Arlington, Texas — Dak Prescott stepped on his feet to convert a sneak pass from the quarterback into a 25-yard advantage.
Perhaps Dallas’ young standout linebacker, Micah Parsons, was following their leader’s lead.
Parsons got up after Chicago quarterback Justin Fields failed to score it and ran into the end zone with a poor return for his first NFL touchdown, and the Cowboys beat the Cowboys 49-29 on Sunday.
“I showed up ready to celebrate with the team and thought I was down,” said NFL defensive rookie of the year. “And everyone was like, ‘Go, go, go,’ and I went, went, went.” (The Cowboys’ Prescott and Parsons beat the Bears 49-29)
Prescott threw for two touchdowns and ran for another touchdown, and Toni Pollard had a career-high 131 rushing yards and three touchdowns with Ezekiel Elliott being sidelined with a right knee injury.
Fields stopped the Bears (3-5) within five after trailing 28-7, but they had already gained momentum when second-year supporters jumped into Chicago’s erroneous tradition.
David Montgomery fumbled into an open field after a catch in the third quarter, and Parsons fell to the fumble. Instead of taking Parsons down, Fields jumped on him.
Parsons got up, staggered toward the goal line when he heard the “go” signal, and rolled into the end zone on a 36-yard return.
The Officials Didn’t Even Stop The Game For Review.
“You’re always going to have ups and downs in the game,” Fields admitted, adding that he should have simply tagged Parsons. “You just have to keep fighting.”
The Cowboys (6-2) scored touchdowns on their first four properties for the first time since 2014, two years before Prescott and Elliott arrived as dynamic rookies who propelled the team to the top-seeded finish in the NFC.
Prescott opened the scoring with a 7-yard run on a clever play design by offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Both Prescott’s touchdown passes, one of CD Lamb’s, came on either side of Pollard’s first touchdown. (The Cowboys’ Prescott and Parsons beat the Bears 49-29)
“Obviously we have to do a better job off the field,” said Bears first-year coach Matt Eberfluss, who was on Dallas’ defensive staff for seven seasons before spending the Final Four as defensive coordinator at Indianapolis. . “We didn’t really do a great job all day defending against runs.”
Fields threw for two touchdowns and ran to score. His 10-yard throw to Cole Kemet put Chicago back within 13 when his error on Parsons put Dallas up 42-23.
Pollard responded with a 54-yard touchdown on his final carry and pushed the lead to 20 and kept the Bears from rallying despite their fourth 200-yard rushing game of the season (240).
“The last one was tough,” said Pollard, who tied his career for yards and carries (14) with an average of 9.4 yards per carry. “I was out of breath. But I got in.”
Khalil Herbert, who lost as a rumble in the third quarter in review to help Chicago stay close, finished with 99 yards and a TD. Fields added 60 and Montgomery 53.
Prescott completed 21 of 27 passes for 250 yards with an interception in his second game, after missing five with a broken right thumb.
The timid 25-yarder, which led to Dallas’ third TD, steered Prescott from 34 yards into a touchdown by a QB (26) with just the second rushing touchdown for the franchise leader since the start of 2021.
Dallas finished 30th in the NFL in third-down conversions before getting the first six on all four TD drives to start the game. The Cowboys went 9-for-11 in third place and had their best yardage total so far (442).
After relying on defense during Prescott’s absence, Dallas had the most points in a game this season, with 6:48 remaining in the second quarter.
“It’s a big step … especially in goodbye week,” Prescott said. “The belief is going into the bye week that we can win any way we want.”
Solid Area Again
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The Chicago quarterback went 17-for-23 without an interception (one was canceled out by a passer penalty) for a career-best 120 passer rating. In the last four matches, both of their careers have scored more than 100 ratings.
Maybe Next Time, Rookie
Malik Davis appeared for an 11-yard touchdown reception in the unfinished rookie’s NFL debut running back for the Cowboys. On review, it was reversed, and Prescott’s second TD pass was e 1 yard from the tight end to Jake Ferguson. Ferguson and Dalton Schultz followed with a big celebration.
Injuries
Dallas LB Anthony Barr injured his left hamstring while chasing Fields in the first half, and rookie fifth-round draft pick Damon Clarke filled in for him. Clarke was making his NFL debut seven months after spinal fusion surgery.
