Clarence Hill: Five Things from the Dallas Cowboys’ 49-29 blowout victory over Bears

No Ezekiel Elliott was no problem for the Dallas Cowboys in Sunday’s 49-29 victory against the Chicago Bears.

Backup running back Tony Pollard had a coming-out party in place of the injured Elliott and the Cowboys offense was as wide open and explosive as it’s been all season with quarterback Dak Prescott also enjoying a season-best performance.

The same can’t be said for a Cowboys defense, which has led the way all season, but gave up four touchdowns in a game for the first time and was gashed on the ground for 240 yards.

But the big questions about the Cowboys were on offense and they were answered in emphatic fashion as they head into next week’s bye on a roll with their second straight victory and 6-2 record at the break.

Pollard rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on a career-high tying 14 carries.

Prescott passed for 250 yards and rushed for a touchdown and had two touchdowns passing.

“He said it earlier in the week. ‘If we call it, it he’s going to haul it.’ He went out there and backed those words up,” Prescott said of Pollard. “That is who he is. He’s talented as hell. He is not just another back for us. He is a play maker. We will continue to use him. He is great for the offense and this team.”

The Cowboys scored a season high in points, surpassing the 30-point mark for the first time all season.

And the Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first four offensive possessions, marking the first time a Cowboys team had done so since 2014.

“It was particularly rewarding to see Dak have the kind of game that he had,” owner Jerry Jones said. “Just really gave us a lot of option in our offense. Dak was just outstanding. Boy when I think about we’ve got a week off and we’ve ended up here at 6-2 and got our Dak hitting on all cylinders. It’s a good look as we look ahead.”

Clarence Hill: 5 Things from Dallas Cowboys 49-29 victory vs. Chicago Bears

Pollard, Cowboys run game just fine without Ezekiel Elliott

Any questions about Tony Pollard’s ability to carry the load as the lead back back were answered emphatically in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 49-29 victory against the Chicago Bears.

Pollard took a toss on third-and-1 around the left end, weaving through tacklers and did not stop until he broke the tape in the end zone.

It was his career-high tying 14th carry of the game and Pollard still had juice in his legs in a game he started place of the injured Ezekiel Elliott.

Pollard rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries.

“Of course, we go as Zeke goes,” owner Jerry Jones said. “I really mean that. Zeke’s that important to this team and every bit as important as he was before the game. It gives me personally and I want all our fans to feel good about our future because we’ll have a healthier Zeke for not using his this ballgame.

“Pollard, I knew we were going to be conservative with him early because we wanted him for the end of the game and wanting him to really be able to the center point of the run game and, if you will, even the offense. Boy, he stepped out there and had more carries by the half than I really thought we were going to give him. Then of course some of his big plays. I didn’t count them, but we had so many of those 20-yard and up plays.”

The Cowboys also supplemented the loss of Elliott with runs from quarterback Dak Prescott, who had a 25-yard run on third-and-1 in the first half, receivers CeeDee Lamb and KaVontae Turpin and rookie running back Malik Davis.

It all added up to a season-high 200 yards on the ground for the Cowboys.

Dak Prescott had it going in the passing game and on third down

Quarterback Dak Prescott said he would be more comfortable in his second game back after missing five games with a fractured right thumb.

He was just efficient in the 24-6 victory against the Detroit Lions last week.

But Sunday against the Bears, Prescott opened the game on fire, completing 10 of his first 11 passes with a touchdown pass and a scoring run.

The Prescott-led Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first four possessions and they seemingly fixed their woes on third down.

They opened the game 6 of 6 on third down and finished 9 of 11 for the game.

The offense was wide open for Prescott as he made plays with his arm and legs. He completed 21 of 27 passes for 250 yards and rushed for 34 yards on five carries.

“It felt great,” Prescott said. “It was something we talked about during week. Understanding the team that we have, the defense that we have. We got to reward these guys and go get some touchdowns. Set our standards, knowing our expectations of who we are and who we can be. We owed that to ourselves more importantly. It was important to start fast.”

Justin Fields, Bears show stopping run still a challenge for Cowboys defense

The Cowboys were so concerned about their run defense heading into Sunday’s game against the league’s No 1-ranked rushing offense that they made a trade with the Las Vegas Raiders for defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins.

While the Cowboys defeated the Bears, stopping the run remains a challenge for the defense.

Not only did quarterback Justin Fields give them fits with his blazing speed, scrambling eight times for 60 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, but he also broke the defense down to make a few plays via the pass.

Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence allowed Fields to break contain for a number big gains.

The Bears running backs got theirs as well as Chicago rushed for 240 yards on a whopping 43 carries. It remains a problem for the Cowboys.

Cowboys end of half blunders can’t be ignored

The Cowboys scored on four straight possessions to open the game against the Bears and seemingly put everything away.

They were in full control with a 28-7 lead late in the second quarter until the Cowboys became their own worst enemy.

An interception by safety Trevon Diggs and a huge return was called back because of a roughing the passer penalty on defensive tackle Chauncey Golston on Bears quarterback Justin Fields. The Bears scored on the next play when Fields tossed a 17-yard pass to N’Keal Harry with 40 seconds left.

On the first play after the kickoff, the Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott got greedy. Instead of kneeling on the ball and going into the half with a 28-14 lead, Prescott forced a pass into coverage to CeeDee Lamb and was intercepted by safety Eddie Jackson.

The Bears turned it into a 36-yard field goal as time expired, making it 28-17 at halftime.

“The interception I put on me. That was overconfidence,” Prescott said. “Believing I can’t miss. I will go back to CeeDee and I already went back and told him, ‘I trust you’. I know it was a dangerous throw. It ended up with an interception. But you will see we will make that play at the end of the year.

“I’m sure people will say its a dangerous throw and it’s aggressive. But that is the way we will play.”

Cowboys bye comes at good time and Packers reunion coming up

Ever since the schedule came out last May, one game was circled in Green Bay and Dallas. It was the Nov. 13 game between the Cowboys and Packers and Mike McCarthy’s first trip back to Green Bay as a head coach since he was fired in 2018.

It should be a great trip back home for McCarthy and his family. And a chance at redemption.

But first things first and that starts with the upcoming bye week.

And it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Cowboys, who rested an injured Ezekiel Elliott (knee) against the Bears as well as starting safety Malik Hooker (hamstring) and receiver Noah Brown (foot).

The Cowboys also lost linebacker Anthony Bar and guard Connor McGovern during the game. And safeties Jayron Kearse and Donovan Wilson were in and out due to injuries.

The Cowboys are hoping all have a chance to get healthy and return during the bye just in time for the McCarthy homecoming.