Dallas Cowboys vs. Chicago Bears 2019: Prediction Against The Spread, Odds For Thursday Night Game

The statistics heading into Week 14 of the 2019 NFL season indicate that the Dallas Cowboys have one of the league’s best offenses. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, and it should be evident during the upcoming “Thursday Night Football” matchup.

Dallas kicks off the Week 14 schedule with a road game against the Chicago Bears. Both teams have a .500 record, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the betting line.

According to OddsShark, the Cowboys are three-point favorites at Soldier Field. Thursday’s total is 43.

With just one-quarter of the regular season remaining, Dallas sits in first place in the NFC East with the NFL’s No.1 ranked offense. Chicago is in third place in the NFC North with the league’s No.29 offense. The Bears are a long shot to earn a wild-card berth.

But there isn’t much separation between the two teams, who have both proven to be no better than average.

The Cowboys lead the NFL in total yards and yards per play, having taken advantage of the weakest part of their schedule. Dallas is 6-1 against teams that are below .500, scoring more than 30 points in every victory.

The way the Cowboys have struggled against winning teams is well-documented. With a 26-15 loss at home to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving, Dallas dropped to 0-5 against teams above .500.

The Bears don’t have a winning record, but they are built to give the Cowboys problems.

Chicago defeated the Detroit Lions 24-20 shortly before Dallas’ Week 13 contest began. It marked the fourth consecutive game in which the Bears surrendered 20 points or fewer.

The Bears rank fourth in scoring defense. Chicago is seventh in both total yards allowed and opponents’ yards per play. While the Bears’ defense isn’t the dominant unit it was a year ago, it still ranks among the league’s best.

Of the three teams that have surrendered fewer points than Chicago, two have beaten Dallas. The Cowboys are 0-6 against teams that rank better than 20th in scoring defense.

Dak Prescott leads the NFL with 3,788 passing yards. He has two touchdown passes, three interceptions and an average passer rating of 80.8 in four games against top-10 defenses.

Dallas has averaged 14 points per game in their four matchups with teams that rank in the top 10 in opponents’ yards per play.

Two touchdowns might very well be enough to defeat the Bears. Chicago’s offense hasn’t produced more than 24 points all season long.

The Bears’ offense matched its season-high on Thanksgiving when Mitchell Trubisky had one of his best games of the season. The quarterback threw for a season-high 338 yards to go along with three touchdown passes and an interception.

The Cowboys’ defense hasn’t been impressive in recent weeks. Three of Dallas’ last four opponents have scored at least 26 points.

Bad in-game coaching decisions and poor field-goal kicking have contributed to the Cowboys’ struggles. There’s a good chance at least one of those issues will rear its ugly head Thursday night.

You can’t trust Dallas on the road against a good defense, making this an easy pick with the Cowboys laying a field goal in Chicago.

Prediction: Chicago over Dallas, 20-19