Cowboys hold off Bears comeback bid in 41-28 win

It was a lot closer than it should have been, but it was a win the Dallas Cowboys had to have.

Dallas led 35-7 late in the 3rd quarter and hung on to beat the Chicago Bears 41-28. The Cowboys improve to 6-0 on the road and 9-4 for the season. More importantly, they won't be 8-8 for the fourth year in a row.

DeMarco Murray had his highest rushing total of the season a week after having his lowest. Murray ran for 179 yards on 32 carries and added a career-high nine receptions for another 49 yards. He also scored the Cowboys' first touchdown.

The Cowboys smallest player also came up big: Cole Beasley made three catches, two of them for scores and the other one set up DeMarco Murray's one-yard touchdown run. Beasley came into the game with three career touchdown receptions in three years; he now has five.

Tony Romo had a great game after playing one of his worst against Philadelphia. Romo was 21-26 passing for 205 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. His quarterback rating was 138.

This game was tight in the first half. The first score of the game came early in the second quarter on Murray's touchdown run on a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line.

The Bears tied the game a few minutes later on a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jay Cutler to former Cowboys tight end Martellus Bennett. It was 7-7 with 6:13 left in the second quarter.

Beasley caught his first touchdown pass with eight seconds left in the first half - a 13-yarder - and then got his second just two-and-a-half minutes into the third quarter, a 24-yarder. The Cowboys led 21-7.

That was the start of a dominating third quarter.

Tony Romo hooked up with Gavin Escobar on a six-yard score; it was Romo's third touchdown pass in his last four attempts. Near the end of the third quarter, Joseph Randle scored on a 17-yard run, two plays after Murray had ripped off a 27-yard gain deep into Bears territory. That made it 35-7 Cowboys.

But the Bears scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, their last coming with 6:09 left to cut the lead to 38-28. A short Dan Bailey field goal and an interception in the end zone by Orlando Scandrick clinched the win for the Cowboys.

Dallas has a few days off before their next game, a big one in Philadelphia against the NFC East division leaders.