The Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys met at Soldier Field in their NFL clash on Monday Night Football.
Both sides were pressing to keep their playoff hopes alive as they were both second in their respective divisions in the NFC.
However, despite a bright start from the Cowboys the Bears dominated from the middle of the first quarter as every time they got the ball they score in a huge win to boost their chances of securing the NFC North playoff spot.
Read how all the action unfolded in our commentary below.
Good morning and welcome to the live commentary of the NFL clash between the Chicago Bears and the Dallas Cowboys.
This is a crucial match for both sides as they look to reach the NFC playoffs, as they are poised just one game behind their rivals in their respective divisions.
The Bears have fallen away in recent weeks but still have a shot at winning the NFC North division as they are just one game behind the Detroit Lions although Jim Schwartz's side hold the tiebreaker over them.
Quarterback Jay Cutler is still out for the Bears so they will be lead by Josh McCown once again who has done a decent job filling in for Cutler even if the wins don't match up to his performances.
The 34-year-old has thrown nine touchdowns and one interception in six games since Cutler has been injured but his side have just won two of his six starts.
The Bears endured a frustrating overtime loss to the Minnesota Vikings last time out as Robbie Gould missed a field goal which allowed the Vikings to win the game. That should not take the shine of some brilliant individual performances from Matt Forte and Alshon Jeffery.
Jeffery broke the Bears' receiving yards record for a single game with 249 yards on 12 receptions and two touchdowns in the match while Forte ran for 120 yards. The Cowboys will have their work cut out for them today on defense.
The Bears defense has struggled of late especially with the run as injuries to their defensive line are starting to take hold as they have given up over 200 yards on the ground in each of their last three games.
The Cowboys and DeMarco Murray will be looking to exploit that weakness while they could also punish the Bears with a play-action game to get their talented receivers open, as after a fast start wideout Dez Bryant has struggled in recent weeks.
Dallas's defense has also been giving up a lot of yards recently without Pro-Bowl linebacker Sean Lee but he returns this evening to sure up the middle of the defense to stop the likes of Forte and Michael Bush taking advantage.
Tony Romo is having a career year this season as he has thrown over 24 touchdowns to just seven interceptions at a passer rating at 97.4. December is a month he traditionally struggles in but if he can keep up his level of performances he is more than capable of firing his team into the playoffs.
BEARS INACTIVES: Toupou, Washington, Brown, Scott, Cattouse, Briggs, Cutler.
COWBOYS INACTIVES: Claiborne, Durant, Hamilton, Lemon, Holloman, Brown, Weems.
Confirmation that the Bears are without Cutler this evening but linebacker Lance Briggs continues to be out by Jay Ratliff plays against his old club in his first game after being released by the Cowboys in October. Look for him on the defensive line.
The Cowboys will be without starting cornerback Morris Claiborne so Orlando Scandrick will move from nickelback to the outside in their base defense and will have a tough task facing either Brandon Marshall or Jeffery. As mentioned before the Dallas defense will be boosted massively by the return of Sean Lee at middle linebacker.
COIN TOSS RESULT: The Bears win the coin toss and they defer meaning the Cowboys and Romo will start the ball.
Harris returns the ball to the 25 where Romo will begin.
Murray gets the handoff and he powers over the middle of the field to move the chains with a 19-yard run right through the middle of the line to move his side to the 44-yard line.
Murray gets two more handoffs and he churns through the middle of the line for gains of five yards on first and seven more on second as the Bears can't bring him down before he speeds past the marker.
The Cowboys get a big first down pick up as Romo drops back on third and four and he can't find a target downfield so he checks down to Murray just in front of him and he moves the chains with a five yard reception.
Murray churns out a couple of yards on second after Austin made a grab of four yards on first leaving Romo with a third and three and he delivers for his side as he fires a strike to Beasley for a gain of 11 yards moving them to the Chicago 14.
Murray gets the handoff again as he speeds down the left sideline and evades all the tackles of the Bears defense before he finally gets shoved out of bounds at the one-yard line.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
The Cowboys take the lead as Romo fires a strike on a fade route to Bryant in one-on-one coverage on the outside and he makes the grab with ease to finish off an excellent opening drive from the visitors.
Hester returns the ball to the 22 where McCown and the Bears will start.
McCown gets the Bears moving immediately as he fires the ball to his tight end Bennett on a hitch route and he makes the grab to earn 1o yards before he gets brought down by Wilber.
