Dallas quarterback Tony Romo hoping to rebound from loss to Eagles.

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — If the Dallas Cowboys can avoid another late-season letdown, they can reach a significant goal: the NFC East title.

The first step is getting past the Chicago Bears tonight.

They are a game behind Philadelphia in the NFC East after getting blown out 33-10 by the Eagles on Thanksgiving and have another showdown with them next week that could be for the division lead.

Before Dallas (8-4) can worry about that, there’s the matchup with the struggling Bears (5-7) at Soldier Field.

“It’s hard to get to this point in the year and be 8-4 and right in the middle of the hunt,” tight end Jason Witten said. “I think you play long enough like I have you respect the opportunity that you have and where you are positioned. So I am excited about that.”

Bears tight end Martellus Bennett acknowledged he and Witten were not exactly best friends when they were teammates in Dallas. Part of that stems from the fact that he was a young player looking for an opportunity to contribute that was not there with a veteran ahead of him.

“Every single year there’s a lion coming out of college,” Bennett said. “And every single year there’s an old guy in the NFL who’s a gazelle. And every single morning the gazelle wakes up because the gazelle has to run, otherwise the lion catches it. So every single morning the lion wakes up he chases the gazelle. In that situation I was the lion. I didn’t catch the gazelle, though. I had to go to another jungle.”

Bennett had 85 receptions in four seasons with the Cowboys (2008-11). He made a big jump with the New York Giants in 2012, catching 55 passes, and has emerged as one of the top players at his position in two seasons with the Bears. Bennett is tied with Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski for the league lead among tight ends with 65 catches and has 737 yards receiving.

The Cowboys last made the playoffs in 2009, and they have struggled in recent years once December arrived.

In 2011, they dropped four of their final five. A year later, they dropped their final two games after taking the first three in December. Last year, they lost three of their last four.

All three seasons they wound up 8-8, and anything less than a playoff appearance would be a big letdown for a team that started 6-1.