The Chicago Bears (0-2) enter week three in desperate need of a win, but they will have their hands full at Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon against one of the best offenses in the NFL in the Dallas Cowboys (1-1).
Below are the three things the Bears must do to shut down Dak Prescott and company while scoring enough to earn their first victory of the Ben Johnson era:
1) Limit mistakes from the offensive line
The Bears made marked improvements in their offensive line this offseason, but the group has still struggled through two weeks. In total, the offensive line has allowed six sacks, tied for the seventh most in the league, including four sacks the week prior. Protecting quarterback Caleb Williams remains a chief responsibility for the guys up front, and if the Bears find themselves trailing late in the game, they will have do a better job at preventing the defensive line from teeing off in obvious passing downs.
Penalties have also plagued the line to start the season. Their six false starts are tied for the fourth most in the league, and they have added two holding calls and an illegal chop block. The Bears' 20 total penalties are the third most in the NFL, and 45% of those calls have come from the offensive line. If the offense is going to keep up with the Cowboys against a struggling Bears defense, the line will have to finish with fewer mistakes than the past two games to give their unit a fighting chance.
2) Generate pass rush from the front four
Through two weeks, the Bears' defense has generated just three sacks, the eighth-worst mark in the league. After finishing last week without a single takedown, the Bears must find a way to get more pressure on the quarterback without sending extra bodies. The Bears' defense is banged-up once again, with defensive backs Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon, and Jaylon Jones, as well as linebacker T.J. Edwards, all slated to miss week three. To help out the backend of the defense, the front will have to be better than in weeks past.
It will be an uphill battle for the defensive line, which faces a formidable Cowboys offensive front. Led by the three Tylers (Guyton, Smith and Booker), Dallas has invested heavily in their front over the past few offseasons. The Cowboys will be without center Cooper Beebe, so there might be some confusion and opportunity for pass rush through the middle with reserve Brock Hoffman at the helm. No matter what, the defense cannot allow Dak Prescott to operate from a clean pocket, and with injuries on the backend, it would be better to create pressure without blitzing.
3) Keep CeeDee Lamb in front of the secondary
The aforementioned injuries in the secondary are likely to be a major storyline in this game, and perhaps even more so than usual due to the Cowboys' high-flying offense. Prescott's 275 passing yards per game are the fifth most amongst players who have started two games this season. A big part of that production has come from CeeDee Lamb, who is ranked third in receiving yards and is looking to tack on his fifth straight game with 100+ receiving yards.
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Through two weeks, the Bears have played the highest percentage of snaps in man coverage in the league, and without several of their top defensive backs, it might make sense to stray away from that trend and allocate more than one defender to Lamb's way. The Cowboys have plenty of other playmakers, including George Pickens and Javonte Williams, but Lamb should be circled on the Bears' whiteboards as the number one game-wrecker for Sunday.