Every week during the season, we’ll scout out the Cowboys' next opponent. This week, that opponent is the Seattle Seahawks.
The Opponent: Remember when the controversial subject around the NFL was Smokin' Jay Cutler airing out his offensive tackle J'Marcus Webb during the Cowboys' loss to the Packers? Wasn't that more fun than debating the integrity of a sport that seems to be taking equal notes from boxing and North Korea about how to run their business?
Record: 2-1
The Line: Cowboys by 4, a line that seems awfully generous given the fact that the Cowboys offensive line couldn't block someone on Twitter.
Last Game: The Bears bounced back from an embarrassing loss to the Packers with a 23-6 win over the Rams in one of the least interesting matchups of Week Three. Strange how not having the outcome of a game affected by part-time geography teachers fired by the Lingerie Football League winds up making you the ugly stepsister of Roger Goodell's NFL.
The Coach: Lovie Smith is one of those coaches who make you shake your head every now and then in an attempt to figure out how he's kept the job all these years. He's not quite at Marvin Lewis level -- Lovie's been to a Super Bowl and another NFC Championship Game after all -- but the Bears are a team that seems to have the same problems every year no matter how much they shuffle players and coaches not named Lovie Smith. That would suggest a problem at the top, even if the Bears clearly disagree with that assessment.
The Offense: One of those eternal problems is the offensive line and 2012 isn't shaping up to be much different. They were steamrolled by the Packers in Week Two and gave up two sacks to Chris Long in the win over the Rams. When Cutler had time against St. Louis, he didn't do too much with it but he's certainly capable of zipping the ball around the field from time to time. With Brandon Marshall and rookie Alshon Jeffery, he's actually got receivers capable of making plays when Cutler gets going.
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The Defense: Tony Romo might want to spend a little time getting familiar with Julius Peppers this week because there's a good chance he's going to find himself smothered by the Bears defensive end come Monday night. It might do him well to study up on Israel Idonije and Henry Melton as well, since they have 5.5 sacks between them this season. Cornerback Tim Jennings has also been an early star for a Bears defense that has looked mighty good through three weeks.
Key Matchup: DeMarcus Ware vs. J'Marcus Webb - Smokin' Jay's blindside protector and whipping boy will have his hands full with Ware. The Bears are going to have to give Webb a lot of help on Monday, something that isn't guaranteed to slow Ware down and something that should open up plenty of chances elsewhere on the defensive line. If Ware does get going early, we could see another Cutler eruption and that would be a lot more enjoyable than this Monday night's debacle.
