ARLINGTON, Texas — The Bears had pulled as close as they would all Sunday afternoon, trailing the Cowboys 28-23 at AT&T Stadium, when Justin Fields lined up in the shotgun on a two-point conversion try.
He took the snap, faked a handoff, looked left and was planted into the ground by DeMarcus Lawrence. Fields never saw him — and neither did a single Bears blocker. The two-time Pro Bowl defensive end sprinted unchecked and hammered Fields into the turf. The quarterback was supposed to hand the ball off on a read-option up the middle, but didn’t.
The Bears would get no closer, losing 49-29 behind a defense that offered little resistance.
It was that kind of day for Fields, who was battered by an elite Cowboys defense and still managed 29 points behind a run-heavy offense that featured some deep shots. The day could have been much worse, too — Fields had an interception wiped out at the end of the first half because of a roughing the passer penalty and, on the next play, hit receiver N’Keal Harry on a 17-yard crossing route for a touchdown.
Bears coaches and teammates praise Fields’ toughness. He needed it behind an offensive line that featured not a single projected starter from the first day of training camp. In the second quarter, Fields even went into the blue injury tent, though he didn’t miss a snap.
Fields went 17-for-23 for 151 yards, two touchdowns and a 120 passer rating, running eight times for 60 yards and another score. He was sacked four times and removed with the Bears down 20 in the final few minutes of the game.
The Bears’ rushing offense, as efficient as it may be, was not built to chase. They were forced to Sunday after the Bears defense gave up touchdowns to the Cowboys on their first four possessions. They hadn’t scored four times on their first four drives in almost eight years.
On the fifth one, Eddie Jackson intercepted a pass with 40 seconds left in the first half. That pulled the Bears within 10 points, a lead they’d shrink to five on Khalil Herbert’s 12-yard run about five minutes into the second half.
That’s not nearly good enough, though. Sunday’s loss to the Cowboys is a wakeup call after Monday’s upset of the Patriots. Against good teams, the Bears are still overmatched.
The Bears entered Sunday’s game having allowed just 35 second-half points all year. They gave up 21 on Sunday, though only 14 were the defense’s fault. All-world linebacker Micah Parsons returned a David Montgomery fumble 36 yards for a touchdown with five minutes left in the third quarter, falling to the ground and getting up only after Fields leapt over him — and didn’t touch him.
Pollard took care of the rest, running 14 times for 131 yards and three touchdowns. Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott added two scores of his own, completing 21-of-27 passes for 250 yards.
