CHICAGO — Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season presents a duel of desperation when the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) take on the Bears (0-2) in Chicago on Sunday. Dallas’ offense under new coach Brian Schottenheimer is humming: the Cowboys are the No. 5 scoring offense in the league (30.0 points per game), and quarterback Dak Prescott and Co. are off to a roaring start. However, new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, the Bears’ former head coach, knows his defense needs to make significant progress after allowing Russell Wilson to light them up for 450 yards passing in Week 2 against the New York Giants.

Meanwhile, the Ben Johnson era Chicago Bears are still waiting for liftoff after an 0-2 start. They’ve lost two games this season in different manners: blowing a 17-6 second half lead against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1 and then getting run out of the building in a 52-21 loss at the Detroit Lions in Week 2. Eberflus’ shaky Dallas defense that runs zone coverage at the highest rate in the NFL (87.4% of defensive plays) could provide a prime opportunity for Chicago quarterback Caleb Williams to bounce back in Week 3.

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Where to watch Cowboys vs. Bears

• When: Sunday, Sept. 21 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
• Where: Soldier Field — Chicago, Illinois
• TV: Fox | Stream: Fubo (Try for free)
• Follow: CBS Sports App
• Odds: Cowboys -1.5; O/U 50.5 (via DraftKings)

Cowboys vs. Bears: Need to know

How will Bears’ depleted secondary defend Cowboys dynamic wide receiver duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens? The Chicago Bears will be without three key defensive starters on Sunday: linebacker T.J. Edwards (hamstring), nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon (hamstring) and No. 1 cornerback Jaylon Johnson (groin).

That’s bad news for a Bears defense tasked with defending both All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and the explosive George Pickens on Sunday. Lamb is thriving with Prescott back in the lineup, entering Week 3 tied for third in the NFL in catches (16) and third in the league in receiving yards (222). Schottenheimer said Chicago defensive coordinator Dennis Allen double-teamed Lamb plenty when Allen was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints in the teams’ Week 2 meeting last season. Allen simply may not have the bodies to execute that game plan on Sunday, especially with Pickens serving as Dallas’ No. 2 wideout in 2025.

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How much can Dallas’ defense fix in a week? The Cowboys’ defensive issues are twofold. One is a health/depth problem. All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland (foot) is out for the second consecutive week, which is forcing Trevon Diggs — who isn’t fully healthy after an offseason knee procedure in January — to play a full-time starter’s workload (59 defensive snaps in Week 2 vs. the Giants). It’s also forcing 2024 undrafted cornerback Reddy Steward, who has under 70 career defensive snaps played to his name, to have a major role as the Cowboys’ starting nickel corner. Miscommunication was blamed by Schottenheimer, Eberflus, Diggs and starting outside cornerback Kaiir Elam as a major reason for allowing seven explosive pass plays to the 36-year-old version of Russell Wilson in Week 2.

With Bland still out, it may be worth Eberflus’ while to blitz a little more in Week 3 against Caleb Williams. Eberflus clearly doesn’t have the personnel to run a lot of man coverage right now, which is why Dallas plays zone at the highest rate (87.4%) in the league and man (4.7%) at the lowest rate in the league. The Cowboys have only blitzed on 16.7% of opponent dropbacks, the fifth-lowest rate in the NFL entering Week 3. Heating up Williams will be key to Dallas being able to come away with a victory, and scheming up the pressure may be the Cowboys’ best course of action given their current roster situation.

Cowboys vs. Bears prediction, pick

This game could devolve into an offensive fireworks show similar to the Cowboys’ 40-37 overtime win over the Giants in Week 2. Both teams have depleted defenses, and offenses with dynamic wide receivers — Lamb and Pickens for Dallas and DJ Moore and Rome Odunze for Chicago. The difference in the outcome of this game will come down to quarterback and offensive line play, and the Cowboys have the edge with Prescott at quarterback and a younger, more athletic offensive front line.  Pick: Cowboys, 38-24