Neither Jay Cutler nor Tony Romo have had particular great starts to the 2012 NFL season. But at the same time, both the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys sit at 2-1 on the season going into their Week 4 Monday Night Football showing.
So what can we expect to see in this one?
Well, it could very well come down to the team which makes the fewest mistakes on the offensive side of the ball.
Cutler already has twice as many interceptions as he does touchdown passes through three games of the season, sitting a three TDs to six INTs. That is a stat that quarterbacks and teams won’t survive. The good thing is that Chicago knows what the problem is. The bad thing is that the Bears still can’t seem to protect cutler very well, combined with the fact that he makes throws and decisions that make you say huh?
But make no mistake, Romo hasn’t been lighting up the scoreboard either.
After tossing three touchdown passes in the season opener against the Giants, Romo has thrown just one touchdown to two interceptions over the course of the last two games. The Cowboys split those two matchups, but the offense didn’t know produce much. The game against the Seahawks was won by the defense.
Obviously the focus will be on the quarterbacks’ decision making, but to make things easier, establishing a run game early will be important. For Chicago, Matt forte is still questionable with his ankle injury. the Bears will need him to go and be productive. For Dallas, DeMarco Murray is averaging just over four yards per carry.
Dallas has been set as the favorites in the game, getting the matchup at home. But oddsmakers have not set the line very far apart, and frankly if Chicago was at home we would probably see them set as the favorites.
This is a pivotal game for both teams. It’s not a division game, but both Chicago and Dallas are predicted to challenge for a postseason berth, and the winner of this one will have the inside track over the other.
It should be a fun and entertaining match up, with the potential for either quarterback to wake up and start playing the type of football that they are capable of.