The Cowboys will look to bounce back in front of their home crowd Sunday when they welcome the Detroit Lions to town.
Dallas is sitting pretty in the NFC playoff picture with a 4-2 record. They enter week seven as the sixth seed and will look to add to the win column against a struggling Detroit team.
The Lions are sitting at 1-4 on the season but have had two weeks to prepare for this game, coming off a bye, while the Cowboys look to rebound after sustaining their second loss of the year to the Eagles last week.
No starter has been declared for the game yet, but Dak Prescott was medically cleared on Wednesday and has taken most of the first-team reps in practice.
The offense should find plenty of success against this defense regardless of who starts Sunday. They have allowed 170 points this season, the most in football, and teams are feasting and scoring at will.
Rhamondre Stevenson had this way in the Lions’ 29-0 loss before the bye week; he rushed for 161 yards on 25 carries. Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard could be in for a huge afternoon.
On the flip side, outside of the goose egg against New England, the Lions’ offense has been moving the ball effectively.
They average the second-most yards (411.8) and the third-most points (28) per game this season. Amon-Ra St. Brown and D’Andre Swift (assuming he plays this week) can cause problems for the Dallas defense.
The offensive line has been one of the best units in football. They have given up the least amount of sacks this season, so another good test is in store for Micah Parsons and the rest of the pass rush.
This game might come down to who creates the first turnover. I understand the numbers behind the Lions’ offense, but I compare it to the Cowboys’ defense from 2020, a team that seemed to lose if they did not score 35 points a game.
Expect the Lions to try and run the football to open up big plays down the field for Jared Goff. They are a team desperate for a victory, and Dan Campell always has his team ready to play.
The record might not show it, but the team competes every time they take the field.
The Cowboys cannot take this game lightly, whether it is Prescott or Cooper Rush. Please get off to a fast start; if a drive ends in a kick, that is a win for Detroit.
The Lions played both the Eagles and Vikings tough; they lost by a combined seven points. Outside of the game against the Patriots, teams need to score over 30 to beat them.
Can the Cowboys keep this a low-scoring game and win by running the football and playing good defense? I think they can, but this is not a team you can overlook. This 1-4 team could easily be 3-2.
A big day is ahead for Pollard and Zeke and if Dak plays it could be a nice first game back against this defense. I’ve got the Cowboys 26-21.