The Bears make an excellent conversion on third and 10 as the Cowboys bring the blitz but the offensive line and Forte pick it up and allows McCown to drill the ball downfield for Jeffery to make the grab for a 15-yard reception.
McCown fires another short completion to Bennett and then hands the ball off to Forte on a sweep play and he cuts back on the left-hand side to get six yards on the carry to move the chains for his side.
Forte gets the handoff on a pitch this time and he cuts round the edge and finds a hole to sprint into and he finds 12 yards before he's brought down at the Dallas 26.
McCown drops back following a delay of game penalty that costs the Bears five yards but he gets all the yardage back as he fires to Marshall for 14 yards and on the next play Forte gets the handoff over the right side this time and moves his side to the four-yard line with a 13-yard run.
TOUCHDOWN BEARS!
The Bears strike back at the Cowboys as after two failed runs from Forte and Bush, McCown drops back in the pocket and drills a five-yard strike to Earl Bennett on a hitch route for the score to tie the game.
Harris gets drilled at the 15 by McManis and Romo will start from inside his own redzone.
Murray gets the handoff again for the Cowboys and he just plows right through the middle of the line once again making one good cut before he gets brought down for a 14-yard gain at the Dallas 30.
Murray gets stuffed at the line on a toss play and on second down he collects a swing pass from Romo for three yards, so Dallas will have third and seven at the start of the second quarter.
END OF FIRST QUARTER: Dallas Cowboys 7-7 Chicago Bears
SACK! Romo goes down as Anderson gets to him in the pocket and drops him for a nine-yard loss on third down forcing the punt from Jones, which goes out of bounds at the Chicago 35.
The Bears move the chains immediately as McCown fakes the handoff and then fires the ball short to Jeffery on the screen pass and he sprints to the marker for a gain of 11 yards at the Chicago 44.
Another good throw from McCown as he drills the ball to Marshall this time on the deep post route over the middle of the field and he makes the grab for the 20-yard reception to the Dallas 34.
The Bears receivers are having their way with the Cowboys defensive backs as they manage to convert on third and 14 after taking a seven-yard loss on first when Jeffery's endaround was sniffed out by the Dallas defense but McCown came back on third and drilled the ball to Marshall for a 15-yard gain to move the chains at the Dallas 20.
McCown uses his feet this time to pick up the first down as Ware nearly gets his from behind and he is forced to take off but he finds space on the left with a block from Marshall for a 10-yard run at the Dallas 10.
TOUCHDOWN BEARS!
The Bears take the lead as McCown drops back in the pocket on second and goal but he can't find an open receiver so he runs down the middle and jukes a defender before he leaps into the endzone for the seven-yard score. Excellent play from the quarterback.
Gould kicks the ball short and Clutts picks the ball up for the Cowboys and runs it back to their 31.
Romo fires deep downfield for his tight end Escobar and he makes the grab for 25 yards down the seam to move the chains a whole lot more to move his side to the Chicago 43.
Murray gets another handoff and again he finds space through the middle of the line to churn another 11 yards to move the the Chicago 32.
Murray gets another 14 yards and another first down as he powers down the right side of the line on first for six yards and then comes back through the middle of the line for eight more to move the Cowboys to the 18.
Murray gets two yards on first down but comes back with a seven-yarder through the middle of the line and then he cut back out to the right to move his side just one yard short of the first down marker, leaving third and one for his side at the Chicago 10.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
The Cowboys draw level as Romo fakes the handoff on third and one and drills the ball to Witten in the flat and he runs with the ball and powers through a couple of tackles to get into the endzone for the score.
Hester is taken down at the 23-yard line where McCown will start once again.
The Bears move the chains going through the air yet again as McCown fires the ball over the middle to Marshall who makes the grab for 10 yard after Bennett got seven on first, that moves the Bears to their 41.
Huge yardage gain by the Bears as McCown fires a deep strike to Jeffery which he somehow manages to haul in down the sideline under pressure from Jennings for a 26-yard reception and that turns into a 41-yard gain as Selvie is flagged for roughing the passer adding 15 yards as he went low at the quarterback.
The Bears get down to the Dallas five-yard line as McCown draws the rush onto him and then fires to his tight end Rosario who makes the catch and evades a couple of tackles for a 13-yard reception.
The Bears have a costly penalty on the five-yard line as a holding call on Garza drops the back 10 yards and that means they can't find the endzone as McCown is forced to checkdown to Forte for five yards on third and goal for a five-yard reception. That leaves Gould with a 27-yard field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Cowboys 14-17 Bears
Gould kicks the ball through the posts and hands the Bears the lead once again.
