Bears Could Be In for a Big Challenge vs. Murray, Cowboys

The Dallas RB has had three bounceback weeks after midseason slump

If there is one thing that is defining the season for the 2013 Chicago Bears, it isn’t their stellar offense, but rather their abysmally bad run defense.

Yes, that defense has not been helped by a slew of injuries to key guys like Henry Melton (torn ACL), Nate Collins (torn ACL), Stephen Paea (turf toe), Lance Briggs (shoulder injury), and DJ Williams (torn ACL), but there is still something fundamentally wrong with a run defense that has given up 1,843 yards on the ground in just 12 games. That is far and away the worst number in the NFL, as is the 5.0 yards per carry that the Bears are allowing this season.

The Bears have gone up against some dynamic running backs this season, like Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy (150 yards) and Detroit’s Reggie Bush (139 yards), but they have also allowed some huge days to some guys who aren’t in the NFL elite. Brandon Jacobs emerged from NFL obscurity in Week 6 as he rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns against the Bears, while Zac Stacy and Benny Cunningham combined for 196 yards and two scores as the Rams knocked off the Bears a few weeks ago in St. Louis.

That brings us to this week, where the Bears will face off against Dallas Cowboys running back Demarco Murray. His season numbers are very respectable so far, averaging 4.9 yards per carry and racking up nearly 700 yards for Dallas this season, but he really hasn’t had any elite-level games other than his dynamic Week 3 performance against the Rams where he rushed for 175 yards and a score in the Cowboys’ 31-7 victory.

Despite not having many top-shelf performances this season, the Bears still have plenty of reasons to be concerned on Monday night. Murray had a couple of off weeks at the beginning of November, but in his last three games, he came back with a vengeance, rushing for 238 yards and four touchdowns, including three scores against the Oakland Raiders on Thanksgiving.

He is also getting more involved with the Cowboys’ passing attack, catching five passes for 39 yards in that game against Oakland.

Factor in the forecasted weather on Monday night, with windy and freezing cold conditions likely at Soldier Field, and it would seem pretty obvious that the Cowboys are going to try to run the ball early and often to take advantage of the conditions. The Bears could obviously try to stack the box against Murray to prevent him from getting open space to run in, but that isn’t all that good of an option considering the arm that Tony Romo has, and the offensive weapons in Dez Bryant and Jason Witten that can turn one-on-one matchups into a nightmare for the defense.

So could we see another huge outing from a running back against the Bears? Guys like Jeremiah Ratliff will be hellbent on preventing that, but despite their best efforts, it looks like conditions and the improving Dallas run game could spell doom for Chicago on Monday.

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