NFL
By: Greg Rector
Dallas 5-4 at Detroit 3-5-1
Will it be Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde version of the Dallas Cowboys that show up in Motown? With the Eagles having to face that guy named Brady this week, this is a must-win to retake the division lead. Of course, these are the Cowboys who just love to play down to their opponents. Don’t count on them losing, go out and beat the Lions. Keep the control of the division in your own hands.
The Lions will most likely not have the services of Matthew Stafford, for this early game on Sunday. If Jeff Driskel, is the starter for the Lions that’s a bonus for the Cowboys. Stafford’s got some really good numbers this season, and would be motivated to beat his hometown team. They’re also very thin at running back. So will the defense stop them from rushing and force Driskel into being one dimensional? One would certainly hope that’s the case. The Lions biggest threats are Marvin Jones and Kenny Golladay, both receivers have had big games, it’s going to very important to have plenty of pressure on Driskel to force him to throw when he doesn’t want to, or better yet make him turn the ball over.
So I thought Matt Patricia was going to make the Lions better defensively. It hasn’t worked out at all. Third worst in the league giving up 402 yards per game. The Cowboys top-rated third-down offense at a 51% conversion rate, faces a Lions defense that is one of the worst on third downs, giving up first downs at a 45% rate. Combine that with the league-leading 437 yards of offense the Cowboys are averaging, and it should be a huge edge to Dallas. Prescott and his receiving corps should continue being successful this week. If he doesn’t pass for 350 plus yards it would have to be a bad day.
Of course, after witnessing this so many times already, will the Cowboys be awake for the 1:00 PM kickoff? The offense should be able to pad their stats against the Lions in a big way. Elliott could certainly use a huge game on the ground. These are the opponents he should be feasting on. This is the time to regain confidence, before traveling to Foxboro. Get out there and take care of business, stay away from injuries, and get focused on the annual two games for the Thanksgiving holiday, against two very solid defenses.
Prediction: Cowboys 34 Lions 17
You can find me on Twitter @GregCowboys
