Cowboys score most points in NFL this year, Tony Pollard shines in 49-29 victory

The Cowboys won 49-29 against the Chicago Bears.

The Cowboys won another one, this time against the Bears, and scored the most points in a single game among any team this season. It’s good to see out of an offense that has struggled at times this year. They’ll head into the bye with a 6-2 record and among the top teams in the NFC.

Tony Pollard headlines the positives this week. He did something Ezekiel Elliott has yet to do in his tenured NFL career; rush for three touchdowns. His burst is hard to match across the entire league and when given the opportunity, he adds a level this offense has lacked for years. It’ll be very interesting to see if this ruptures the current target share between him and Elliott after the bye.

Dak Prescott played really well, too. An interception that gave the Bears points before the second half, but he made some really nice throws and even used his feet for some big plays. CeeDee Lamb and Dalton Schultz both had nice games, combining for over 150 yards.

It might go unnoticed, but Brett Maher is kicking himself to a Pro Bowl appearance. He made all seven of his extra points in what has been his best season to date. He’s been consistently fantastic, a position that will prove especially important down the stretch and in the playoffs.

As for the defense, Dante Fowler had a really good game. He had a sack and and a pass deflection and could prove to be an important part in the defensive rotation. Leighton Vander Esch is also on his way to his best season since his rookie year. He forced a fumble that led to a Micah Parsons scoop and score, which was an all-important play in the second half. It was good to see and hopefully that kind of play continues from 55.

To head down the negative path, the run defense is a bit worrisome. Jamaal Williams averaged over five yards per carry last week and today, Khalil Herbert had an exceptional day running the ball as did Justin Fields. Aaron Jones, Dalvin Cook, Jonathan Taylor, and Derrick Henry are all on the menu after the bye. Those aren’t the names that one would dream about facing with a struggling run defense, but there are things to fine tune and hopefully they are done.

Other than that, the negatives were kept to a minimum. The penalties were not as drastic as previous weeks and they were able to sack Justin Fields four times. Hopefully some of the lingering injuries can be healed with an extra week of rest between games.

Next week is the bye and after that, they finish off their NFC North stint. Confidence should be high, but the Eagles don’t show any signs of slowing down, especially with how easy their schedule is. It’ll be tough to win the division, and if so Dallas could be looking down the barrel of an away game come mid-January. We’ll have to get comfortable with that. Let’s enjoy the win, enjoy being 6-2, and hope the bye can get the team back to health.