Brandon Marshall is finding a balance in Bears offense

Brandon Marshall just had his best game in a Bears uniform.

Seven catches, a season-best 138 receiving yards and a 38-yard touchdown reception against the Dallas Cowboys in a resounding 34-18 win on Monday night more than made up for average outings in consecutive weeks.

While it was the type of performance that’s expected to come from the Bears’ No. 1 receiver, Marshall said he knows there will be games where it’s not his time to shine, though.

And, he’s OK with it.

“The balance is, yeah I want the ball every time, I want the ball every single play, but I’m wiser now and I know that there’s going to be weeks when a team is going to take me out of the game, and there may be weeks when Alshon [Jeffrey] will be the guy,” Marshall said Wednesday. “There may be one-on-one coverage all across the board, but it may be Alshon’s day or Devin [Hester’s] day. So as long as we’re winning games, I’m going to be happy.”

Marshall, who leads the Bears with 352 receiving yards and 23 catches through four games, said “we check our egos at the door.”

“I have a nice contract; I’m on a nice team; I’m pretty secure, so the only thing I don’t have is wins,” he said. “So that’s what checks my ego at the door. [It’s] being in this position and knowing we have a good chance to win and doing some big things.

“So at the end of the day, whether I put up 100 catches or 80, as long as we’re winning, that’s all that matters. I do know the NFL is about production and what have you done for me lately, so I’ve got to keep myself in position to make those plays when they come to me.”

Against the Cowboys, that included being able to stroll into the end zone untouched.

“It’s been awhile since I’ve had a play that was that wide open,” Marshall said. “I was very excited to get a touchdown like that.”

Marshall, though, seemed more enthused that Hester finally scored. After grabbing headlines for saying he wants the ball more, Hester had three receptions for 38 yards, including a key diving touchdown catch, against Dallas.

“It’s one of those things where we work together,” Marshall said of Hester’s touchdown. “We’ve hit that play a few times this year. On that particular play, they collapsed on me because we’ve hit it a few times, and it left Devin so wide open. Now, defensive coordinators and defensive guys, they have to pay attention to that.”