Ben Johnson goes in search of his first win as head coach of the Chicago Bears against a Dallas Cowboys team who were seconds away from defeat last weekend.The Bears already face an uphill battle in the fiercely competitive NFC North after losing their opening two games to two of their divisional rivals, while the Cowboys narrowly avoided doing the same – eventually defeating the New York Giants in an overtime thriller, which saw a joint-record six lead changes in the fourth quarter. Both teams have massive problems to solve heading into week 3.Bears vs Cowboys best betsDallas to win and over 50 points scored in the game – 12/5 with BetMGMCaleb Williams to complete a 40+ yard pass – 6/4 with bet365Over 100 receiving yards for CeeDee Lamb – 8/5 with Paddy PowerThe hiring of Johnson was hailed as something of a coup around the NFL as the former Detroit Lions offensive coordinator was regarded as one of the hottest properties in the league, having just called the plays for the highest-scoring team in the 2024 regular season. He was unable to prevent his former employers from racking up 52 points against his new charges on Sunday, however. That mauling – added to the 27 that the Minnesota Vikings scored against them in week 1 – plunged the Bears defence to the bottom of the league in terms of points allowed. Johnson’s top priority, however, will be to develop second-year quarterback Caleb Williams. Early signs suggest it will take time for him to iron out some of the flaws in Williams’ game, but the first overall pick of the 2024 draft has shown marginal improvements in terms of accuracy and quickening his release so far. Against the Lions, he completed 19 of his 30 passes – a ratio of 63.3% – for 207 yards and two touchdowns.He’ll hope to exploit a Dallas defence that gave up 37 points to the Giants and several deep passes. New York’s quarterback, Russell Wilson, threw for 450 yards – just two shy of his career-best total. If the Cowboys can prove that performance to be something of a one-off, they know they have the offensive weapons to outscore most opponents. The returning Dak Prescott looked back to his best, completing 38 of his 52 passes for 361 yards and two touchdowns. With Dak fit and healthy, the Dallas offence has never had any issues scoring points. Find more great offers at our best rated NFL betting sites.Bears vs Cowboys previewThe glass is still very much half full when it comes to Caleb Williams’ start in the NFL and whether he can, at long last, become the franchise quarterback the Chicago Bears have craved for their entire history.Fans in the Windy City, however, will undoubtedly be looking on at what’s happening in Washington with envy as the second-overall selection in 2024, Jayden Daniels, immediately transformed his team – leading them to the NFC Championship game and winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year, not to mention the game-winning Hail Mary against them in week 8.Williams hasn’t adjusted to “the pros” as quickly, taking a league-high 68 sacks in 2024, while only five teams recorded fewer than his 20 passing touchdowns. The Bears struggled to score points, and were held to under 20 on ten occasions in their seventeen games – with three miserable single-digit outings, and two of these coming during a four-game stretch where Williams had no passing touchdowns.There have been no such offensive struggles in Dallas who, with Dak Prescott back under centre, look capable of marching down the field against anyone. Having traded away star defensive player Micah Parsons, the Cowboys will likely need to lean even more on that side of the ball. Jerry Jones made that blockbuster deal, which saw Kenny Clark move the other way from Green Bay, in a bid to “stop the run”. Albeit with a sample size of just two games to judge it on, it hasn’t paid off yet. The Cowboys rank 23rd in terms of rushing yards allowed, they’re middle of the pack in terms of rushing yards-per-carry, and have given up the joint-most rushing touchdowns with four. Unsurprisingly, given the Giants’ offensive numbers last week, the Cowboys are among the worst in many pass defence metrics too. They’ve given up 602 yards in the air, the third most, with opposing receivers catching 76.6% of balls thrown their way. Opposing offences have averaged 9.6 yards per passing attempt against them – only three teams have allowed more, the Bears being one of them.Bears vs Cowboys betting tipsFind the latest