusher wearing number 42. But no, in all seriousness, like, he's just a nice rotational player that gives them a little bit more size and a little bit more power. He's not Micah, but can he be part of a unit that's not awful? I think that's what the hope is. How much will we see him this week? I have my doubts. It's gonna be more than like 15 to 20 snaps. I think there's a chance that he doesn't even play. But the Cowboys need him, so I, again, I won't be surprised if he's on the field and we see him on a lot of key situations.
- [06:43]
Lauren Cox
Well, some similarities there for the Bears defense. I know a lot of Bears fans were. Were upset to see Clowny go to the Cowboys and Preston Smith just signed with the Commanders. I think, like the Bears also could use a boost to their pass rush and they haven't made that kind of move yet. And maybe the jersey number thing is real for Grady Jarrett, who has struggled through two games wearing number 50.
- [07:02]
Marcus Mosher
Disgusting.
- [07:03]
Lauren Cox
Just, it's so wrong. And, and it's very clearly correlating to a drop off in play for him. But the Bears are also looking for the pass rush to help when you got a bunch of injuries in the secondary and you haven't been able to cover anybody. And it does feel to me like both of these defenses are struggling in some similar ways. But Bears fans hope that Dennis Allen is more of a schematic upgrade over Matt Eberfluis to try and give them a slightly less terrible defense.
- [07:25]
Marcus Mosher
And Lauren, I want to ask you about Caleb Williams because he's been the talk, at least like the national talk, of, hey, if he struggles again this week, we could see Tyson Bagen. I, I don't think that's the case. But how, what have you seen from Williams the first two weeks and where do you think the, the arrow is pointing?
- [07:41]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, I'll say on the front end. I can't imagine a scenario where Caleb Williams is healthy and we see Tyson Bajan this season. Like they could go, they could start 0 and 8. And I don't think they're going to change quarterbacks. I mean, really, I mean, they're not going to start on eight. But you get the point for, for Caleb, week one, a lot was there was a lot being thrown at him, a lot of different blitzes, a lot of crazy coverages behind it, and he just was rushing a few throws and missing stuff that was supposed to be easy. Like it's just accuracy issues, footwork, timing that you kind of thought after working through the off season with all these receivers they'd be more on the same page. And it looked just a little bit sloppier than it should have against the Lions. Some real progress there. And we still had a bad interception where he tried to force a ball that he tried to make a play in, a little miscommunication and thought receiver was going to break the sideline, so he threw it for the vertical anyway. The real progress though, in some of the things that hurt him from last year, he's not holding onto the ball as aggressively long as he used to. He's not taking sacks the way he did last season. And as we're starting to see these receivers get a little bit more on the same page and a little bit more comfort in Ben Johnson's offense. We're seeing them on the precipice of, of really locking in. They just have had some offensive line issues still and definitely the running game has not been where they needed to be. So it still doesn't feel like we've seen fully what Ben Johnson wants to be able to do with the offense.
- [08:53]
Marcus Mosher
And for the Cowboys it's been kind of the same thing. The offensive line has been very up and down the first two weeks. They're going to be without Cooper Beebe starting center this week. The run game has been maybe a little bit better than expected. It's not great by any means, but Javante Williams is playing well and yet it really hasn't mattered because Dak Prescott has been so good. He's bailed them out of so many bad situations. And you started to see last week George Pickens become more involved in the offense, Jake Ferguson being used more down the middle of the field on paper. And we're going to talk about matchups here in a little bit. This is a matchup that the Cowboys should dominate, right? They should be able to make big plays down the field. They should be. You know, the Bears don't have anybody that can match up with CD Lamb and yet we'll see. I mean, Dennis Allen is somebody who's given Dak problems before. We'll see what happens in this contest.
