The Dallas Cowboys fell to the Chicago Bears 31-14 in Week 3 and are now 1-2 to open the 2025 NFL regular season.
Chicago opened the game strong and quickly cruised to a 24-14 lead before adding one more touchdown in the second half of the game, with Dallas failing to find a rhythm on either side of the ball in the loss.
This type of game often provides little insight into how an NFL team will perform in future weeks, but the Cowboys’ Week 3 loss can actually help in that exact category.
Here are three key takeaways from the Cowboys’ second loss of the season.
Another Disastrous Defensive Showing
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones spent the past few weeks justifying the Micah Parsons trade by claiming that the defensive unit has actually improved since his departure.
These claims are unequivocally false.
The good news for this defense is that the run defense has improved significantly; however, this improvement has clearly come at the expense of the team’s passing defense.
Dallas currently ranks 18th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, which is a significant improvement from the 29th overall ranking the team finished with last season.
While this rushing defense is an improvement, the passing defense has become one of the worst groups in the entire NFL.
The Cowboys’ defense also ranks dead last in the NFL in passing yards allowed, with opposing quarterbacks collecting a total of 900 passing yards through the first three weeks of the season.
Additionally, the Cowboys have allowed the second-most passing touchdowns in the NFL and by far the most passing plays of 40 yards or longer, with six.
To make matters worse, the Cowboys have played multiple offensive units that have struggled to produce points against more competent defenses.
Dallas allowed Russell Wilson and the New York Giants to pass for 422 yards and three touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Giants have scored just one singular touchdown across their other two games.
Similarly, the Bears finished this Week 3 game with 31 points, 298 passing yards, and four passing touchdowns.
This game marked the first time the Bears have scored over 30 points this season and the first time in his career that quarterback Caleb Williams finished a game with four passing touchdowns and zero interceptions.
While the Cowboys’ defense has room to grow throughout the season as players return from injuries, this unit will never become a group that can be relied upon to help Dallas win meaningful games.
Offensive Line Continues Solid Play
The Cowboys have dealt with major concerns along the offensive line to open the season, due to a combination of both youth and injuries that have plagued the team.
Although the Bears’ defensive line does not pose a major challenge, the Cowboys’ unit once again performed well despite a negative gameplay script.
Dallas was forced to throw the ball very early in the game due to the defense’s inability to get a stop, meaning the offense was not able to find a consistent rhythm running the ball early in the matchup.
The Cowboys gave up just two sacks in this matchup and frequently presented quarterback Dak Prescott with time to work through his progressions despite an aggressive defensive coordinator on the other side of the field.
Overall, this season, the Cowboys’ offensive line has allowed just five sacks, resulting in a loss of 35 total yards.
This most recent performance also came despite the Cowboys missing starting center Cooper Beebe, who is expected to miss another five to seven weeks due to a high ankle sprain.
Instead, Brock Hoffman stepped into his role and quickly performed well despite little experience in meaningful games.
While this offensive line is unlikely to become one of the best in the league this season, there is potential for this group following solid performances to open the year.
Injuries Could Once Again End Promising Season
The Cowboys opened the season with an impressive performance against the Eagles despite walking away with a loss, with many envisioning a competitive football team that could make a run to the postseason.
However, the season has quickly turned since the end of that game.
Dallas managed to collect an exciting, yet somewhat disappointing overtime victory against the Giants and followed that with a loss to the Bears.
This rollercoaster start to the season comes as the team once again deals with a plethora of injuries, which is a trend that has been taking place over the past few seasons for this team.
The injuries have had a significant impact on the defensive side of the ball to start the season, as the Cowboys’ defense has quickly become one of the worst units in the entire NFL.
Entering Week 3, the biggest injury Dallas was dealing with was suffered by cornerback Daron Bland, who has now missed the past two games due to a foot injury.
However, Dallas was also without cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. and linebacker Demarvion Overshown, who were expected to be impactful pieces on this team and will now have to find their way onto the field beginning at some point midseason.
Additionally, cornerback Trevon Diggs left the Week 3 matchup early with a shoulder injury, and defensive tackle Kenny Clark left early with an ankle injury; no significant updates have been provided on either player at this time.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Cowboys had been relatively healthy entering Week 3.
As previously mentioned, Beebe was the biggest injury leading into this matchup, and Hoffman performed well in his absence. However, an eventual return will provide a major boost to this offensive line.
However, wide receiver Ceedee Lamb suffered an ankle injury against the Bears, with the superstar attempting to make a return on the field before being ruled out later in the game.
Lamb missing time would be a major blow to the Cowboys’ offense, as the wide receiver is one of the best pass catchers in the entire league and leads the Cowboys in total receiving yards.
Without Lamb, the Cowboys would go from one of the best pass-catching groups in the league to roughly average, which would be a devastating blow to a team that cannot rely on its defense to help carry it to wins.
Moving forward, the Cowboys must find a way to stay healthy if they are to turn this season around.