Dallas Cowboys take on Chicago Bears Monday night in pivotal NFC match-up

by Alex Lokken of The Daily Campus

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Both teams are 2-1 and struggling to gain footing this season.

ARLINGTON — The Dallas Cowboys are preparing to battle the Chicago Bears at Cowboys’ Stadium in a Monday night match-up between long time conference foes.

Both teams enter into the fourth week of season with 2-1 records and are coming off wins.

Despite sitting atop their respective divisions with winning records, the Cowboys and Bears have a lot to prove in their match-up after inconsistent play so far this season.

After the team’s impressive week one victory over the defending Super Bowl champion Giants, Dallas suffered an embarrassing loss in Seattle.

Last week’s under-whelming win over the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers did little to silence the critics of the Cowboys offense and Tony Romo.

The Bears have shared a similar theme with Dallas so far this season. After crushing the Colts in week one, the Bears suffered an ugly loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in week two.

The Bears’ week three win over the Rams will carry less weight than the result of the team’s game Monday night.

For Chicago and Dallas, issues moving the ball down the field have mostly stemmed from their struggling offensive lines this season.

With elite pass rushers on both sides — the Cowboys’ DeMarcus Ware and the Bears’ Julius Peppers — offensive lines will be put to the test Monday night.

Bears’ quarterback Jay Cutler has already been sacked 14 times this season and his passing statistics have been non-impressive.

After reuniting Brandon Marshall with Cutler with the team’s biggest signing of the offseason, the Bears’ passing attack has struggled, ranking 28th in the league so far.

While Romo’s struggles have been less apparent than Cutler’s, the Cowboys’ poor offensive line play has been detrimental for Demarco Murray and the team’s rushing attack.

The 'Boys are 28th in the NFL in rushing as they enter into the game Monday.

Despite their struggles with their offensive line, the Cowboys’ secondary has been a bright spot for the team so far this season.

Ranking second in the league and allowing only 137 yards a game, Brandon Carr and the Cowboys’ new look secondary has made a huge turnaround since last season.

Carr may also have to fill in for safety, Barry Church, whose season ended abruptly after suffering a ruptured Achilles’s tendon in the game against Tampa Bay.

Facing the league’s second rated pass defense, the Bears would like to depend on its star running back Matt Forte to carry much of the load.

Forte, a fifth-year player, is listed as questionable for Monday. He will likely be a game-time decision.

Kickoff between the two legendary NFC teams is at 7:30 p.m.

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