Harris returns the ball to the 29 where Romo will begin.
Bryant gets the first down for his side. Romo drills the ball to him on a curl route and he makes the grab and turns to power through a couple of tackles to get to the first down marker at the 39. Bryant stays down after the play with an injury, that could be huge loss for the Cowboys.
The Cowboys can't go any further as Romo throws three incompletions at the 39 as Murray, Williams and Witten can't come up with the ball forcing the punt from Jones, which is returned to the Chicago 40 by Hester.
The Bears convert on third down again as McCown drills the ball to Jeffery for a seven-yard completion on a quick slant route to move the Bears to the Dallas 44.
McCown drops back in the pocket and drills the ball downfield to Marshall and he makes the grab for the 19-yard reception over Carr to move them to the 25.
TOUCHDOWN BEARS!
The Bear extend their lead as Jeffery makes one of the plays of the season as McCown tosses the ball up to the back of the endzone and somehow the receiver makes the grab under pressure from Webb and keeps both feet in bounds for the 25-yard score.
Romo takes a knee to end the half.
HALF-TIME: Dallas Cowboys 14-24 Chicago Bears
The Bears take a 10-point lead at the break as their offense has been all over the Cowboys defense, as their receivers have dominated in the secondary and keep on making plays. The last one from Jeffery maybe one of the catches of the season to continue his breakout year.
The Bears defense hasn't been much better than the Cowboys but they did manage to hold them in that drive just before the break which led to Jeffery's score that has handed them control of the game. Chicago get the ball at the start of the second half so Dallas better get into gear otherwise it could be out of this very quickly.
Ford returns the ball to the Chicago 26 where McCown will begin.
The Bears get a huge break as Selvie is flagged for a roughing the passer penalty following a three-yard completion to Forte and that will make that an 18-yard play moving the Bears to their 44.
The Bears move inside the redzone as McCown fires a quick screen to Forte and he sprints down the right sideline and bursts through a couple of tackles to get to the Dallas 18 with a 34-yard reception. Awful tackling by Dallas.
DROPPED! Scandrick has the chance to make a huge play for the Cowboys inside the redzone as he gets in front of Marshall but he can't make the interception as the ball slips out of his hands.
The Bears can't punch the ball into the endzone as McCown overthrows Marshall in the endzone on third and eight and that will force Gould into a 34-yard field goal attempt.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Cowboys 14-27 Bears
Gould makes no mistake firing his effort through the posts to hand his side a 13-point lead from 34 yards.
Harris finds a hole on the kickoff and he returns the ball all the way to the Chicago 47.
The Cowboys go three and out on their first possession after the break as Randle and Murray churn out six yards on the ground on first and second but on third Romo's deep pass for Bryant falls incomplete. Jones's punt is fair caught by Hester at the Chicago 10.
McCown moves the chains immediately as McCown drops back in the pocket and drills the ball to Bennett who is wide open in the zone to make the grab for a 15-yard reception.
The Bears get away with an interception and a near interception as McCown's pass is tipped up off Marshall and Moore makes the grab bu that is nullified for a holding call on Marshall by Carr, and Carter two plays earlier dropped one that went right through his hands.
The Bears and McCown move the chains again as he fires over the middle of the field for Earl Bennett and he makes the grab and turns to get over the first down marker for an 11-yard reception on third and nine.
Chicago keep powering the ball now as Forte gets the handoff on first for six yards and then through the middle of the line for 12 more yards to earn another first down.
Bush comes into the gain and moves the chains for the Bears as he takes his first carry for seven yards right through the middle of the line and then gets it right up the gut again and for six yards.
Forte is back in the game and he drives his side inside the 10 with a carry right through the middle of the Dallas line yet again this time for 12 yards on second down.
TOUCHDOWN BEARS!
The Bears are in the endzone again as McCown fakes the handoff to Forte and the back splits out on a route into the flat and the quarterback hits him on the one-yard line and he's left with the simple task of running into the endzone. The Bears go for two and they get it as McCown drills the ball to Marshall.
Hall of Fame running back and former Cowboy Emmitt Smith is not happy with the Cowboys defense and coaching staff.
This Scheme is garbage.
— Emmitt Smith (@EmmittSmith22) December 10, 2013
The Cowboys will start at the 40.
Romo fires downfield to Williams who is wide open down the right sideline for a 17-yard gain.
