No Tony Romo, no problem.The Dallas Cowboys moved to 2-1 on the season with a decisive 31-17 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, and they have their rookie backfield to thank. Quarterback Dak Prescott spearheaded the offensive attack with 248 passing yards, 36 rushing yards and two total touchdowns, while running back Ezekiel Elliott added 140 rushing yards and 20 receiving yards.Perhaps most importantly, neither young playmaker turned the ball over in a game the Cowboys dictated from the first possession.Chicago quarterback Brian Hoyer was solid in Jay Cutler's place, tallying 317 passing yards and two scores, but the Bears rushing attack couldn't generate any momentum against Dallas' stringent front seven. Chicago managed just 73 yards on the ground, which wasn't enough to support Hoyer and a lackluster defensive performance.Tight end Zach Miller was one of the few bright spots for Chicago, scoring both of its touchdowns.The Cowboys wasted little time seizing the lead. Prescott directed a 10-play, 75-yard drive on the opening possession and capped it off with a one-yard touchdown run on a quarterback sneak. Dallas added a field goal the second time it had the ball to take control of the game.Elliott found plenty of holes early in the contest, and Todd Archer of ESPN.com noted the rookie was settling into a productive role after a couple of weeks:Dallas' dominance continued in the second quarter as Prescott connected with Cole Beasley for 29 yards. Lance Dunbar punched it in on the next play from the 1-yard line, and the extra point made it 17-0 in favor of the home team.It seemed as though the Bears had enough before the first half was over:Chicago seemed to build some momentum with a field goal and a surprise onside kick, but it was called for offside after recovering the loose ball.Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk thought it was a missed call by the official, and it proved costly for the Bears, as the Cowboys parlayed the gifted possession into another touchdown.Alfred Morris finished the drive with a three-yard score, and Dallas built a commanding 24-3 halftime advantage.Charean Williams of theFort Worth Star-Telegrampointed out the rushing attack was the key to Dallas' quick start: "The Cowboys have seven rushing touchdowns this season, including three tonight. They had eight last season."It wasn't all good news for Dallas, as Terrance Williams lost a fumble after a 47-yard gain early in the third quarter. In addition, Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan in Dallas noted the offensive line was playing short-handed after guardLa'el Collins suffered an injury:Chicago soon cut into Dallas' lead when Hoyer found Miller for a two-yard touchdown. It was the Bears' first offensive touchdown in the second half of a game this season, per Chris Emma of 670 The Score in Chicago.NFL Network shared a replay of the score:Just when it looked as though Chicago had some momentum following a defensive stop, Cameron Meredith lost a fumble. However, Dan Bailey missed a field goal that would have put Dallas ahead 27-10 on the ensuing possession, giving the Bears new life.However, they had to attempt a comeback without running back Jeremy Langford. whowas carted to the locker room, per Rich Campbell of theChicago Tribune.The team announced he suffered an ankle injury.The Bears didn't capitalize on Bailey's miss, and Elliott went over 100 rushing yards in a game for the first time in his career in dazzling fashion, as the NFL captured:Elliott's 100-yard effort wasn't the only first for the Cowboys in the fourth quarter. Prescott notched the first touchdown pass of his career with a strike to Dez Bryant with 9:02 remaining.It was also Bryant's first touchdown of the season:The Bears responded in too-little, too-late fashion with a 75-yard touchdown drive. Hoyer completed four straight passes to end the possession, three of which went to Alshon Jeffery and one of which went to Miller for his second touchdown of the game.Chicago's defense got the ball back for its offense, and Kevin White made a sensational one-handed catch, asSunday Night Footballpassed along:However, Hoyer fumbled it back to the Cowboys,ending any chance at a late charge for the visitors. He did get one more chance to add to the stat sheet, but his final pass near the goal line was knocked down as Dallas clinched the win. What's Next'The Bears will return home for their first divisional game of the season against the Detroit Lions on Oct. 2.The Lions are 1-2, but their two losses came by a combined eight points against the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers. Detroit and Chicago are each looking up at the 3-0 Minnesota Vikings and 2-1 Packers in the division and could use an NFC North win.The Cowboys will travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers. San Francisco is 1-2 on the season and is coming off two consecutive blowout losses to the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks, losing by 19 points in each of those contests. The Cowboys will have a golden opportunity to move to 3-1 on the campaign while Romo continues to recover from his back injury. Postgame ReactionPostgame discussion quickly turned to the health of some of the Cowboys' key players.According to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, Bryant underwent X-rays for his knee after injuring it early in the game. The Cowboys believe Bryant suffered a sprain, but he will have an MRI to confirm the extent of the injury. Owner Jerry Jones said, "Right now, we're fine with it."Collins will also have an MRI on Monday for his injured big toe, per Williams.On the bright side for Dallas, Elliott had his first head-turning game at the NFL level. After the win, he talked about hurdling over a Bears defender at one point, per Machota: "I kinda knew I was [gonna hurdle] the whole way. I had to put something on film so they don't keep trying to chop those legs."As for the Bears, head coach John Fox said, "It's not an excuse, but it is an excuse," when talking about his team's injuries, per Emma.Outside linebacker Willie Young discussed the lackluster start for his team, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times: "We're looking for it, man. We gotta do whatever we gotta do to find it. We have not found it. We have got to figure it out. And we better figure it out fastAin't no, 'We got a long season left.' No. We gotta figure this out like, yesterday."Offensive guard Kyle Long also talked about Chicago's struggles, per Finley: "I know people want to see a winwe'd love to see wins, too. But we haven't [put] together an entire game yet."The Bears are running out of time to do that if they're going to remain competitive this season.
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