The Chicago Bears suffered a 49-29 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, which was easily the defense’s worst outing of the season. And it wasn’t just bad, it was ugly.
Despite the shortcomings on a rebuilding roster, the defense had managed to play smart, disciplined football when it mattered, particularly in the second half. Until Sunday against Dallas, where they gave up 49 total points (nearly double their next-biggest total of 27 in Week 2) and had no answer for the Cowboys through the air or on the ground.
Buy Bears TicketsLinebacker Roquan Smith, who had an unimpressive outing with five tackles, called the defense’s performance “embarrassing” and noted they need to be more consistent.
“We just got to get better,” Smith said, via Chris Emma. “We got to take this one on the chin. Hats off to those guys. But we got to get better. It’s embarrassing on the defensive side.”
Chicago allowed 442 total yards of offense, including 200 rushing yards, and allowed Dallas to convert on 9-of-11 third downs. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on all four trips inside the red zone.
Safety Eddie Jackson, who had his fourth interception of the season in the loss, echoed Smith’s statement about the loss being embarrassing, per Matt Zahn. Jackson called it “frustrating” while noting the defense needs to be more consistent.
