The Chicago Bears made an argument that they are one of the best teams in the NFC on Monday night, dominating the Dallas Cowboys on offense and defense in a 34-18 victory.
Tony Romo threw five interceptions, including one that was returned 74 yards by linebacker Lance Briggs for a touchdown, his first since 2005.
"A lot of our older guys are playing really well right now because we understand everything so much more," said Briggs to the Associated Press. "Whether we've lost a step or some people believe we've lost a step, we make up for it in knowledge."
The Bears defense was aggressive and didn't allow Romo to get into a rhythm all night. Romo matched a career high with five interceptions.
"Just outstanding play by our defense," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "It seemed like everybody had a say in it. How about Lance Briggs? You guys didn't know he could run that fast."
Chicago improved to 17-2 since 2005 when scoring a defensive touchdown.
Briggs's interception came in the third quarter after a Chicago turnover. Quarterback Jay Cutler was sacked by defensive end DeMarcus Ware and fumbled the ball to Dallas, who at that point were down only 17-7. But on the next play, Romo was hit from his blind side and lost control of the ball, knocking into the air and into Briggs's arms. He cut through a line of defenders before having a clear field ahead of him for the touchdown.
"I haven't run that long in a long time, that far," Briggs said.
The Cowboys now enter a bye week with a loss to drop them to 2-2 on the season.
"This has to be a wake-up call for us. I don't say that nonchalantly. It has to be," Cowboys tight end Jason Witten said. "You can't bounce back and forth like this, and try to compete come December-time. You can't do it. We have been in that situation before. You cannot do it. And we know that, and we'll get better."
Romo had a solid game apart from the interceptions, passing for 307 yards and a touchdown. Jason Witten, who came into the game leading the league in dropped passes, has 13 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown. Dynamic wide receiver Dez Bryant added eight catches for 105 yards.
Bakcup quarterback Kyle Orton came in for Romo at the end of the game and threw a touchdown to Witten. Romo is only the second quarterback in Cowboys franchise history to throw five interceptions twice in his career along with Eddie LeBaron. Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman did it once.
Chicago's defense was relentless, with Major Wright picking off two passes and D.J. Moore and Charles Tilman each adding one. It was Moore's third career interception off of Romo.
The Monday night contest marked the end of the first week back for the regular officials. While there wasn't as much controversy in this game as last week's between the Packers and the Seahawks, there were two important plays that the referees upheld after a video review.
In the third quarter Cutler threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Devin Hester that he had to dive for at the goal line. While it appeared the ball may have touched the ground when he came over it, referee Walt Anderson confirmed the touchdown, extending the Bears' lead to 17-7.
Later in the quarter, Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery made a catch up against cornerback Morris Claiborne near the sidelines. As they went down, Claiborne stripped the ball for a fumble and started to run it back the other way. After replays clearly showed Jeffery's elbow touch the ground before the ball game out, the call was overturned.
Romo and Bryant had a miscommunication in the second quarter after throwing an interception directly to Tilman. Bryant continued running down the field and never saw the ball get pocked off.
"Tony saw it one way. Dez saw it another way," Garrett said.
Cutler had a solid game for the Bears, throwing for 275 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.
The Bears are now tied for first place in the NFC North with a 3-1 record.
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