- [09:43]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, I think a lot of Bears fans are hoping like Dennis Allen figures something out. I think in the same way that Cowboys fans are hoping Matt Eberflus figures something out. But we'll take a closer look at some of those matchups that they are going to try and figure out to certainly stop the bleeding for their defense and on the other side, you know, get their offense rolling at a super high level as we continue our crossover Thursday. Locked On Bears Locked On Cowboys Podcast Mazda crafts cars for those who do more than simply move. Mazda delivers confidence with every ride, with more IIHS Top Safety Pick awards than anyone else. You can feel the Japanese craftsmanship in every detail, from the metallic accents to available Nappa leather upholstery. Then you can make everyday drives feel like anything. But from smooth handling to intuitive controls, and with all wheel drive standard in every crossover suv, you can drive with confidence through almost any season. We know that from footwork to breathwork, athletes sweat all the details and Mazda brings the same intention to how they craft every model. Because when you make every move count, impossible becomes irrelevant. Mazda move and be moved.
- [10:56]
ExxonMobil Commercial Announcer
Can lighter structures really be stronger. Yes they can. ExxonMobil is helping advance American industrial innovation with Proxima systems, enabling a lighter and stronger, stronger alternative to traditional rebar while lowering greenhouse gas emissions to help build a more efficient construction industry. With sustainability in mind, ExxonMobil, let's deliver.
- [11:25]
Lauren Cox
All right, as we continue our crossover Thursday, Locked on Cowboys Locked on Bears podcast Lauren Cox and Marcus Moser with you today. Marcus, we've kind of talked around this as far as like, yeah, some good players on both sides of the ball and some bad players that are going to start to get matched up. So is there one area in particular you look at and say, man, Dallas is either going to take advantage of this matchup or they need to really protect this matchup so they don't get taken advantage of.
- [11:48]
Marcus Mosher
I mean, I have no doubt that the Cowboys are going to win the their wide receivers versus Chicago's cornerback matchup. Right. They're just, they've got more talent, they've got better players. But how, how much they win by will probably determine this game. They can't have it be like a 55, 45 matchup. Right. Like or a 10, 9 on a boxing card. It's got to be a knockout for Dallas. And you mentioned Jalen Johnson. We'll see. Is Kyler Gordon going to play this week, do you think?
- [12:13]
Lauren Cox
Almost certainly not, but you never know. But I would think probably not.
- [12:17]
Marcus Mosher
All right, so that leaves Tyreek Stevenson on the outside and then an old friend alert Nayshaan Wright, who the Cowboys drafted in the third round a couple years ago. I've got to believe that's going to be Nayshaan Wright vs George Pickens and that's a matchup that just really favors Dallas. But it all depends on whether they can block up front. Chicago's got some really good defensive linemen. Montez Sweat has been somebody who's given Dak problems before in the past. If the Cowboys can block up Chicago relatively well, they struggled against it against the Giants a little bit that week or last week. I would expect the receivers to have a monster performance just like Lauren. I expect the Bears receivers to have a pretty big day against the Cowboys defensive backs.
- [12:58]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, I mean Roman Dunze is coming off of a seven catch, 127 yard, two touchdown performance last week against the Lions and he had, I think, pff, credit him with one drop. I think there's another play in there that you might was borderline drop pass also could have been, you know, well over 150 on some of those. So I think There's a feeling like, you know, he's on the way to the breakout and that if they can get DJ Moore a little bit more involved, there's certainly going to be an effort to get Colston Loveland more involved this week. Ben Johnson has been pretty clear about that. Like he and Luther Burden are probably gonna have a little bit of a bigger role in this offense. So there's a feeling like they can get the matchups they want. I mean, I know Matty Clues hasn't run a single man coverage snap all season, which is not super surprising, but to see it at zero was a little bit shocking for me. And so it's not like they're going to leave these corners one on one on an island. And that was something that worked really well against the Lions. They were getting a lot of man coverage and so they could just run crossing routes and hit them. But I do think this is a matchup where both offensive coordinators can feel like they've got a little bit of a scheme advantage against the defensive coordinators at this point in some part due to that, that personnel definitely being slow there. But I'm worried about the Bears pass rush being able to get home against the Cowboys. It has been a problem all for both of the first two games of the season. Montez Sweat doesn't have a sack. He had one sack that was called back by penalty, but generally hasn't been as productive as the Bears need him to be given how much they've invested in him. And the rest of the defensive line hasn't been able to consistently generate enough pressure to make up for it. So I'm, I'm concerned about Dak being a little bit too comfortable in the pocket and that getting us to that, you know, for another 40 plus points allowed. I mean, I think the Bears are optimistic that that can come down a little bit, but I'm not sure exactly. It's just guys got to be better and that's always a hard thing to count on.