odds for Chicago Bears vs Dallas Cowboys courtesy of BetMGM. Odds are subject to change.SpreadOddsChicago Bears +0.510/11Dallas Cowboys -0.510/11Total pointsOddsOver 50.510/11Under 50.59/10This is pretty much a “Pick ‘Em” contest according to bookies, with BetMGM making the visitors the favourite by the smallest possible margin of 0.5 points. There is therefore almost nothing to separate them on the moneyline either – Dallas at 9/10 returning slightly less profit than Chicago at 23/25.If this game were played last season, or a few more weeks into this season, it’s likely that the spread and moneyline would be more skewed in the Cowboys’ favour. With Dak back and healthy, they’re beginning to look a lot closer to the team that won 12 games in each of the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons – rather than the 7-10 team of last season which had to play most of the games without their franchise QB. Meanwhile the Bears have suffered four straight losing seasons.With that being said, here are three props that we’re tipping for this clash between two ailing defences.Dallas to win, and over 50 points scored in the gameWe are expecting offences to be very much on top on Sunday. Between them, the Bears and Cowboys allowed 79 points last weekend and both have aggressive play callers willing to push the ball downfield. The Cowboys could be the perfect opponent for Caleb Williams this week as he looks to kick on in year 2, and it’s also unlikely the Bears defence will be able to hold the Cowboys to under 25. Back the Cowboys to outscore the Bears and take home the W at 12/5 with BetMGM Caleb Williams to exploit Cowboys’ downfield soft spotRussell Wilson and his deep ball tore the Cowboys defence to shreds in week 2. Wilson completed seven passes for 20 or more, with four of those going for 30 or more – including the 33-yard and 48-yard touchdowns in the fourth quarter.Caleb Williams struggled to connect with deep passes in his rookie season. His longest completion of the year – of 47 yards – came in week 3 of last year, exactly a year ago. This is one string Ben Johnson hopes to help add to his bow, however, and this week may be the week to send some receivers on deeper routes and test a Cowboys secondary that’s clearly struggling with the absence of aggressive ball hawk, Trevon Diggs. Williams’ numbers are trending up, recording a 31-yard pass against Minnesota and a 37-yarder against Detroit. Expect him to air it out more readily, and possibly find DJ Moore or Rome Odunze open for a big gain. Tip Caleb Williams to hit a 40+ yard deep ball against the Cowboys at 6/4 with bet365 CeeDee Lamb to break personal recordThe Cowboys’ star receiver has begun the season with 110 yards against the Eagles and 112 against the Giants, catching 16 of the 24 balls thrown his way. Counting back to the end of last season, he’s now strung together four consecutive 100+ yard games – matching a similar streak he had in the middle of 2023. He has never had a fifth in a row before, but will certainly be fancying his chances against a Bears defence still reeling from last Sunday in Detroit – especially if he were to receive double-digit targets from Dak Prescott again. Back CeeDee Lamb to have a fifth 100-yard game in a row at 8/5 with Paddy Power Bears vs Cowboys injury reportHere are all the key outs and doubts ahead of this week 3 matchup:Chicago BearsOut: Austin Booker (edge rusher) – knee, Travis Homer (running back) – calfQuestionable: T.J. Edwards (linebacker) – hamstring, Jaylon Johnson (cornerback) – groin, Kyler Gordon (cornerback) – hamstringDoubtful: N/ADallas CowboysOut: Cooper Beebe (centre) – ankle, DeMarvion Overshown (linebacker) – knee ligaments, Shavon Revel Jr (cornerback) – ACL, Jonathan Mingo (wide receiver) – kneeQuestionable: DaRon Bland (cornerback) – foot, KaVontae Turpin (wide receiver) – neckDoubtful: N/A Bears vs Cowboys game infoDate: Sunday 21st SeptemberTime: 9:25pm BSTVenue: Soldier Field, Chicago, IllinoisWhere to watch: Sky Sports Main Event & Sky Sports ActionAbout the authorNathan HillNathan Hill is an experienced sports writer who obsessively follows football – both the round ball and American kind – as well as range of other sports including F1, basketball, darts and snooker.Commercial content notice: Taking one of the bookmaker offers featured in this article may result in a payment to talkSPORT. 18+. T&Cs apply. 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