CHICAGO – Tony Romo had two of his three touchdown passes in the third quarter, and the Dallas Cowboys had a 35-7 lead over the Chicago Bears heading into the final period on Thursday night.
Romo made a great throw on the run to Cole Beasley for a 24-yard TD, and then passed to a wide-open Gavin Escobar for a 6-yard score with 8:08 left in the third. Joseph Randle added a 21-yard TD run as the Cowboys scored 21 unanswered points in the period.
Romo was 21 for 25 for 205 yards through three quarters, and DeMarco Murray had 116 yards rushing. Beasley also had a 13-yard touchdown reception with 8 second left in the first half.
The Cowboys were looking for their seventh consecutive road win dating to last season. They entered with an NFL-best 5-0 road mark this year.
Jay Cutler was 16 of 24 for 158 yards and a touchdown for Chicago heading into the final period. Brandon Marshall had three receptions for 61 yards before he was knocked out of the game in the second quarter with a ribs injury.
Marshall left Soldier Field in an ambulance, but a post to his Twitter account thanked fans for their prayers and said he was good.
Dallas jumped in front on Murray's 1-yard TD run on fourth-and-goal with 10:53 left in the half. Murray also had a 4-yard run on fourth-and-1 from the Chicago 13.
Bruce Carter set up the 12-play drive when he got a hand on Patrick O'Donnell's punt for Chicago late in the first quarter. The punt traveled 21 yards and was downed on the Dallas 49, giving the Cowboys a short field for their third drive of the game.
Chicago responded with an eight-play, 80-yard drive to tie it at 7. Marshall had a terrific, juggling one-handed catch for 42 yards and then a 15-yard reception on fourth-and-7 to the Dallas 15. But Marshall took a knee to his side from safety Barry Church on the last grab, forcing him from the game.
Cutler capped the drive with a 12-yard TD pass to a wide-open Martellus Bennett with 6:18 to go.
Romo was 17 for 21 for 123 yards in the first half, opting to check down for much of the first two quarters.
The Bears were looking for their fourth consecutive victory over the Cowboys, including wins in each of the previous two seasons. They also played a night game at Soldier Field last December, with Matt Forte helping Chicago to a 45-28 victory on a brutally cold Monday.
The weather was just fine for this one, with a game-time temperature of 35 degrees.
Forte had just 21 yards on 11 carries. He also had a fumble that led to a Dallas TD.
The prime-time matchup featured a pair of teams hoping to bounce back from an awful performance on Thanksgiving.
Dallas lost 33-10 to Philadelphia in an NFC East showdown, and it faces the division-leading Eagles again next Sunday in Philadelphia. The Cowboys had dropped three of five since a six-game win streak, with their only victories in the difficult stretch coming against the lowly Jaguars and Giants.
Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent played for the first time since his intoxication manslaughter conviction for his role in a December 2012 crash that killed teammate Jerry Brown. He was suspended for the first 10 games of the season, and then was inactive for the victory over New York and the home loss to the Eagles.
Chicago lost 34-17 at Detroit last Thursday, likely dashing any fleeting hope for an unlikely playoff berth. The Bears ran the ball just eight times for 13 yards against the Lions, with Forte matching a career low with five carries for 6 yards.
The Bears played without kicker Robbie Gould (right quadriceps) and defensive tackle Jeremiah Ratliff (knee), but receiver Alshon Jeffery (hamstring) and safety Chris Conte (eye) were available after being listed as questionable. Jay Feely, who signed with Chicago on Wednesday, handled the kicking duties.
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