- [14:36]
Marcus Mosher
Yeah, and that's the thing with Dak, is if you can protect him, you know, without, you know, against a four man rush, he's going to carve you up because he's so, so good at moving around in the pocket and if you have to blitz them, that's when this team can be really dangerous because Dak is one of the best quarterbacks against the blitz. He gets rid of the ball quick and on time. Where the Cowboys have had some problems and it showed up a little bit last week is if you can Create pressure with their front four because Terence Steele, Tyler Guyton, their two tackles have struggled a little bit, at least for Guyton. You understand it. He's been coming off a knee injury. You're hoping it gets better, but that's kind of the weakness of this team right now, is tackles. And if you can beat them around the edge, then things get really wonky for this Cowboys offense. But I don't think Dennis Allen can just sit back and expect that the pass rush is going to get there. I think he's going to have to be aggressive, and that's where the. The cat and mouse game is going to be so much fun to watch on Sunday afternoon.
- [15:33]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, and I think that's where. That's where Bears fans are kind of looking for maybe a little bit more, I think, because through the first couple of games of the season, I think he blitzed J.J. mcCarthy five or six times, then blitzed Jared Goff five or six times. But it has not been. Despite the lack of pass rush, there hasn't been an overly aggressive mindset to try and make up for it. And maybe that's because of a lack of cornerbacks on the back end. But I think the way you describe Dak Prescott there, about, like, yeah, if you can get pressure with four, but. But if you blitz him, he's gonna tear you up. Like, that was kind of the same approach for Jared Goff. Right? It's like, oh, yeah, if you can get Goff under pressure easily, he's gonna fall apart. But if. But if you blitz him. The Lions offense has always been able to attack those. So I think Dennis Allen gets kind of trapped between this rock and the hard place where it's like, I'm not getting much pass rush with four, but if I blitz, I know this quarterback is going to be able to get me. So do I. Do I risk it by sending guys and having them burn me? Or do I drop back in with seven in coverage and hope that my three injured cornerback backups can hold up? And I don't know if there's an easy solution either way.
- [16:29]
Marcus Mosher
One other matchup that I want to mention is the Cowboys linebackers, just against Ben Johnson, because I trust that Matty Berfluse over the course of the season is going to get this position figured out. But through two weeks, it's been rough. It's Kenneth Murray and old friend alert Jack Sanborn who are the starting linebackers for Dallas, and both of them are really struggling in the run game. But it's been even worse in coverage and what's happened, you know, to the Cowboys linebackers in previous years that they go up against a creative offensive mind and they just spam passes in the middle of the field to target those guys. I'm really worried about San Born and Murray, and that's why I think Cowboy fans are just hoping they can get to Thanksgiving when Overshone comes back and maybe they'll stabilize the unit a little bit. But if I were Ben Johnson, those are the two guys that I would want to be attacking in the passing game over and over.
- [17:19]
Lauren Cox
Yeah. And I think that's where we'll see more Cole Comet and Colston Loveland in this game, too. But you say Jack Sanborn struggling in the running game, like that was supposed to be his one thing that he was really good at. And then the coverage is what you try and mask.
- [17:31]
Marcus Mosher
I believe he's Pro Football Focus's worst graded run defender right now among all linebackers.
- [17:37]
Lauren Cox
Wow. Because Bears fans were mad this off season that they didn't retain Jack Sanborn. Like, that's been a lingering fan favorite. That's like, oh, he should be here in the mix.
