Tony Romo passing yards: 272.5 (O/U minus-110)
Defensive Ranks of Cowboys Opponents
Weeks 13-14
Stat
PHI
CHI
Def eff
7th
24th
Comp pct
1st
26th
Sack pct
2nd
12th
Total QBR
4th
23rd
Romo has reached 273 passing yards in four of his 11 games this season, including one post-injury game against the
New York Giants in Week 12. The last Romo performance offered significant cause for concern, when he threw for 199 yards in a 33-10 loss to the Eagles. Philadelphia was able to pressure Romo better than any team this year, with Romo sacked, under duress or hit while throwing on 14 occasions (a season high). Partially because of the pressure, Romo was 3-of-12 on throws deeper than 10 yards down field.
Can Chicago replicate that success? Not likely. The Eagles' defense has the lowest completion percentage allowed and second-best sack percentage of any team in the league this year, and the Bears aren't on Philadelphia's level. Only the
Atlanta Falcons and
Baltimore Ravens have allowed more passing yards this season than the Bears, and Chicago's 25.8 pressure percentage is much closer to league average (25.3 percent) than the league-leading Eagles (33.1 percent).
The play: Over
Jay Cutler completions: 23.5 (O/U minus-110)
For better or worse, Cutler is going to throw. He's averaging 37.3 attempts per game, tied for ninth among qualified quarterbacks this season. Dallas has the fifth-worst completion percentage allowed this season (66.4 percent), and applying Dallas' completion percentage to Cutler's average number of attempts, it hits the over right away (24.8).
Cutler has completed 66.5 percent of passes this year, so that's consistent with Dallas' defensive performance. Also, using Cutler's 37.3 average number of attempts may be a conservative estimate -- the Cowboys rank ninth in the league in points scored, and Chicago's defense does not appear capable of stopping Dallas' offense. If Chicago has to play from behind, Cutler's attempts could easily pass 37.
The play: Over
Not playing either of them just posting