Michael Irvin’s home kept exploding into heartbreak long after the Dallas Cowboys fell to the Chicago Bears 31-14. Lights on, Irvin under the sheets, and Zues, his loyal dog, resting his head gently on Irvin’s knee. That was the setup for the legendary former Cowboys wide receiver as he watched TV, trying to take his mind off the defeat his team suffered at Soldier Field. After that loss, Irvin could barely hold it together, and neither could Zues. 

Michael Irvin let the world in on his pain with an Instagram reel: “Even my buddy Zues knows how much I am hurting after ANOTHER @DALLASCOWBOYS LOSS! He loves me so much he even has a tear in his eye. 🙏🏾❤️”

The image stuck: a single teardrop streaming down Zues’ face as Irvin lamented the game. Both wrung out by another gut punch from America’s Team.

Zues leaned in as Irvin slumped in defeat, a raw scene that drew likes from Micah Parsons and Troy Aikman. Pat McAfee joined the wave, and soon man and dog in shared agony went viral.

Chicago, meanwhile, didn’t play like an NFC North underdog.

Ben Johnson unleashed an offensive wrath on the Cowboys as Caleb Williams threw four touchdowns. Williams torched them with 298 yards on 19-of-28 passing, a career-best 142.6 rating, while Rome Odunze added a 35-yard dagger. Beyond the stats, Williams played with icy confidence, cracking Dallas wide open—and breaking hearts back in Texas.

The Cowboys sputtered. Even a highlight–Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott’s short touchdown to wide receiver George Pickens–couldn’t shift the momentum. Pickens had a viral sideline meltdown, smashing his helmet after a costly drop.

The offense posted two turnovers and managed only 253 yards. The defense collapsed entirely, and the Bears made the most of it. And if losing on the scoreboard didn’t sting enough, it wasn’t the only steep price the Dallas Cowboys paid for their Week 3 outing.

Injuries and a grim future: the high cost of Week 3

Star receiver CeeDee Lamb limped off the sideline in the first quarter after Bears linebacker Noah Sewell stepped on Lamb’s leg, twisting Lamb’s ankle. He was questionable to return. But did ignite hope with a brief appearance at the start of the second quarter. But that’s all it was. A brief spark of hope as he went back to the bench after one drive.

On the other side of the ball, cornerback Trevon Diggs and defensive tackle Kenny Clark also needed medical attention. Diggs injured his shoulder, and Clark went down with an ankle injury. Questionable at first, neither of them returned to the field.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones tried to sell optimism, calling the squad a “playoff team,” but the stats shredded hope. The Cowboys didn’t just fall 1-2; without CeeDee Lamb, the offense lost its firepower, throwing doubts on their future. The defense, on the other hand, gave up chunks that never would have happened in the years before.

Under Micah Parsons, rush defense was never an issue. But now, those days are over. Dallas can’t lean on nostalgia, and Matt Eberflus needs to stop using it as an excuse to dodge reality.

As Tom Brady summed it up during the live coverage, “There’s not enough guys in the rush, and certainly no coverage. Another wide-open receiver. Matt Eberflus is just looking for answers over there. Not rushing well, not covering well, not knowing their way on defense.”

This, in essence, led the Bears to their 31 points. If the defense was better, Prescott might have had less pressure to bridge the lead and claw out a second victory of the season.

Looking ahead, the narrative has clearly shifted. Instead of hopeful playoff talk, the Cowboys Nation is watching team depth erode and the locker room culture tested. With the Green Bay Packers looming and Micah Parsons set to face his former squad in Week 4, the next chapter feels the greatest test. Dallas needs answers.

George Pickens will step up for CeeDee Lamb, but will face more pressure than ever. The defense, meanwhile, has to recalibrate again. Michael Irvin and Zues have set the scene perfectly: every moment matters for Big D, not chasing identity while heartbreak lingers in the shadows. What’s next? Hopefully, fewer tears across the Cowboys Nation…