After coming off of a tough loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys look towards their next opponent, the Detroit Lions. This game should be filled with much excitement for fans due to the potential return of Quarterback Dak Prescott.
The Cowboys will look forward to playing their next four games against NFC North opponents. That's right, the Cowboys will be playing only NFC North teams for the next four weeks.
Now although many fans look at the Lions as a bad team this year, it's still important to have a game plan for the upcoming Sunday. Anything can occur, especially when you're playing an imbalanced team like the Lions.
The first thing to look at is their strengths. The Lions have one of the best offenses averaging 28 points per game (which used to be 35 points per game until last week). Quarterback Jared Goff has looked much sharper this year than others, with a total of 1,361 passing yards on the year.
While their offense is great and sometimes a factor to make other teams worry, the Cowboys' defense is just too good this year to let the Lions get a lead. One of the Lions' weaknesses is that Jared Goff sits in the pocket way too long. This matter will lead to sacks and pressure from the Cowboys.
I wouldn't be surprised if players like Linebacker Micah Parsons or Defensive End Dorance Armstrong Jr. get to Goff more than once this game for some sacks.
Another large weakness the Lions have is their defense. The Lions rank 32nd overall in points allowed per game with 34.0. Even though for the 2022 NFL Draft the Lions picked up “superstar” Defensive End Aiden Hutchinson. Somehow their defense remained the same and/or declined this year despite focusing on it during the draft.
This is something the Cowboys can take over. The weak defense is going to be great for Dak Prescott in his return because it can somewhat be a “semi-practice” for him. Fans will be able to see if Dak has improved over the last couple of weeks or if his playing style has declined.
Another weak trait the Lions have is the ability to rush the quarterback. The Lions only have seven sacks on the year and struggle to put pressure on the opposing quarterback. This is also good practice for our offensive line. This poor rushing style will help our line learn more about how to protect Dak and not let his thumb hit the helmet of a player… again.
With that said, the Lions are good at something on offense, and that's their offensive line. While the Lions' defense has only recorded seven sacks, the offensive line has only given up seven sacks to their opponents.
Yes, I know I stated earlier how Jared sits in the pocket too long on plays, but the offensive line skill is the reason for only seven sacks allowed. It's gonna be hard for our defenders to bust through but I still believe our players have more skill than them on that matter.
While this seems like an easy win, the Cowboy staff should always be prepared for anything when facing this team. If the Cowboys can learn to stay organized against this team, then a win is even more probable.
