COWBOYS EDGE BEARS

COWBOYS EDGE BEARS IN LOW-SCORING DEFENSIVE STRUGGLE

Well, folks, this one was about as close as they come in Scheme League football. Both teams came to play defensively, and it showed on the scoreboard – a 24-21 final that came down to execution in the clutch. The Cowboys found a way to get three more points than the Bears, and in a game like this where the offenses were clearly struggling to find rhythm, those three points might as well have been the difference between a championship and a rebuilding year.

What we saw here was two defensive schemes that were operating at a high level. When you're looking at a game with this kind of total yardage, it tells you that both coordinators came in with a plan and both offenses had a hard time adjusting. The Cowboys managed to push across 24 points, and the Bears got to 21 – that's a chess match, not a track meet. This is the kind of game where your adjustments in the second half matter. Whoever made the right tweaks on offense, whoever kept their defense fresh and executing – that's who won this football game.

The real lesson here for both teams moving forward? When you're in a game like this, you've got to stay patient and trust your scheme. The Cowboys showed more poise down the stretch, and that's why they're walking out of Chicago with a W. The Bears have to look in the mirror and ask themselves what adjustments they should've made earlier in the game.