OFFICIAL GDT - Cowboys vs Bears!!!

[Underdog]

Cowboys vs. Bears
Cowboys Trying To Rebound From Opening Loss

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GAME SET
WHAT: Dallas Cowboys (0-1) vs. Chicago Bears (1-0)
WHEN: Sunday, noon (CT)
WHERE: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
TELEVISION: FOX (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Pam Oliver)

BIG ISSUE: Five days have passed since the Cowboys fell to the Redskins in heartbreaking fashion, and it seems like just now the football world is getting over the loss. Quarterback Tony Romo said he's moved on. And so did head coach Wade Phillips. But still, the only way Dallas and its fans can truly put last Sunday's defeat in the rearview mirror is with a win in the team's home opener.

Unlike the Cowboys, the Bears are undefeated. And they somehow found a way to avoid a heartbreaker last Sunday when they got a Calvin Johnson last-minute touchdown catch overturned. But this weekend, what happened in Week 1 doesn't matter. The Bears still have issues on the offensive line and still have a quarterback who led the league in interceptions last season. They'll head into Sunday's game looking to prove they're actually a contender.

NUMBERS, PLEASE: The Cowboys have a shipload of Pro Bowlers, playmakers and ball hawkers on their defense, but they can never seemingly get that one turnover when they need it the most. Last season they only tallied 11 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries on defense, combining for 21 takeaways, the 27th-most in the league. On Sunday against the Redskins, they did get one interception, but, of course, it was wiped out because of a penalty. So the 2010 Cowboys head into Week 2 with zero takeaways.

Luckily for the Cowboys, they get to face Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, one of the most turnover-prone players in the NFL. Cutler threw a pick last weekend against the Lions. Last season, he threw a league-high 26. He also had a fumble against Detroit, and had nine last season as well. If the Cowboys can't find a way to make Cutler turn the football over, they might not be able to make anybody turn over the ball.

ONE-ON-ONE: The matchups everybody will be following on Sunday will of course be Bears defensive ends Julius Peppers and Mark Anderson against Cowboys tackles Doug Free and Marc Colombo. But looking closer at the Bears defense, Jason Witten against the Bears linebackers is the one-on-one to watch for. The Lions didn't exactly light up the Bears on Sunday - they only compiled 168 yards - but tight ends Tony Scheffler and Brandon Pettigrew combined for seven catches and 49 yards. If the Bears choose to leave the middle of the field open this Sunday, Witten could have one of his trademark monster games.

Since his rookie season when he posted 1,238 rushing yards, Bears running back Matt Forte has not been a very good running back. Last year, he carried the ball 258 times for 929 yards (3.6 yards per carry). Against the Lions last week, he carried the ball 17 times for 50 yards (2.9 yards per carry). However, he's been a fantastic receiving back for the Bears. The Lions had no answer for Forte out of the backfield last week; he posted 151 yards and two touchdowns on seven catches. One of the Cowboys linebackers or safeties is going to have to keep a close eye on him out of the backfield if they want to avoid that same stat line.

SUPPORTING ROLE: If people had been able to get past all the pandemonium and hoopla that surrounded last weekend's wild finish against the Redskins, they would have seen how well the Cowboys actually ran the ball against Washington. On 22 carries, the Cowboys rushed for 103 yards, a 4.7 average. But with starting fullback Deon Anderson expected to miss this weekend's game with a knee injury, the Cowboys will turn to fullback Chris Gronkowski to pave the way for running backs in the hole.

Bears kicker Robbie Gould won't throw, catch or run for any touchdowns against the Cowboys, but he'll certainly be a factor. It would've taken eight points to beat the Cowboys last week. That's just three Gould field goals - and he's very good at making those. Last season, Gould made 24 of his 28 attempts. Against the Lions on Sunday, he was 2-for-2. He's also a good kickoff man, posting one touchback in Week 1.

HEADSET GAMES: Everything is going to be about protecting the quarterback this week. Marc Colombo and Kyle Kosier are expected to return to the starting lineup, but nobody knows how effective they'll be after sitting out a month with knee injuries. So the Cowboys are going to have to get creative when trying to block Peppers and Anderson for 60 minutes on Sunday. Phillips said he'd like to rotate in guard Montrae Holland and tackle Alex Barron, and one would have to imagine tight ends and backs will stay in to help some against a Bears' pass rush that recorded two sacks against the Lions.

The Bears, meanwhile, will have the same problem as the Cowboys. Their offensive line gave up four sacks last week to a Detroit defense that doesn't have DeMarcus Ware or Anthony Spencer. They'll have to keep in a tight end or running back if they want to keep Cutler upright, or that could mean leaving receiving dynamo Forte in the backfield.

HEALTH WATCH:

Cowboys
Out: FB Deon Anderson (knee), LB Sean Lee (hamstring), OT Sam Young (knee)
Probable: LB DeMarcus Ware (head), OT Marc Colombo (knee), G Kyle Kosier (knee).

Bears
Out:LB Hunter Hillenmeyer (head-injured reserve)
Questionable: LB Nick Roach (hamstring)
Probable: LB Lance Briggs (ankle)