- [17:44]
Marcus Mosher
And a part of it is he's. I think he's playing out of position a little bit, but he also just isn't playing that well. He's missing tackles that he just hasn't missed usually. Missy. I think he's always worried about having to get some of these deep drops. I expect him to play better as the season goes along, but, you know, this is somebody that knows this scheme well. I think the Cowboys were really relying on him. Being a stabilizing force hasn't been the case. I will say, with Kenneth Murray, he struggled a lot in Week one. He was much better in Week two. I want to see what he looks like in this game because I won't be surprised if he plays better than what we've seen in the previous weeks.
- [18:22]
Lauren Cox
Yeah. And I have a feeling that especially with, with Ibrahu is going against the Bears, like, they'll be able to contain the Bears running game pretty well. Not that that means Sanborn and. And the other linebacker, Murray, are going to have, you know, elite games, but I think, I think they'll be able to limit what the Bears want to do in the ground game. And then it's just a question of can Ben Johnson attack them well enough in coverage. But that's going to be one of the big keys to the game. And we're going to go through everything. We need to see each of these teams do. If they want to win and give some game predictions as we continue our Crossover Thursday Locked On Bears Locked On Cowboys Podcast. Our Crossover Thursday podcast is brought to you by five hour energy caffeine just got a flavor upgrade five hour energy shots deliver tasty caffeine in 17 bold flavors. Each two ounce shot packs the caffeine of a premium 12 ounce 12 ounce cup of coffee plus B vitamins and nutrients with zero sugar and zero crashes. The best part is how portable they are. Big taste, tiny shot. You can take it anywhere and and get that boost when you need it. You don't need to carry around a thermos with hot liquid. It's small enough to slip into your pocket. Doesn't have to be a big extra accessory for you to carry, so you can always go find your favorite flavor. Whether it's that early or that late morning drag or mid afternoon five Hour Energy, there is here to boost you and get you through the day. So enough with boring flavorless caffeine. It's time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5 hour energy shots. Get the favorites you love or be bold and try something new in store and online@fiveourenergy.com. that's the number five our energy.com or on Amazon today. Crossover Podcast Bears and Cowboys is also brought to you by Prize Picks, the daily fantasy app where making the right call can actually pay off. See, we all make decisions every day, but on Prize Picks, being right means cashing in with football back. Prize Picks is the simplest and fastest way to get in on the action. Just pick more or less on two to six player projections and you can turn your takes into real prizes all in less than 60 seconds. So they're giving you a max discount this week. For example, you can pick Patrick Mahomes more or less than 0.5 passing yards. So if you pick more and he gets at least one passing yard, that's automatically one of your picks already is successful. You just need one more pick. Whether it's Dak Prescott's passing yards or DeAndre Swift's rushing yards. I would bet some receiving yards would be a good candidate for some more picks this week, all in the Prize Picks app and you can cash in big. Download the Prize Picks app today and use our promo code locked on NFL and to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code locked on NFL for $50 in lineups after your first $5 play. Prize picks it's good to be right. All right, as we move our Crossover Thursday Lockdown Bears LOCKDOWN Cowboys FORWARD Want to get into some of the keys of the game and then this is kind of blended in with, with some of the matchups here are tend to be keys to the game. But I think from a Chicago Bears perspective, there's a feeling of like, let's slow things down in all senses of the word and try and control the clock. And maybe your best defense is going to be keeping the Cowboys offense on the field and keeping your defense off the field. And that means they're going to want to run the ball and they're going to want to take their time and not have Caleb Williams rushing or feeling like you're in this shootout where, hey, you got to throw, you got to hit somebody. Like, if they can just kind of keep it nice and simple and like we talked about a little bit earlier, hit the middle of the field in the passing game, maybe off some play action if you can get that running game going. I think they'd like to just slow things down and not let this devolve into like Russell Wilson moon bombs back and forth like the Cowboys saw last week.
