In a battle of two teams that have underwhelmed after making the playoffs last year, the Dallas Cowboys (6-6) travel to Soldier Field to take on the Chicago Bears (6-6) on Thursday Night Football.

Coming into this game, it’s obvious where each team’s strengths lie.

Despite scoring a combined 24 points in the past two games, the Cowboys still possess one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL, ranking second (behind only the Baltimore Ravens) in offense DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average), according to Football Outsiders.

The Bears, on the other hand, have an extremely talented defense that ranks eighth in defense DVOA and explosive special teams that rank ninth in special teams DVOA.

This game will pit strength against strength -- Dallas’ electric offense against Chicago’s suffocating defense -- and weakness against weakness -- the Bears’ anemic offense against the Cowboys’ underperforming defense.

With that in mind, let’s dive deep into this matchup and break down keys to a Cowboys win.

Slow down Khalil Mack

The No. 1 priority for any offense facing the Bears is figuring out a way to slow down No. 52. Khalil Mack is one of the few defenders in the NFL who can single-handedly take over a game, as he is dominant against the run and pass.

Don’t let Mack’s modest sack total fool you -- he’s an outstanding pass rusher whose black belt-level hands blend well with his excellent speed, power, flexibility and cornering ability. He has recorded just 6.5 sacks this season but buoys that with 57 total pressures (eighth among NFL edge defenders this season).

Moreover, Mack is one of the only edge defenders in the league who can challenge DeMarcus Lawrence in terms of quality as a run defender. He’s outstanding both as a play-side run defender and backside pursuit defender, ranking fifth among edge defenders in total run stops (21; definition for run stop here) and 13th in run stop percentage (8.6%; Lawrence ranks second at 10.8%).

Luckily for the Cowboys, they are better equipped to handle Mack than just about any other team in the NFL with one of the league’s best tackle duos. While there are minor changes depending on the matchup, Mack spends an almost equal amount of time rushing off both edges, meaning Tyron Smith and La’el Collins will have their fair share of battles with him.

Smith and Collins are two of the best tackles in pass protection, allowing just two sacks and eight QB hits between them this year.

For those worried about La'el Collins at RT, watch the OAK game. Considering the level of competition, this was LC's most impressive performance. It's a big reason why I'm not worried about his future, and he should only get better from here. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/3oKHnlW6Dx — John Owning (@JohnOwning) May 9, 2018

In fact, Collins is one of the few offensive tackles who has a track record of success against Mack. In 2017, Collins did a stellar job of stymieing Mack (then with the Oakland Raiders) in the snaps for which they were lined up against each other.

The Cowboys should do anything they can to limit Mack’s effectiveness, which means staying away from him in the run game while sliding protection and sending chip blocks his way in the pass game (by tight ends and running backs), especially since he’s the only Bears pass rusher worth being fearful of.

Having said that, Mack can’t be doubled on every play, so it will be very important for Smith and Collins to be successful when forced into a true one-on-one matchup with him.

While he possesses a deep pass-rush repertoire, Mack loves to use his length (often with a long arm) to soften the corner and maintain the separation necessary to corner and flatten to the pocket (above clip).

Expect Smith to counter Mack’s long arm with his sublime snatch-and-trap technique (above clip), which he uses to take advantage of a defender’s forward lean when utilizing the long arm. Smith has seen a little drop-off in his play this season because of myriad injuries, but make no mistake, he’s still one of the better tackles in the league.

Beautiful bait, or flash, technique from La'el Collins vs Devon Kennard. Paws with outside hand to draw out the chop, making it easy for Collins to latch once Kennard misses. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/p5yxFr4veA — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 20, 2019

As far as Collins is concerned, don’t be surprised if he uses his bait technique to draw out Mack’s hands before latching onto his frame (above clip). Collins will often paw with one hand to goad the pass rusher into executing his move. Collins will then retract that hand, which causes the pass rusher to whiff with his, before circling his hand back and latching onto the pass rusher’s frame. Once Collins latches, it’s over.

The Cowboys, on paper, may be better equipped to slow down Mack than most teams, but that doesn’t assure success against a player of Mack’s caliber. Nonetheless, they need to get the offense back on track against Chicago, and for that to happen, Dallas must slow down Mack.

