10 Takeaways From The Cowboys Victory Over The Bears

Welcome to life above .500, it sure is nice isn’t it?

Hopefully you’re enjoying your day, it is #VictoryPoloMonday after all, as you celebrate our Dallas Cowboys beating the Chicago Bears 31-17 in Week 3’s Sunday Night Football affair.

There’s a lot to be gleaned from this two-touchdown dominating performance, and that’s why we’re here. That’s why we lift all them weights. Here are my 10 Takeaways from the Cowboys win over the Bears.

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Dak Prescott Is For Real

19/24 for 248 yards and a touchdown – Dak’s first passing one in his NFL career – isn’t exactly a stat line that’s cause for celebration. To understand how great Dak Prescott has been quarterbacking the Cowboys requires that one understand a few things.

First you need to understand the purgatory this team has faced both historically and as recently as last season when it comes to the team’s secondary signal-caller. Dak’s performance gives Cowboys Nation hope, a rarity at backup QB.

What’s most obvious about Dak’s gameplay is the – we’ve used this word a lot lately – poise he possesses. Dak has demonstrated a sense of calmness this season, and especially during the Bears win, that isn’t even present in some veterans. Dak handled the bright lights of Sunday Night Football incredibly well, and he looked phenomenal doing so.

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Ezekiel Elliott Is Who We Thought He Was

ZEEEEEEKE!

The team’s most visible rookie outside of Dak Prescott, oh only Ezekiel Elliott, faced some criticism after a pair of fumbles in Washington last week. Zeke responded by carrying the ball 30 times, a sign the Coaching Staff trusts him completely, to the tune of 140 yards.

Zeke is a physical runner who got stronger as the game progressed. He looked to make big plays in moments that allowed them, and he was unstoppable for the Chicago Defense. Zeke is totally and completely as advertised – a game-changing player.

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Cole Beasley Has Been This Team’s Best Wide Receiver So Far

The tallest personality on the field when the Cowboys are on offense might be 5’8″ Cole Beasley.

“Beastly” as Cowboys Twitter knows him, is Dak Prescott’s favorite weapon. He’s a chain mover, he helped convert three first downs, and he’s as scrappy as they come (he responded well after a big pop early in the game). Cole led the team in catches during the Bears game with seven, but the energy he gave the offense is unmatched.

Dez Bryant is Dez Bryant and that doesn’t mean that Cole Beasley is better. What is true though is that through three games it has been Cole Beasley who has injected this unit with the appropriate juice to get them going when they needed it most.

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Jason Witten’s Age Is Showing 

For so long Jason Witten has played his backups (players like Anthony Fasano, John Phillips, and Martellus Bennett) out of jobs and shipped them elsewhere where they’ve found success. In 2016… the Cowboys depth at Tight End has actually been used.

This alone is a glaring indication that Witten isn’t who he used to be, and that’s perfectly fine. Jason Witten is still legendary and makes phenomenal plays, they just don’t happen as often as they used to. His abilities in the run block game seem to have dwindled, and more than anything we should appreciate what he used to be while being grateful for players like Geoff Swaim.

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The Best Free Agent Signing By The Cowboys Might Have Been Alfred Morris

During the NBC Broadcast Cris Collinsworth said that the Cowboys are looking to put Zeke on ice every third series this season, and that means that the third series is when Alfred Morris – The Butler – gets to come in and shine.

The ability to keep Zeke fresh is a luxury that most teams wouldn’t have, but because the Cowboys brilliantly stole Alfred Morris back in March they can. And that’s a great thing.

Keep in mind that it was Alfred, Dak, and Lance Dunbar that allotted for the rushing touchdowns belonging to Dallas in this game, Ezekiel Elliott didn’t have a single one. The different areas where this team can dominate on the ground are going to pay off massively as the season continues to progress.

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Morris Claiborne Is This Team’s Best Cornerback

All offseason long we sang songs of Orlando Scandrick’s return and how him eliminating receivers was a foregone conclusion. I hate to break it to you, but Orlando Scandrick has not been very good in 2016.

Brandon Carr continues to truck along as a mediocre corner, far more of a great thing than it sounds, but Morris Claiborne is the Dallas DB who is really making a leap. Mo is beginning to show flashes of the player the Cowboys thought they saw when they traded up to draft the LSU standout in 2012. Mo has been playing with aggression, tenacity, and wisdom that only comes with experience. We are very fortunate to have him.

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The Cowboys Defensive Line Has A Star

It’s so easy to fall in love with Defensive Ends in the NFL because they’re the guys who rack up the sacks and make all the fancy plays. Sometimes you can fall in love with boring, and that’s sort of what Terrell McClain is in terms of greatness.

T-Mac has been an absolute force along the middle of the Cowboys Defensive Line, and he has consistently generated pressure for opposing quarterbacks. Granted this wasn’t the world’s finest quarterback – I’m sure Brian Hoyer is a nice person – but Terrell was all up in his business.

This is a great sign for the Cowboys as their defensive line is undoubtedly their achilles heel. Seeing McClain deal it out versus Chicago gives us a lot of hope.

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Maliek Collins Was A Great Draft Pick

When the Cowboys took Maliek Collins in the third round (67th Overall) of the 2016 Draft, many people scratched their heads. When Maliek was injured in early June things really felt terrible about the selection.

Cowboys Nation has felt incredible when watching Maliek Collins play. He and McClain have made a great duo along the defensive line, Collins was even credited with a tackle for loss, and he’s allowed the Cowboys to be more flexible with players like the Crawfords. This is a great find and fantastic point of optimism that Maliek played so well as Dallas will need that talent moving forward.

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Dan Bailey Is Not Perfect

The weirdest thing that happened against the Bears could very well have been that Dan Bailey missed a field goal.

This was the first time a ball kicked by Dan Bailey in an effort to gain three points did not sail through the uprights since November 15th last season when the Cowboys lost in Tampa Bay. It’s so rare that it actually explains the recent drop in temperature in the Texas area.

The Cowboys are incredibly fortunate to have the point of consistency that they do in Dan Bailey. He is so amazingly consistent that when he shows the smallest sign of humanity it causes alarm, but he’ll be back. He always is.

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Coach Jason Garrett Is Not Here To Punt

Last week here at Inside The Star we talked about Jason Garrett’s newfound disposition of boldness. This suspected mantra was proven to be accurate when, on the Cowboys first offensive possession, Coach Garrett chose to go for it on 4th and 1 (which he ended up getting).

A wave of criticism for Coach Garrett’s unsuccessful challenge on a Jason Witten non-touchdown surfaced immediately in the Twitterverse, and I don’t think that’s fair.

For so long the thing we’ve begged, pleaded, and shouted for was a Jason Garrett unafraid of risk. It seems like, thankfully, we are closer to that than we ever thought possible. It’s time to stop expecting perfection and be content with what we’ve wanted all along.

Bravo, Jason Garrett. Bravo.

What were your takeaways from the Cowboys victory over the Bears? Let us know! Comment below, Email me at RJ@RJOchoaShow.com, or Tweet to me at @RJOchoa!