- [21:56]
Marcus Mosher
Well, and honestly, I think that the, the Cowboys want to do the opposite. They think they want to try to get the possessions up in this game. They only had three offensive possessions in the first half against the Giants, and a lot of that is because their defense just couldn't get off the field. And that's why it's very important for the Cowboys to start this game off hot. Against Philadelphia in Week one, they score touchdowns on their first two drives, and that kind of allowed them to. To keep a balanced offense where Dak didn't have to step back and throw the ball 58 times like he did in week two. So I expect the Cowboys to play with a lot of pace early in this game, try to be aggressive to build that lead, turn Chicago into a, you know, pass first type of team, and then we're off. And I think, honestly, I think the Cowboys are going to have to try to win games 38, 34 this year. Don't be surprised if they're uber aggressive to get this game started.
- [22:45]
Lauren Cox
That's going to be interesting to see the back and forth there because so far through two games this season, the Bears have been very good out of the gate. You know, the scripted plays on offense, they drive down and score touchdowns, and that was not something they were doing under the Iberpoose regime at all. And, and then like the whole first half, they've generally been able to hang in there. And then like the first game against the Vikings, obviously the fourth quarter is when everything fell apart. And against the Lions last week, it was really like right at the end of the half, they gave up a late touchdown and were kind of demoralized. Then coming out of halftime, they were slow. And it, it's just been a struggle to like sustain that early success and energy. So I think that's going to be the key for the Bears. Like, if the Cowboys come out aggressively, like, do you have an answer for it? And then can you maintain that? Or will the Cowboys aggressive defense in those moments wear you down to the point where then you don't have that answer to follow up?
- [23:31]
Marcus Mosher
And another thing for Dallas is watch their special teams. They believe with their offense and their special teams, they're going to be able to win a lot of games. And I don't necessarily disagree that now the defense might be so bad that it prohibits them from doing that. But we saw last week Brandon Aubrey kick a 64 yard field goal to get them to overtime. He kicked a 46 yard field goal in overtime to win the game. Kevonte Turpin is one of the best kick returners in the league. That is a phase that they have to win if they want to beat some of these good teams. And I know Chicago's own two, I still think they are a good team. Keep an eye on that, because if they're losing the special teams battle or they're not getting good field position, which was the case very early in the game against the Giants, that could be ultimately the difference. So keep an eye on the Cowboys special teams. They are one of their most important factors in winning games this year.
- [24:20]
Lauren Cox
And the Bears retained Matt Eberflus's special teams coordinator from last year. So there's, there's definitely going to be some familiarity with the kinds of things the Bears want to do on special teams. And it was definitely a weakness for Chicago in Week 1 against the Vikings. Didn't give up like a long return by any means, but like, it was just kind of those steady, steady, solid returns where they were always getting 5 or 10 more yards than they should. And then the Bears missed a field goal and had a punt that was, it wasn't like fully blocked, but it was tipped enough to be a bad punt at that point. They seem to have corrected it for week two against the Lions, but I could see the Cowboys smelling some blood in the water there and saying, hey, we've got some opportunities to make.
- [24:58]
Marcus Mosher
Yeah, As I say, this wasn't the case in week two, but we saw it in week one against Philadelphia where, you know, Philadelphia was just kicking the ball out of the back of the end zone and giving the Cowboys the ball at the 35. And that's can be dangerous against this Cowboys offense because number one, they're very good and number two, they've got a kicker that feels absolutely comfortable kicking the ball from the 50 yard line, which means you need 15 yards to be in scoring range. Right. And that's why we're seeing teams try to be more aggressive making Kevonte Turpin return. The ball didn't have a lot of success last week. Keep an eye out in this game because I do think that little difference in field position between the 25 and 35 could end up being the difference in this game.
- [25:36]
Lauren Cox
Briefly, before we wrap up with game predictions here, I want to just touch on, on the, the stakes here. I mean, I think for Chicago it's easy to say, oh, and two, like you can't fall to zero and three, like this would be a disaster start for Ben Johnson, et cetera, et cetera for the Cowboys at 1 and 1. We were talking about this briefly offline before we started. Like, why does this game feel so pivotal for them? Like 1 and 2 is not good, but like you could you survive a one and two start?