Don’t let the Bears’ returners be a factor

The Cowboys’ special teams have been awful this season, ranking dead last in special teams DVOA as they make the offense’s and defense’s jobs more difficult on a seemingly weekly basis.

While Chicago’s special teams aren’t quite as scary as New England’s, they do have one of the best punt and kick return units in the league. The Bears rank first in yards per kickoff return (29.1), sixth in yards per punt return (9.3) and are one of six teams with a kickoff return for a TD.

The Cowboys rank 30th in yards per punt return allowed (10.0) and 24th in yards per kickoff return allowed (23.96).

Given those numbers, it would be incredibly unwise if Dallas gave Chicago any opportunities to return the ball.

Would it be nice to be comfortable enough with the team’s coverage units to try to play a field position game? Yes, but Dallas has yet to prove capable enough to be trusted in those situations.

This means Brett Maher needs to kick the ball deep into the end zone while Chris Jones angles his punts out of bounds in an effort to eliminate any chance of Chicago’s return units making a big impact.

The Cowboys and Bears are closely matched in terms of offense and defense, so Dallas needs to do whatever it can to make sure special teams don’t tip the scales in Chicago’s favor.

Stop Allen Robinson

Let’s be blunt: The Bears’ offense is not good and Mitch Trubisky is not a good NFL quarterback.

Allen Robinson, however, is an effective wide receiver who is the one Chicago weapon Dallas should be afraid of.

Despite dealing with below-average QB play, Robinson has secured 71 catches for 850 yards and five TDs on 108 targets this season. He isn’t much of a deep threat, but he can eat a defense alive at the intermediate levels.

He is a smooth route runner who can consistently gain separation against tight man coverage, using impressive releases that are built off his quickness.

Moreover, he understands how to attack zones, showing good awareness to break off his route and sit down in the voids.

What makes Robinson tough to stop and even tougher to plan for is the fact he aligns in a variety of different spots. He aligns on both sides with almost equal frequency (262 snaps as the left outside receiver, 200 snaps as the right outside receiver) and will also spend a ton of time in the slot (248 snaps), which means Byron Jones, Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis all will have to be ready to get a piece of Robinson.

With Robinson aligning in so many different spots, it enables the Bears to assess his matchup with each of the opposing team’s cornerbacks, so when the game reaches a critical juncture, Chicago knows where to align him to create the best matchup for the offense.

Great job by Byron Jones to play through the WRs hands at the catch point without interfering. Impressive pace control by Jones to hit the brakes after accelerating to recover from ceding initial separation.



There's no doubt who the best CB is on the team, imo. pic.twitter.com/r278twaxCW — John Owning (@JohnOwning) October 15, 2019

As long as Dallas doesn’t slide him into the slot, where the receiver is afforded a two-way go, Jones matches up well with Robinson. His size and length are enough to disrupt the timing of Robinson’s routes, and Jones possesses the speed to stay with him stride-for-stride downfield.

Robinson has been most targeted on curl, out and post routes this season, according to The Quant Edge. When targeted on these routes, Jones has allowed a completion percentage of 50% or less. In fact, Jones allows a passer rating under 60 when targeted on curl and out routes, according to TQE.

Awuzie doesn’t match up quite as well, as his struggles playing the ball have been taken advantage of all season. Against out routes in particular, he has struggled mightily, allowing 10 catches (on 10 targets) for 69 yards and a TD to go with a 128.8 passer rating.

Awuzie’s coverage hasn’t been as big of an issue as his inability to play the ball at the catch point. He has had tight coverage on numerous occasions only for it to be ruined by poor ball skills.

Given that Lewis was a backup for most of the season, he doesn’t have enough of a sample size in terms of targets against to make any definitive declarations about his ability to defend Robinson’s favorite routes.

Nice job by Jourdan Lewis of being physical in the contact window, which disrupts Beasley's route and forces the incompletion. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/sHYvVWJH52 — John Owning (@JohnOwning) November 29, 2019

But from a traits perspective, Lewis does have the quickness and physicality to stick with Robinson in man coverage from the slot. It will just be important that Lewis eliminates the mental mistakes that hindered him against Buffalo.

If the Cowboys can reduce Robinson’s effect on the game, it will go a long way toward preventing the Bears from moving the ball consistently Thursday night.