Romo takes a sack on second down as he falls over and Jay Ratliff the former Cowboy touches him down for the loss and he can't get the yardage back as he hits Escobar for a five-yard gain on third down. But they are going for it on fourth down.
The Cowboys can't convert as Anderson crashes through the middle of the line and Romo is forced to throw the ball away.
Bush gets the handoff for the Bears and that will end the third quarter.
END OF THIRD QUARTER: Dallas Cowboys 14-35 Chicago Bears
McCown moves his side down the field with ease now as hits Marshall over the middle for a 23-yard gain and add another 15 yards onto that for a personal foul penalty that moves the Bears to the Dallas 17.
TOUCHDOWN BEARS!
The Bears extend their lead and add to the Cowboys woes as McCown dumps the ball off on a screen pass to Bush and he gets behind two good blocks and runs unopposed all the way into the endzone for the 17-yard score. That was so easy for the Bears. They haven't been forced to punt all game.
Randle returns the ball to the 30 where Romo will start.
Murray moves the chains for the Cowboys twice as he powers through the middle of the line and picks up 26 yards on two carries to move them into Chicago territory.
Another handoff to Murray and another 12 yards on the ground as he moves the Cowboys to close to the 20.
Randle moves the Cowboys inside the redzone with two tough carries over the middle as he churns out six yards and then another seven to move his side to the 12.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
Romo fires the ball to the back of the endzone and Beasley is there to make the grab for the touchdown going above the defensive back to leap in the air and could down with the catch for the nine-yard score.
Dallas try and onside kick but Marshall gathers the ball at the Chicago 45.
Forte gets the handoff and he moves the chains and gets a whole lot more with a 18-yard run over the right side of the line before he got brought down at the Dallas 35
Bush gets a couple of carries this time and he gets five yards over the right side of the line on first and comes back on second and knocks a tackler back several yards to get the first with a six-yard carry at the Dallas 23.
Forte gets the reception over the middle of the field and runs unopposed to make the catch and he beats Scandrick before he just stops at the first down marker to keep the clock moving.
The Bears just try and kill the clock in the redzone as Forte gets two carries for six yards but Bush is stopped for a loss on third down and that will force Gould into a 23-yard field goal.
FIELD GOAL GOOD! Cowboys 21-45 Bears
Gould fires the ball through the posts and the Bear have a 24-point lead.
William takes the ball to the 25 where Romo will start.
Correction Romo will not start as he has been pulled from the game and Orton his backup comes into the game.
The Cowboys move the chains as Orton fires to his tight end Escobar and he gets the six yards needed to get the first down on an out route.
Randle gets the carry on a draw play and he sprints right up the middle of the field for a 19-yard gain to move his side to the Chicago 46.
Orton fires to Austin deep down the left sideline on a curl route and he moves the chains with a 15-yard grab.
The Cowboys can't convert on third down as Orton fires a deep pass looking for Austin in the endzone and they are going for it on for it on fourth down.
The Cowboys get it as Randle powers through the middle of the line for a three-yard pick up.
Dallas move right to the one-yard line as Orton fires deep for Williams but he's kept out of the endzone thanks to a good tackle from Bowman.
TOUCHDOWN COWBOYS!
Randle powers through the middle of the line and gets the score but it's too little too late for Dallas.
Marshall gathers the onside kick and that should end the game.
McCown kneels down and the game is over.
FULL-TIME: Dallas Cowboys 28-45 Chicago Bears
The Bears have given their playoff hopes a major boost with this hammering of the Cowboys as they move to 7-6 in their season and they only trail them thanks to a tiebreaker now and can take the lead in the division on Sunday with a win.
Josh McCown and his offense had their way with the Cowboys defense as they didn't punt once and put up 45 points and it could have been more had they been more cut-throat at the end of the game, but the backup to Jay Cutler finished with four touchdown passes moving his record this season to 13 touchdowns to just one interception along with a running score. He has really put himself in the frame to win the starting job.
The Dallas defense has a lot of injuries but their play in this game was nothing short of appalling. They didn't give their offense any chance to do much as they just kept up giving up points as they had no answer for the Bears' receivers especially Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery.
Chicago can now an attempt to make a real go of their playoff run if they can keep playing like this, meanwhile Dallas have a lot of work to do with their defense to get back on track.
Thanks for joining our commentary this evening. We'll be back with all the action from the NFL on Thursday when the San Diego Chargers travel to face the Denver Broncos in the final edition of Thursday Night Football of the season. Until then, goodbye.
Written by
Simon Sinclair
Simon Sinclair