- [26:00]
Marcus Mosher
I mean, theoretically, yes, you could. But they play Green Bay in Dallas in week four and I think we all know what's going to be coming in that game right now. The schedule does get a little softer for Dallas after that, but they play a stretch in November, December, where it's just a gauntlet. It's Kansas City, it's Philadelphia, it's Detroit, like the Chargers, Minnesota, like they have to rack up some of these early season wins in order just to stay alive and stay competitive. As we get to the meat of their schedule, this is a game where, depending right now on FanDuel, the Cowboys are one point favorites. You've got to go and steal this game on the road, give yourself some cushion. You lose this game and you lose to Green Bay in week four and you're one and three, it's gonna get dark quick in Dallas and I'm seeing.
- [26:48]
Lauren Cox
One and a half point favorites for Chicago on FanDuel right now.
- [26:50]
Marcus Mosher
Yeah, so it's been flipping back and forth all week, which is fascinating, I think.
- [26:53]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, yeah, exactly. It's. It's going to be a fun matchup to watch. So where does that leave you as far as predictions? I, I have a feeling so like I, I have yet to predict the Chicago Bears win this season and have been correct, but this one feels to me like I might be the first time. I'm willing to say, hey, I think they're gonna figure this out, but I don't imagine, I don't imagine you're thinking the Cowboys are going to lose this one either.
- [27:14]
Marcus Mosher
I don't know. I, I think I would be willing to pick Chicago here just because, and honestly, this matters a lot in the NFL. They're the more desperate team. They're at home. They kind of have to have this one. And I think for Dallas, you're coming off an emotional division win, back to back division games. I'm not saying they're going to have a letdown because I don't know if you can really have a letdown. But this, this is a tough spot for Dallas with all the injuries they have. I think we're going to get a very close game. I think I would take Chicago now again. I know it's early in the week, we'll see once the injury reports come out, but that's my lean right now.
- [27:48]
Lauren Cox
Yeah, that's kind of where I am too. Like, I, I certainly don't think the Bears are going to come in and dominate by any means. Like the one and a half point spread is. Feels about right. Like it's going to come down to probably the last possession or so because they're going back and forth with a couple of late touchdowns in the fourth quarter where maybe Dallas leads with five minutes ago and then the Bears lead with two and a half to go and then the Cowboys get the ball back with one more time. I think it's going to be that kind of down to the final possession type of game and I don't trust either of these defenses to be the one to make a key stop. So maybe not at all which offense touches the ball last. I think that's going to be key to this game, but we'll see how it plays out. We'll break it all down for you on both the Locked on Bears and Locked on Cowboys podcasts. So make sure you hit the subscribe button on YouTube or wherever you listen. Keep making Locked on Bears or Locked On Cowboys your first listen every day and come on back tomorrow as we'll both be previewing our matchups and getting you ready for game day. So for Marcus Mojer from Lockdown Cowboys, I'm Lorne Cox from Locked on Bears and we will talk to you tomorrow.
- [28:51]
ExxonMobil Commercial Announcer
When it comes to reducing carbon emissions. The heaviest industries face the toughest challenges. That's where we come in. ExxonMobil is investing in technology to help American industry lower its emissions, including in our own operations, all while empowering businesses and creating job opportunities. It turns out that fewer emissions can mean a stronger economy. Exxon Mobil let's deliver My day kicks.
- [29:20]
Celsius Commercial Announcer
Off with a refreshing Celsius energy drink. Then straight to the gym pre K pickup back home to meal prep time for my fire station shift. One more Celsius. Gotta keep the lights on when the three alarm hits. I'm ready. Celsius Live Fit. Go grab a cold refreshing Celsius at your local retailer or locate now@celsius.com.
- [29:41]
McDonald's Commercial Announcer
For a limited time. At McDonald's, get a Big Mac Extra Value meal for $8. That means two all beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions on a sesame seed bun and medium fries. And a drink. We may need to change that jingle.
- [29:55]
Marcus Mosher
Prices and participation may vary.