Two top-10 defenses will be on display Thursday night when a pair of .500 teams in the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears hook up at Soldier Field.
The Cowboys are coming off a Thanksgiving shellacking at the hands of the Buffalo Bills in which the offense tried to cut into a double-digit deficit and could not.
Dallas also is dealing with an injury to linebacker Leighton Vander Esch, but it has not affected the team too negatively. In two games without him, the total stayed Under and the Cowboys gave up a combined 39 points to the Bills and New England Patriots.
Chicago’s defense has been consistent, giving up an average of 17.3 points per game this season and 22 or fewer points in each of the past six games. The team has needed the defensive support due to the offense ranking 30th in the NFL in yards per play.
Dallas ranks eighth in the NFL in points per game, registers the most yards per play of any team in the league and should have the services of wide receiver Amari Cooper. Despite all that, the Cowboys have been held to 24 points or fewer in six out of their last nine games because they are sixth in the league in field goals per game attempted. Now they face a Bears team that is in the top 10 in opponents’ fewest third-down conversions per game.
With the Bears offense being a question mark all season and the Cowboys getting yards but not points, it should lead to a low-scoring affair in Chicago.
The Play: Cowboys-Bears Under 43.