I’ve been hearing a lot of insight and commentary from all sorts of venues regarding the battle this Sunday night between Dallas and Chicago. There has been in-depth analysis from NFL Network, local sports talk shows, ESPN, etc. on Dallas’ high-powered offense vs. this smothering Bears defense. Questions are raining down about whether to punt to Devin Hester or kick it out-of-bounds and avoid him like the Bubonic plague.

You can dissect this game any way you want to, but it all boils down to this: The Dallas Cowboys need to play damn good football all the way around!

Their offense must control the clock and wear down this defense which means the running tandem of Jones/Barber must excel and Romo must stay vertical. This starts with the O-line, which you can see from the space shuttle, as they have to overpower the Bears’ D-line, create running lanes, and protect Romo’s blind spot. Romo and Co. must also avoid turnovers and stay mentally sharp.

This is a statement game for the defense. QB “Train Rex” Grossman is not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, RB Cedric Benson is about as intimidating as Barney Fife, and the receiving corps is ranked 29th probably due to Grossman’s 55.1 passer rating this year. Dallas’ secondary must be perfect because I believe that Grossman sees this game as an opportunity to break out of his shell. They’re ranked 31st in the league and hurting, but they really showed some muscle last week vs. Miami. Stick to the receivers like glue and give the Dallas front seven time to smother Grossman, and the Dallas offense will have shorter fields.

And, yes, this will also be a measuring stick for the special teams which must contain Hester like a rabid Bengal tire at a zoo but there is also something not being mentioned. The Dallas Cowboys’ Tyson Thompson leads the NFL in kickoff returns averaging 28.5 yards per return which is far ahead of Devin Hester (19.3), and #2 behind Hester (28.6) in punt return average is Patrick Crayton (16.0).

Yes, it’s only Week Three, but this is a litmus test for the Dallas Cowboys as they face the defending NFC champions on their turf on national TV. They will either solidify their position as the team to beat in the NFC or they will be staring at themselves in the mirror stark naked and see exactly what needs to be repaired in order to not lose ground.

Some other notes and observations heading into Chicago:

1. CB Terence Newman just might be allowed to make his NFL debut Sunday night. I wouldn’t. The Rams are coming to town next week and I’d rather have a healthy Newman to defend their passing attack.
2. Dallas’ best secret weapons may not even be at the game. QB coach Wade Wilson is serving his 5-game suspension but he used to be the Chicago QB coach and, no doubt, has given Wade Phillips vital information. Suspneded Ex-Bear “Tank” Johnson is now a Cowboy.
3. Head Coach Wade Phillips is from Orange, TX and Chicago head coach Lovie Smith is from Big Sandy, TX 234 miles apart.
4. Dallas is playing on national TV for the second time in the first three weeks of the season. It’s the first time since the Baltimore Colts in 1978 that a team has done that.
5. Dallas 20   Chicago 10