NFL
By: Greg Rector
Detroit Lions (1-4) vs Dallas Cowboys (4-2) 1:00 PM AT&T Stadium CBS
Dallas Cowboys fans stop attacking Cooper Rush. No one saw a 4-1 record coming with Rush as the QB. Just say thank you. This would typically be the time to write about a Dallas Cowboys game at home that they likely lose to a weaker opponent. Not this time. The Detroit Lions are coming off their bye week and will get some bodies back ( D’Andre Swift and Amon-Ra St.Brown) however the Cowboys will counter with the return of the starting quarterback Dak Prescott. Coming off of a mistake-filled loss against the Eagles, the Cowboys will be in a snarly mood. This will be the first of four straight games against NFC North opponents for Dallas. Let’s look at this matchup.
Detroit Offense vs Dallas Defense
The Lions can put up points despite being shut out in their last game before their bye week by the Patriots. Getting their top running back and wide receiver back will help quarterback Jared Goff. Swift and Jamal Williams make a dangerous tandem coming out of the backfield. Let’s address a myth from the loss to the Eagles, yes Philadelphia had 139 yards rushing but averaged only 3.5 yards per carry against the Cowboys on 39 attempts. The Cowboys’ defense had to try and stop the Eagles who had excellent field position thanks to the turnovers and a horrible 4th down attempt in their own zone. It’s still not the run defense I want to see week in and week out. Defensive coordinator Dan Quinn for all the accolades he gets and deserves for other areas must get this unit to focus on being much better against the run. The Lions RBs will provide a good test. Goff is in the middle of the pack among quarterbacks in the passing game. he has 11TDs and 4 interceptions. The 4 sacks the Cowboys against Philadelphia give them a league-leading 24 on the season. Goff however has only been sacked 7 times so far and that has been an area of improvement for the Lions. This will be a matchup to watch the Lions’ young offensive line vs the Cowboys’ defensive line. Sorry Lions fans but if they can get 4 sacks against what many say is the best OL in the league, you better buckle up. There’s going to be an angry group of pass rushers to deal with. The Cowboys have defended tight ends quite nicely so TJ Hockenson might not be the best bet for fantasy owners this week. The one area Dallas must not repeat is the penalties, especially the unsportsmanlike conduct variety (Diggs and Parsons)
Detroit Defense vs Dallas Offense
The league’s worst defense is just the right opponent for the return of Dak Prescott. Simply put the Lions’ defense is putrid against the pass and the run. After missing the last five games and with the sting of an awful week one performance Prescott will be ready to roll Sunday afternoon. For the Ezekiel Elliott haters, 13 carries 81 yards (6.2 per attempt), and a TD against the Eagles’ potent defense, but yeah he’s washed, right experts? Those yards had Elliott join Cowboys legends Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith as the only Cowboys running backs with over 10,000 scrimmage yards. Look to see plenty of Zeke and Tony Pollard against this awful Lions run defense. In the passing game sure CeeDee Lamb is the WR1 and will get his fair share of targets, but for me, this will be a game Prescott finds Michael Gallup a lot as well. Lamb might be the first option but when Dak Prescott in his career has needed him most and in a game where building confidence is a key for him look for Prescott to seek out his most trusted target. The Cowboys may once again be without TE Dalton Schultz (PCL) so working with rookies Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot and building confidence with both would be good to see for Dak as well. The offensive line gave up pressures but zero sacks against the Eagles. Outside of rookie Aidan Hutchinson, one three-sack game the Lions aren’t getting to opposing quarterbacks. Something that should benefit Prescott in his return as well.
Prediction
The Cowboys weren’t blown out by the Eagles, they had a horrible 2nd quarter. They lost because of turnovers and the Eagles’ ground game that gave them a big edge on time of possession. I say it all the time you can’t win very often when your defense spends more than 50% of a game on the field. Thankfully the Detroit Lions are coming to town at the right time. An opponent that this Cowboys’ offense with their quarterback returning can build rhythm and confidence against combined. A decent offense but they will meet up with an angry group of Cowboys defenders. The easier part of the schedule is up on the Cowboys. By the way, many “experts,” had the Cowboys at 3-3 or 2-4 after six games (Not knowing Dak would miss 5 games) in their season outlooks, being 4-2 is a bonus. With that said I look for Dallas to come out on top with a 31 to 13 victory.
As always you can find me on Twitter @GregsCowboys
