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How much of a role did the weather play in the loss to the Bears? Brandon Marshall thinks it played a big role, and that the Cowboys had already lost before they had played their first snap.
Remember how prior to Monday night's game we got constant updates on what the weather would be like in Chicago, how the Cowboys were packing 3,000+ pounds of extra equipment for the weather, and which players were going to go sleeveless? Heck, Cowboys equipment manager Mike McCord was even featured in the pre-game portion of the MNF broadcast.
Brandon Marshall says he knew during pregame warmups that the weather had already beaten the Cowboys.
"We beat Dallas last night before the game started," Marshall said Tuesday during the "Jay Cutler Show" on ESPN 1000. "When it was [receiver] Alshon [Jeffery], myself, Earl Bennett and some of the other guys outside warming up pregame, there was only a handful of Dallas players. I looked around and I said, 'Man, we've got these guys.' "
The Soldier Field temperature at kickoff was 8 degrees, with a wind chill of minus 9 and 14 mph winds. And while that is cold even by Chicago standards, the Chicago players went about their business as usual, with QB Josh McGown the only Chicago starter on offense to play with long sleeves. Not so the Cowboys, who only showed up sparingly on the field for pregame warmups, according to Marshall.
"The elements were already in their heads," Marshall said. "So pregame, I believe that we won. I'm pretty sure there [would have been] more guys out there if it wasn't colder, but they weren't out there. For us, once you start putting on sleeves and start doing things differently, you buy into the elements and the game is over."
Dez Bryant said after the game that he didn't think the weather "was too much of a factor," and Jason Garrett concurred:
"I don’t know what the weather was to be honest," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "The field was good. It was cold, but it seemed like everyone handled the ball pretty well."
Bears tight end Martellus Bennett was a little more forthcoming:
"I just felt like a popsicle the whole time."
There are a lot of reasons why the Cowboys lost, and with the benefit of hindsight, almost anything can be interpreted as having had a role in predetermining the outcome of the game. Do you think the weather played a significant role in the loss on Monday, or is this just Captain Hindsight making his appearance?
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