Dallas quarterback Tony Romo picked apart the Chicago defense as the Cowboys maintained their perfect record on the road this season with a 41-28 victory over the Bears on Thursday.
Romo’s performance was made all the more remarkable by the fact that he is playing through the pain of broken ribs, as well as fractures in his back. “It’ll be nice when it’s just about the back improving instead of all the other little junk,” he said in a postgame interview.
The win took the Cowboys to 6-0 away from home this season as Dallas remained the only team undefeated on their travels.
Romo tossed three touchdown passes to build a commanding 35-7 lead by the end of three quarters, while running back DeMarco Murray produced 179 yards in rushing and capped his dominant display with a touchdown. Murray, who leads the NFL in rushing, also made nine catches for 49 yards.
“He did a good job being persistent,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told reporters of Murray’s exploits. “Like a lot of great backs, he gets better the more he touches the ball.”
Dallas (9-4) clinched their first winning season in five years and now trail the first-place Philadelphia Eagles by a half-game in the NFC East. They face a critical rematch with the Eagles on 14 December when Dallas will be seeking revenge after Philadelphia handed the Cowboys a 33-10 thrashing on Thanksgiving.
Chicago (5-8) scored 21 points in the final quarter, but the final result flattered the home side as the game had been decided long before their late flurry. Making matters worse, the Bears lost star receiver Brandon Marshall to a rib injury in the second quarter. He did not return.
The Cowboys led 14-7 at halftime but blew the game open with 21 unanswered points in the third. In the fourth quarter, Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler finally broke loose by throwing a 27-yard touchdown pass to Alshon Jeffery and rushed for another himself. However, he threw an interception on Chicago’s final possession to end their hopes of another scoring drive.
Bears running back Matt Forte had a touchdown but managed just 26 yards rushing, giving him a combined 32 yards on the ground in his last two games. “We’re making too many mistakes, too many penalties in all three phases, certainly tonight, which debilitated us,” Bears coach Marc Trestman admitted.
