The Bears will look to snap a two-game losing streak and grab a share of first place in the NFC North Monday night when they host the Cowboys at frigid Soldier Field.
Despite losing six of nine since opening 3-0, the Bears (6-6) are only a half-game behind the Lions (7-6), who lost to the Eagles 34-20 in blizzard conditions Sunday in Philadelphia.
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| Quarterback Josh McCown will make his fourth straight start Monday night against the Cowboys. |
Quarterback Josh McCown will make his fourth straight start and fifth of the season. He has excelled in place of the injured Jay Cutler over the last six games, completing 65.2 percent of his passes for 1,461 yards with nine touchdowns, one interception and a 103.6 passer rating.
In last Sunday's 23-20 overtime loss to the Vikings, McCown connected on 23 of 36 passes for a season-high 355 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a 114.9 passer rating.
The Bears boast one of the NFL's top receiving tandems in Brandon Marshall (78 receptions for 990 yards and nine TDs) and Alshon Jeffery (70-1,109-5), who have combined for 1,805 yards, the most by any duo in the league entering the weekend.
Jeffery broke his own Bears single-game record last Sunday in Minnesota by compiling 249 yards on 12 receptions, including touchdowns of 80 and 46 yards. He is the first receiver in franchise history to post two 200-yard games, having amassed 218 yards in a Week 5 loss to the Saints.
The Cowboys (7-5) are tied for first place in the NFC East with the Eagles (7-5) after winning two straight games following their bye week. Like the Bears, the Cowboys have struggled on defense this season, ranking last in the NFL in total yards.
The Dallas offense is led by quarterback Tony Romo, who has completed 285 of 440 passes for 3,140 yards with 24 TDs, seven interceptions and a 97.3 passer rating.
After allowing an average of 102 yards in the first six games this season, the Bears run defense has yielded an average of 205 yards in the last six contests, including 246 against the Vikings and a season-high 258 the previous Sunday versus the Rams.
The Bears trail the all-time series with the Cowboys 13-10 but have won two straight, both in Dallas. The teams have split eight all-time match-ups at Soldier Field.
The Bears won the last meeting 34-18 at Cowboys Stadium on Oct. 1, 2012, also on Monday Night Football. The Chicago defense intercepted five Romo passes, returning two for touchdowns, while Cutler threw for 275 yards and two TDs and Marshall caught seven passes for 138 yards.
