For the first time in five seasons, the Dallas Cowboys won’t finish with an 8-8 record. The Cowboys earned their ninth win of the season in easy fashion, 41-28, over the struggling Chicago Bears on Thursday night.
It’s the first time the Cowboys will post a winning record since they last made the playoffs in 2009.
Dallas controlled the game on the ground as DeMarco Murray rushed for 179 and a touchdown and Tony Romo passed for three scores. Meanwhile, the Bears were held to just 35 yards rushing by the Dallas defense.
Murray scored on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to give the Cowboys a 7-0 lead. The Bears rallied to tie the game as Jay Cutler connected with Martellus Bennett for a 12-yard touchdown to cap an 80-yard drive.
The game was all Cowboys after that.
Romo found Cole Beasley for a pair of touchdowns passes, 13 and 24 yards, as the Cowboys took a 21-7 lead. Romo then connected with Gavin Escobar for a 6-yard touchdown and Joseph Randle scored on a 17-yard touchdown run as Dallas took a commanding 35-7 lead.
Alshon Jeffery caught a 27-yard touchdown from Cutler as the Bears began to finally show some life offensively in the fourth quarter.
After a 35-yard Dan Bailey field goal gave Dallas a 35-13 cushion, the Bears scored a touchdown on a 1-yard touchdown run by Matt Forte and added a two-point conversion to draw to within 38-21. Chicago then recovered an onside kick when Gavin Escobar failed to reel in the kick by Jay Feely. Three plays later Jay Cutler scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown to make it a 10-point game with six minutes remaining.
A Dan Bailey 26-yard field goal pushed Dallas’ lead to 41-28 with 3:41 left to play.
The Bears pushed into the Dallas red zone once again but Cutler was intercepted in the end zone by Orlando Scandrick to squash Chicago’s late rally.