Friday, October 16, 1998

DALLAS (4-2) AT CHICAGO (1-5) 3 p.m., FOX

OPENING LINE - Cowboys by 4.

RECORD VS. SPREAD - Cowboys 3-2; Bears 4-2.

SERIES RECORD - Cowboys lead 9-7.

LAST TIME MET - Cowboys beat Bears 27-3 on Sept. 28, 1997 at Dallas.

LAST WEEK - Cowboys beat Panthers 27-20. Bears lost to Cardinals 20-7.

LAST WEEK'S STARS - Cowboys QB Jason Garrett was 14-for-22 for 287 yards and 2 TDs. Bears WR Bobby Engram had 5 receptions for 142 yards, including 79-yard TD.

COWBOYS OFFENSE - RUSH (No. 5), PASS (No. 10), OVERALL (No. 4)

Garrett is 5-1 as a starter, including 3-1 this season. Garrett's 92.8 rating is third in NFC. RB Emmitt Smith had 112 yards and 1 TD on 21 carries. Smith, leading NFC with 529 yards rushing, had consecutive 100-yard rushing games for first time since 1995. WR Michael Irvin, first in NFC with 516 yards receiving and tied for second with 33 receptions, had 6 catches for 116 yards. WR Ernie Mills had 5 catches for career-high 110 yards and 1 TD. RB Chris Warren had 6-yard TD reception. WR Billy Davis has sprained foot and is doubtful.

BEARS OFFENSE - RUSH (No. 19), PASS (No. 6), OVERALL (No. 10)

Engram is fifth in NFC with career-high 449 yards receiving. QB Erik Kramer was 16-for-28 for 247 yards and 1 TD, but threw 4 INTs. Kramer's 84.7 rating is fifth in NFC. Held to 66 yards rushing. RB Edgar Bennett had 29 yards on 9 carries, while RB Curtis Enis had 26 on 11 carries. Bennett will start vs. Cowboys. WR Curtis Conway had 6 catches for 54 yards.

COWBOYS DEFENSE - RUSH (No. 8), PASS (No. 18), OVERALL (No. 10)

CB Deion Sanders had INT with less than 2 minutes remaining to seal victory. DT Chad Hennings had blocked extra point, Cowboys' first since 1989. Held Panthers to 29 yards rushing. DT Leon Lett had 6 tackles with 1 sack and forced fumble. DE Greg Ellis had 5 tackles with 1 sack. DE Kavika Pittman had 1 sack. LB Randall Godfrey had 8 tackles and 1 pass defensed. S Darren Woodson and LB Fred Strickland each had 6 tackles. CB Kevin Mathis had 2 fumble recoveries.

BEARS DEFENSE - RUSH (No. 25), PASS (No. 10), OVERALL (No. 17)

LB Barry Minter had 12 tackles, 8 solo. DT Jim Flanigan had 4 tackles with 1 sack. LB Sean Harris had 10 tackles, 8 solo, and 1 INT. CB Terry Cousin had 9 tackles, 1 pass defensed, forced fumble and fumble recovery. DE Mark Lee had 8 tackles and forced fumble. S Marty Carter and LB Andre Collins each had 7 tackles. Carter also had fumble recovery. CB Walt Harris had 5 tackles and 1 INT.

SPECIAL TEAMS - Cowboys K Richie Cunningham is second in NFC with 46 points. Bears KR Glyn Milburn is third in NFC with 15.6 punt return average.

KEY MATCHUPS - RB Smith vs. LB Minter; WRs Irvin and Mills vs. CBs Harris and Cousin.

STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES - Smith needs 3 TDs to pass Walter Payton (125) for fourth on career list. Needs 4 to pass Jim Brown. ... Cowboys had RB and 2 receivers top 100-yard mark in same game for just third time in team history. ... Cowboys have 14 sacks in last 4 games. ... Bears have allowed league-low 6 sacks. ... Bears traded RB Bam Morris to Kansas City on Tuesday for undisclosed 1999 draft pick. ... Flanigan has 4 sacks in last 2 games. ... Enis leads NFC rookie with 306 yards rushing. ... Bears' 37 rushing first downs are third in NFC.