The Dallas Cowboys traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears in Week 3 of the 2025 season. With the game scheduled early in the year, Dallas thought they caught a break in both weather and in the preparedness level of the hometown team.
The Bears were breaking in a new head coach this season. Ben Johnson, by way of Detroit, is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in the league. Getting to him early could’ve meant the Cowboys got to play his team before they’d fully mastered his playbook and all the tricks it entails. Avoiding Soldier Field in winter is obviously big but so is getting an early matchup against an offense still under construction.
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None of it mattered. None of the things the Cowboys should have
Cowboys must figure out zone coverages
It’s become glaringly apparent Matt Eberflus loves him some zone coverage. The Cowboys are league leaders in zone defense so it’s safe to say it’s not going away anytime soon. Unfortunately, this bend-but-don’t-break coverage has been both bending and breaking. Players have been seemingly miscast into roles, communication has been dismal, and assignment recognition has been hit or miss.
Eberflus isn’t teaching rocket science but the players on the field have noticeably struggled mentally. Dallas was 31st in EPA/dropback and 30th in success rate. Blown coverages have been staples and Chicago’s many downfield weapons were looking to feast. They succeeded.
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Mixing in more man coverages would be nice, and less transparent, but attacking Caleb Williams with mostly zone looks shouldn’t have been a bad idea. His ability to scramble tends to open up easy reads in man coverage so packing the secondary with zone should work in the Cowboys’ favor. Plus, Chicago has the second worst running game in the NFL, boasting a success rate of just 24.4%.
The Cowboys ran zone 86% of the time and gave up two touchdowns, but gave up another two passing scores while in man. Nothing was working because the pass rush managed just seven pressures and zero sacks. It was Williams’ first game where he avoided being taken down.
Embrace gap running scheme
The Dallas Cowboys were hellbent on improving their rushing effeicincy in 2025 and two weeks in it appears they’ve done just that. Dallas entered the game ninth in EPA/rush and first overall in rushing success rate. They’ve made their running game a legit weapon this season and it’s allowing the defense time on the sideline to rest and recharge.
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The scheme the Cowboys lean on most under Brian Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams is not so surprisingly inside zone. Inside zone allows them to lean on their two first round picks at guard while simultaneously playing to the strengths of their lead running back Javonte Williams. But the best course of action against Chicago might be a quick pivot to a gap scheme.
When reviewing the numbers at Sumer Sports, the Cowboys ranked fifth in the NFL with a 0.44 EPA on gap runs this season. Chicago ranks 31st defending such runs, allowing 0.57 EPA. While Chicago has the advantage in zone scheme runs, the Cowboys have the clear statistical advantage in gap schemes. This isn’t to say the Cowboys should completely commit to gap, just that an increase in usage deserves heavy consideration.
The problem on Sunday? An early fumble by Williams stunted the team’s first possession, and then they had to move away from the run game when the Bears opened up their second double-digit lead. Javonte Williams ended up averaging 7.8 yards a carry and consistently moved people; but after the loss of wideout CeeDee Lamb, the run game was rendered obsolete.
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Target intermediate to deep routes
The Cowboys had also seen a heavy advantage in downfield passing. Chicago had struggled in their secondary this season and ranked 32nd in intermediate EPA allowed and 27th in deep EPA allowed. Factoring in their various injuries at cornerback and Dallas had ample reason to spray CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens with shots downfield.
Yet they didn’t. They threw at the Bears only redeemable cornerback Tyrique Stevenson 10 times, completing just three passes. They only targeted Nahshon Wright and Nick McCloud 11 times, completing 10 of them.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys fail to take advantage of these major keys vs Bears, fall flat
