The Chicago Bears (0-2) will host the Dallas Cowboys (1-1) on Sunday at Soldier Field for a 3:25 p.m. kickoff.

Bears head coach Ben Johnson will attempt to lead his team to its first win of the season to avoid an 0-3 start, which historically has meant little to no chance of making the playoffs. According to NFL.com, only four teams out of 165 NFL organizations have made the playoffs since 1990 after starting 0-3.

The Bears must avoid those circumstances at all costs if they want to play football into mid-January. Johnson will have to devise an offensive game plan to outcoach Cowboys defensive coordinator and former Bears head coach Matt Eberflus. And defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will have to somehow find ways to contain Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott with a defense that is missing key starters in Jaylon Johnson, Kyler Gordon and T.J. Edwards.

With the stage set, here are five players to watch on Sunday.

Tyrique Stevenson

After giving up five receptions on five targets for 97 yards and a touchdown against the Detroit Lions in Week 2, all eyes will be on Tyrique Stevenson in this matchup. His job will not be any easier at Soldier Field with Johnson and Gordon out because of injuries. Plus, he will have to cover wide receivers CeeDee Lamb (who is mentioned later in this article) and George Pickens.

Stevenson needs to play clean against the Cowboys. In the first two weeks, he has committed some costly penalties. Against the Vikings, Stevenson was flagged for pass interference in the fourth quarter, which resulted in a new set of downs for Minnesota, and on the following play, J.J. McCarthy threw a touchdown pass to running back Aaron Jones.

Last week against the Lions, Stevenson committed an illegal contact penalty while the Lions were flagged for an illegal formation. The penalties offset, but Montez Sweat also sacked quarterback Jared Goff on the play. Three plays after replaying the down, the Lions scored on a 1-yard touchdown run.

The Bears can’t afford to give the Cowboys’ offense any more opportunities, and Stevenson needs to prove he can be an asset to the defense and not the most glaring weakness.

Olamide Zaccheaus

The Bears’ wide receiver has had a slow start through the first two games of the 2025 NFL season. Olamide Zaccheaus has just six receptions on 12 targets for 54 receiving yards. This week’s matchup against the Cowboys’ defense could present some opportunities. In the Cowboys’ 40-37 overtime victory over the Giants, New York slot receiver Wan’Dale Robinson caught eight passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. A lot of Robinson’s production came in the slot and in the middle of the field, which is where Zacchaeus could see action on Sunday.

A vulnerable spot in Matt Eberflus’ defense is past the linebackers and in front of the safeties in a cover 2. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Zaccheaus get some passes thrown his way as he passes former Bears linebacker Jack Sanborn in the middle of that zone defense.

Cole Kmet

Johnson liked to utilize his tight ends in the passing game while he was the offensive coordinator in Detroit, but that hasn’t translated so far in Chicago. Cole Kmet has just three receptions on six targets for 60 yards through two games. Johnson said on Wednesday that the tight ends not being involved is a reflection of him more than anybody else. So could this be the week that Johnson features Kmet as a focal point of the offense?

In the Cowboys’ Week 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, tight end Dallas Goedert finished with seven receptions on seven targets for 44 yards, which was the second-most on the team. The following week against the Giants, tight end Theo Johnson saw five targets and caught four passes for 34 yards. At the least, Kmet may be in line for a higher volume day, which is more than he has seen to start the 2025 season.

CeeDee Lamb

It’s early in the 2025 season, but CeeDee Lamb is poised to have a big year. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound receiver already has 16 receptions on 24 targets and 222 receiving yards. If it weren’t for some big drops in the Week 1 loss against the Eagles, then his numbers would look even better.

With the Bears’ secondary hurting, Lamb could easily secure his third 100-yard receiving game of the season. According to Pro Football Focus, Lamb has primarily lined up out wide (96 snaps), but the Cowboys will also feature him in the slot (41 snaps). Whether it’s Stevenson, Nahshon Wright or Nick McCloud, all players in the Bears’ secondary will have to utilize key communication and technique to try and keep Lamb from breaking open this football game.

Kenny Clark

Like the Bears, the Cowboys’ defense has struggled to apply pressure on opposing quarterbacks, especially without Micah Parsons. However, the trade with the Green Bay Packers did add Kenny Clark to Dallas’ defense, and so far, he has made his presence felt through the first two weeks.

The 6-foot-3, 314-pound interior defensive lineman is tied for the Cowboys’ team-high six total pressures and has one sack, which occurred in the Week 2 win over the New York Giants. Bears fans should be familiar with Clark, as he anchored the interior of the Packers’ defense for nine years.

The Bears’ interior offensive line must play with great communication to ensure Clark doesn’t impact Williams’ pass reps, and he can obviously clog run lanes to disrupt the rushing attack.