The Dallas Cowboys Week 8 matchup against the Chicago Bears was a dangerous one. The Bears seemed to have found a winning formula against the New England Patriots in Week 7 and were going to give the Dallas D a test with their ground game. However, the Cowboys jumped out quickly on the Bears, and even with Chicago mounting a charge right before halftime and early in the second half, the Cowboys were able to fend off Chicago to get a comfortable 49-29 win. Running back Tony Pollard was the star of the game, filling in for an injured Ezekiel Elliott, but quarterback Dak Prescott and superstar linebacker Micah Parsons were big reasons for the W as well.

3. Dak Prescott

As the Cowboys head into their bye week, it’s safe to say the “start Cooper Rush” crowd is now silent.

In the Cowboys Week 8 win over the Bears, Prescott was efficient and effective on Sunday, going 21-of-27 for 250 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. He also ran five times for 34 yards and another score.

Since Prescott has come back from his injury, he’s been playing great and is a big reason the Cowboys continue winning. He’s also playing differently, leaving some of his hero-ball, gunslinger behavior at home and (mostly) making the smart and responsible play.

Whether the credit for that goes to Mike McCarthy for getting in Prescott’s ear, Kellen Moore for his new play-calling style, Cooper Rush for showing him the way, or Prescott himself for learning from his understudy, the change in Prescott is evident.

He is now more of a game-manager QB, and that’s OK. He has an incredible running game and defense around him, so that’s exactly what he should be right now. And later in the season vs. the Philadelphia Eagles or sometime in the playoffs, the old Dak can come back and win the Cowboys a big game.

For now, though, Prescott is not trying to do too much, and that’s a big reason Dallas has won the last two in a row.

2. Micah Parsons

It seems like there isn’t a week that goes by where you can’t credit Micah Parsons with being the best player on the field in a given game. The Cowboys Week 8 victory over the Bears was no exception.

Parsons “only” had four tackles and a fumble recovery in the game, but his presence on the field was immense. The Dallas D held Bears QB Justin Fields to 60 yards on the ground after he’d notched over 80 in each of the last two games.

The biggest play of the game, though, was Parsons’ 36-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

At that point, the Bears were on a 17-7 run, and the game, once a blowout was down to a 12-point Cowboys lead. That’s when Parsons recovered a David Montgomery fumble, realized Justin Field inexplicably never touched him when he jumped over the downed Cowboys defender, got up, and rumbled 36 yards for a TD.

It was a classic playmaker’s play that few players in the NFL would even think about making, let alone have the skill and athleticism to do it. It was a play for the Hall of Fame reel, and after just 24 games, it sure seems like that’s where Parsons will ultimately end up.

1. Tony Pollard

Tony Pollard was fantastic against the Bears in the Cowboys Week 8 win. He ran the ball 14 times for 131 yards, caught one ball for 16 yards, and scored three touchdowns. This doesn’t come as a surprise to the large (and growing) group of Cowboys fans who believe Pollard should be the starting back over Ezekiel Elliott.

The arguments for keeping Elliott as the starter have always been that Pollard has never had a starter’s workload and that Zeke is the superior pass-blocking back. Well, on Sunday, Pollard has a season-high number of carries (and tied his career high, per Pro Football Reference), and the Bears only sacked Dak Prescott once.

As the season goes along, Mike McCarthy needs to keep building up Pollard’s carries if, for no other reason than he is a free agent this offseason. The Cowboys need to see if he can handle being an every-down back, and if not, they don’t have to pay him next year.

If he is, though, the transition from Elliott to Pollard needs to start now because Jerry Jones will have to pay Pollard to keep him next season, and that may mean cutting Elliott, which would save the team $5 on the cap next season.

Prescott, McCarthy, and Jones obviously all love Elliott, but after being the best offensive player in the Cowboys Week 8 victory over the Bears, it is time to start giving Tony Pollard more of that love.