Cowboys vs Lions — Over/Under Reactions

This Sunday, the Detroit Lions head to AT&T Stadium to take on a returning Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. With that being said, let’s get started with some week 7 over/under reactions.

OVERREACTION: Dak Prescott will come out looking like an MVP

Dak Prescott comes under fire on a daily basis from the NFL community, the media, and even his own fan base. It is honestly astonishing to see the amount of criticism and negativity that is directed towards Prescott, but we all know why that is – because he is the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys, and his expectations are higher than any other player in the league.

In 2021, Prescott was having an MVP-level campaign as a quarterback through the first half of the season until he injured his calf. Even after the injury, the Cowboys finished the season 12-5, and Prescott threw for 4,449 yards, 37 touchdowns, and only 10 interceptions. Those are incredible numbers for a quarterback coming off a gruesome ankle injury the year prior, and while dealing with a nagging calf throughout the second half of the season.

Dak Prescott is the heartbeat of this team (Micah Parsons will back me up on this if you don’t believe me). Prescott is the future of this team as well, and there is zero evidence that suggests he isn’t. This Cowboys team has been able to stay afloat while Prescott has healed his thumb injury suffered in week one, and the Cowboys have seemingly found their identity along the way — by running the ball effectively, playing stout defense, and taking shots down the field when needed. This offense can only improve with Prescott under center, and I strongly believe that Dak will come out firing on all cylinders this Sunday and look like the MVP he was during the first half of the season last year.

https://twitter.com/clarencehilljr/status/1583174681246302208?s=46&t=FA81Uv4IUBlT_hG0KoR3Ug

UNDERREACTION: The Detroit Lions running game has me concerned

Lead by stud running backs D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, the Lions rushing attack is averaging 151.4 yards a game. While D’Andre Swift has missed the last few games dealing with injuries, he has returned to practice and seems to be trending towards playing this Sunday. If Swift does take the field this weekend, it is fair to wonder how much of a role he will play.

Nonetheless, the Cowboys’ defense clearly shows signs of weakness when it comes to stopping the run. So far this season, the Cowboys have allowed 566 rushing yards, and running backs are averaging 4.35 yards per carry against this defense. While those numbers aren’t putrid by no means, they certainly aren’t the greatest. We saw last week against the Eagles, the Cowboys were able to contain Jalen Hurts from hurting them with his legs, but they still allowed Philadelphia to rush for 136 yards and one touchdown.

The running game for the Lions isn’t the only thing that troubles me – the Lions are second overall in offense this year, just behind the Buffalo Bills. Detroit is averaging 28 points per game, meanwhile, the Cowboys rank in the bottom of the league in offense, only averaging 18 points per game. Now, that stat line is with Cooper Rush under center for the Cowboys, and I like to think that number will rise with Dak Prescott back in the lineup. Last year, the Cowboys had the #1 offense in the league, averaging 31 points per game.

We’ll see this Sunday how Dak Prescott and this Cowboys’ offense responds to the criticism they have faced during the first quarter of this season, and it will be exciting to see if this defense can maintain Detroit’s high-powered offense. If the Cowboys’ defense struggles to maintain the Lions’ offense, the Cowboys will need to lean on Dak Prescott to put up points. If that is the case, we may be looking at a potential shoot-out in Arlington.