There is a playoff atmosphere around Detroit as the Lions prepare to play the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field on Thursday night.
It’s a mixture of excitement and doom surrounding the second consecutive weekday game for teams on the periphery of the NFL playoff picture when kickoff time arrives.
Dallas (6-5-1) remains in a very precarious playoff position despite a three-game winning streak, while injury-riddled Detroit (7-5) is attempting to stop its slide down the NFC standings as the Lions have alternated wins and losses over their past eight games.
ODDS & TRENDS
The Lions are a consensus 3.0-point favorite, essentially due to being at home. With the teams entering this pivotal matchup with a clear difference in momentum of late, the Cowboys have been backed by 64% of the spread-line money at BetRivers.
The favorites have won each of the past eight meetings between these teams, while Detroit has covered the spread in 10 of its past 11 home games following a loss, according to the book. The Lions haven’t suffered back-to-back defeats since October 2022.
The 54.5 total points line has seen the Over draw 87% of the money. Each of Dallas’ past four road games have hit the Over.
PROP PICKS
–Cowboys WR George Pickens Anytime TD (+112 at BetRivers): Pickens enters with 8 receiving touchdowns, which is tied for third in the league. He has also reached the end zone in four of Dallas’ past five road games with opponents forced to pick their poison between Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.
–Lions RB David Montgomery Anytime TD (-105 at DraftKings): The physical back has scored at least one touchdown in five of Detroit’s past six games on Thursdays. While that may seem a someone random data point, Montgomery’s nose for the end zone is anything but random. He has 6 TDs on the season, including one against Green Bay last Thursday.
KEY STAT
The Cowboys have thrown 26 touchdown passes this season, tied for the second most in the NFL. By contrast, the Lions have allowed 25 touchdowns through the air, third-most in the league. That includes getting torched for four TD passes by Green Bay’s Jordan Love just last week.
INSIDE EDGE
Lions linebackers have missed only 9 tackles in 158 opportunities. That is the best rate in the NFL this season, according to Inside Edge’s Remarkable engine.
INJURY REPORT
The status of top wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown may not be determined until pre-game. Brown suffered an ankle sprain during the first quarter against the Packers when an offensive lineman rolled up on his leg. Brown has a team-leading 75 receptions, 884 yards and nine touchdowns this season.
“I know this, if he can play, he’ll play,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said.
Considering the Cowboys’ explosive passing attack, Brown’s availability could be crucial. Making things worse for the Lions is that cornerback Terrion Arnold was placed on injured reserve and ballhawking safety Kerby Joseph (knee) remains sidelined.
Starting offensive tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell, who are dealing with shoulder injuries, were among the Lions who didn’t practice on Tuesday. Offensive tackle Tyler Guyton (ankle) and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (hamstring) missed the Cowboys’ practice on Tuesday. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Clowney’s gameday status will come down to whether he can fully stretch out without discomfort in pre-game Thursday. He had two sacks against Kansas City.
THE NEWS
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott is on a proverbial heater, throwing eight touchdown passes and averaging 314 passing yards during the team’s current three-game winning streak. The tandem of Lamb and Pickens is presenting major headaches for defensive coordinators.
They combined for 13 receptions, 200 yards and a touchdown in Dallas’ 31-28 Thanksgiving Day win over Kansas City. And no team is giving quarterbacks more time to throw than the Lions (2.99 seconds), according to Next Gen Stats.
Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has been double- and triple-teamed of late, leaving Detroit defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard to mix up his pass-rush plans.
“When your name is called, if you draw a one-on-one, you have to win in this league if you want to be around,” Sheppard said. “And it’s just simple as that.”
In the past two games, opposing quarterbacks have seven touchdown passes and 600 total passing yards.
“I don’t think we’ve affected the quarterback to play any style,” Sheppard said.
The Lions embarrassed the Cowboys, 47-9, on Dallas’ home field last season, adding another element to Thursday’s contest. Lamb had 13 receptions for 227 yards and a touchdown against the Lions in 2023.
“We got the better of them and they got the best end of us last year, and that was not a pretty game,” Prescott said of the recent rivalry. “I’m definitely looking forward to just getting back out there, going to Detroit, having the group that we have and having to communicate in such a tough environment. But understanding we got to play physical. It’s going to be a four-quarter fight.”
With some upgrades at the trade deadline, the Cowboys defense has also shown improvement during the streak. Dallas still has plenty of work to do to stay in the postseason race, but sees only one team — the Los Angeles Chargers (8-4) — with a winning record the rest of the regular season.
“It’s going to be physical, it’s going to be long, it’s going to be hard,” Lamb said. “It’s a playoff game essentially. You’ve got the atmosphere, we’re playing away, I don’t think it gets any better especially with everyone in the whole world understanding the situation as far as us all wanting to be in the playoffs. It’s going to be fun. It’s going to be a good one.”
PLAYOFF PICTURE
Dallas is 3-4-1 in conference games and the Lions are 4-4, making Thursday even more important because of the tiebreaker rules. A head-to-head tiebreaker could become a factor in determining wild-card entries in the NFC. Dallas already lost to the Panthers (7-6) and Bears (9-3), while Detroit beat the Buccaneers (7-5) and lost to the Eagles and split two games against Green Bay.
The Lions have alternated wins and losses since Week 5. Detroit still has regular-season games against Chicago and the Los Angeles Rams (9-3), the teams currently vying for the top seed in the NFC.
THEY SAID IT
–“It’s a lot of good momentum, but it don’t mean nothing if we don’t go out and handle business. We gotta wash all that away, what we did. It’s week-to-week, and we got to just keep on proving ourselves, and getting ourselves out of the hole.” –Defensive lineman Kenny Clark of the Cowboys’ second-half push.
–“You can’t worry about the other teams that are out there, the other teams that are in front of you or what it looks like in the NFC. Just can’t. And it doesn’t matter. And shoot you win out, you might not get in. You don’t know. Maybe it only takes 11 (wins) to get in. I don’t know. But I know this: we’ve got to win this one.” — Campbell
PREDICTION
The reinforcements the Cowboys received on defense via the trade deadline and players returning from injuries has been key in upsets of Philadelphia and Kansas City the past two games. With Dallas’ scorching passing game going up against a soft pass rush and beleaguered secondary, Dallas keeps its momentum building with a fourth consecutive victory. –Cowboys 34, Lions 27
