Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys Odds, Spread, Preview: NFL Week 8 Predictions

By Lawrence Smelser

Chicago Bears vs. Dallas Cowboys Week 8 matchup preview and current betting lines

The Dallas Cowboys play host to the Chicago Bears Sunday with kickoff set for 1 p.m. EST. The contest can be viewed on Fox.

Dak Prescott returned from injury after missing the previous six games and helped lead his team to a dominating 24-6 win over the Lions. Dallas’ defense played a huge role in limiting Dan Campbell’s squad to just two field goals.

America’s team was slow to get going on offense with only three first-half points and trailed 6-3 at halftime. The Cowboys went on to score 21 unanswered points and shut out the Lions in the second half. It was a nice way in the eyes of the Cowboys to get back into the win column after the week 6 loss to division rival Philadelphia.

Mike McCarthy’s team now sits at 5-2 for the season and in third place in the NFC East standings. The Eagles (6-0) and Giants (6-1) lead the division.

Chicago’s (3-4) season appeared to be going off the rails after it suffered a three-game losing streak from weeks four through six. The Bears were in danger of falling to 2-5 but shocked New England with a 33-14 route in Foxborough.  

After trailing 14-10 with 1:55 left in the first half, the Bears went on a dominant 24-0 scoring run. Chicago is now in third place in the NFC North standings and is a win away from climbing back to a .500 record. 

Oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook are favoring the Cowboys by 9.5 points. On the moneyline, Chicago is +360 and Dallas is -460. Gamblers have put 63% of their bets on the Bears to cover but 69% of the money is on the Cowboys to win by 10 or more points. 

Players to watch in the Bears vs. Cowboys contest

Chicago

Darnell Mooney: The former 5th-round pick became Chicago’s clear-cut WR1 after Allen Robinson was traded to the Rams in the offseason. Mooney has had a slow start to the season with 294 receiving yards on just 20 receptions. He has also failed to find the end zone. Last year, the Tulane product recorded 81 catches for 1,055 yards and four touchdowns. Mooney did see 12 targets in week 6 against Washington, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does against Dallas. 

Dallas

Dalton Schultz: The 26-year-old returned from injury and had his second-best game of the season with five catches for 49 yards against the Lions. In two games with Prescott starting, the Stanford product has 111 yards on 12 receptions. Last year, Dallas’ offensive security blanket recorded 78 catches for 808 yards and eight touchdowns. 

Our NFL bet of the week for the Bears vs. Cowboys

ESTNN is providing bettors with two free selections for this game.

Chicago vs. Dallas Spread: Dallas -9.5 @ -115

Had the Cowboys lost, there would have been a media circus regarding the team’s quarterback situation. Many pundits were debating whether Prescott’s backup, Cooper Rush, should remain the starter after leading the team to a 4-1 record while at the helm. 

Prescott didn’t light up the box score but did have a solid performance against Detroit. The Mississippi State product went 19-of-25 for 207 yards and a touchdown (quarterback rating of 54.8).

Dallas’ running game will likely be led by Tony Pollard this week due to Ezekiel Elliot being questionable for the contest. Elliot will be a game-time decision but if active, should see a much lighter workload than Pollard.

Pollard is averaging 5.6 yards per attempt this season compared to Elliot’s 4.1. The fourth-rounder has 375 rushing yards and two touchdowns this year.

The Cowboys’ defense has been the star of the show so far this season. The unit ranks second in the NFL in points allowed (14.9) and sixth in total defense (305.3 yards surrendered per contest). Dan Quinn’s men lead the league in sacks and are spearheaded by linebacker Micah Parsons and cornerback Trevon Diggs (led the NFL in interceptions in 2021). 

Offensively, it’s been a struggle with a scoring average of 19.1 (22nd) and a 29th-ranked total offense averaging 305 yards per contest. This should change though as Prescott returns to form. Under the 29-year-old’s leadership, the Cowboys finished first in total offense in 2019 and 2021. In 2020, Prescott only played in five games. 

The Bears have been extremely inconsistent. The team’s two wins aside from against New England came in week 1 versus San Francisco (19-10) and in week 3 against Houston (23-20).

Chicago, similar to Dallas, has found success on the defensive side of the ball. The Bears rank seventh in points allowed per game (18.9) and 12th in total defense (330 YPG). Offensively, it’s been difficult to score points with an average of 18 points per game (24th) and 307.4 yards per contest (28th). 

The substandard offensive play can largely be attributed to poor quarterback play by Justin Fields. The second-year pro’s paltry statistics compared to the rest of the league can be seen below.

Passing yards: 1,048 (26th)

Touchdown passes: 26th

Interceptions: 6 (Tied for 28th)

Quarterback rating: 37.3 (27th)

The NFL is a passing league and it’s difficult to make the playoffs if a team can’t move the chains via the air. Fields’ dual-threat ability does help make the team unpredictable on offense. On the ground this season, the former Buckeye has rushed for 364 yards and two touchdowns with an average of 5.4 yards per tote. 

The Cowboys have allowed their competitors to run only 37.8% of offensive plays in their territory this campaign — third-best in the league. The Bears’ offense has run 38.4% of their plays in enemy territory so far in 2022-2023 — 29th in the NFL.

Dallas is 5-1 against the spread in its last six games and is 4-1 ATS in its last five matchups versus NFC North opposition. Chicago is 3-3-1 ATS this year and is 2-5 ATS in its last seven games played in October. 

Facing a Super-Bowl caliber defense that leads the league in sacks will be a tough challenge for Fields. The 23-year-old has been sacked 27 times this season, most in the NFL.

Our pick is to take Dallas to cover the 9.5-point spread on FanDuel. The sportsbook is offering -115 odds for the selection.

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Bears vs. Cowboys odds: Justin Fields over 0.5 interceptions @ -143

Justin Fields has thrown a pick in five of the seven games he’s played this season. Against a weak Houston defense, he managed to throw two.

The Kennesaw, GA native has thrown at least 21 pass attempts in his last four games, so there will be plenty of opportunities for the Dallas secondary to snag an interception. 

Fields’ favorite target, Darnell Mooney, has 18 targets in his last two games and will be lining up for most of the matchup against Pro Bowl cornerback Trevon Diggs. The former Alabama star led the league in interceptions last season with 11 and already has three in seven games in 2022. 

We at ESTNN believe it’s wise to bet the Fields over 0.5 interception prop on BetRivers Sportsbook at -143 odds. If you’re interested in learning about more prop bets for week 8, read our NFL player props page.

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