(Photo: Yahoo Sports)
NFC Game Of The Week
Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys
Lions: I feel people still won’t give them their due credit. I said this a few times last year and I can say it once again. This isn’t the laughingstock of a football team that we saw all those years ago and they are very far removed from the historic 0-16 season in 2008. Their last game against the Seattle Seahawks showed me what type of football team they can be when they play at their full potential. A few weeks ago, I stated this team has an identity and they want to run the football. They also don’t hide from the fact they want to run it until you can do something to stop it. Then, you saw how they played when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in week two when the run was shut down and Tampa forced the game in the hands of Jared Goff. He threw the ball 55 times which isn’t the best recipe for winning. Last Monday night against Seattle, Jared was a perfect 18 of 18 for the entire game. When he doesn’t have to take games over in a shootout for the Lions, they win games in their fashion. The NFC has been interesting this year, to say the least. The Eagles haven’t been who many expected them to be, the 49ers look soft and have been struggling early on, and then, you have teams such as the Minnesota Vikings and Washington Commanders who have been strong out the gates and clicking early on, but don’t forget about Dan Campbell’s Lions. They made the NFC title game last year and are strong enough to get there again if healthy. This Sunday, they’ll face off with the Cowboys at JerryWorld.
Cowboys: Who are they? I ask this question for those trying to figure out just exactly who they are because I have a hard time figuring that out myself most of the time. When they struggle, I will always be one of the first to criticize them, but when they do well, I’ll also give them their props and credit. Let’s paint this picture. You’re preparing for a Sunday night game against another iconic franchise, but unfortunately, the game gets pushed back an hour later because of a weather delay. Plus, you’re the road team which does mean something in certain circumstances. The game on Sunday night wasn’t the prettiest, but as long as you come away with the win, that’s all that important at the end of the day and they did just that. Pittsburgh is never an easy place to play and I’d say this was the Cowboys’ best win of the season. When their backs were against the wall, they found a way to stay in the game. I was impressed with their defense and how they were able to keep that Pittsburgh offense in check even without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Even on the other side of the ball, Dak Prescott didn’t have the best numbers per se, but when he needed to deliver for his team, he did and he was flawless on that final drive that would put the Cowboys in the driver’s seat for the victory. Maybe that was the game they needed to turn things around. They return home on Sunday for a showdown with the Lions.
Lions X-Factor: Jameson Williams– It’s no surprise the Cowboys will do all they can to limit Amon-Ra St. Brown and keep him from being productive. Jared has another receiver to his advantage in Jameson and his speed is so essential to the Detroit offensive attack. Ben Johnson finds so many ways to get him the ball. Jameson is a playmaker with the ball in his hands. The Cowboys’ defense could have their work cut out for them on Sunday.
Cowboys X-Factor: Chauncey Golston– One thing I will say about the Cowboys is they know how to build a defense up. Chauncey was one of the better defensive players in the Big Ten during his college days with the Iowa Hawkeyes. At 6’5 and 268 pounds, he has great athleticism and punch to push himself forward at all times. He may not jump out at you on the screen, but he can have an impact when he’s on the field. Chauncey is a blue-collar guy that can play on the edge or the interior. Under Mike Zimmer, he’s been used more on the interior of the Defensive Line.
Final Thoughts: This should be a fun one and in their last six meetings, the Cowboys have been victorious. When these two met last year, there was a very controversial ending in which the refs claimed that Taylor Decker didn’t report as eligible. Here we are for the first time since then. There are a few matchups to watch in this game as always. The first is the Jared Goff against this Cowboys pass rush. What makes this Detroit offense click so well is Jared’s ability to get rid of the ball so quickly and with the ball out of his hands, that will neutralize a pass rush. The key for the Cowboys will be to generate a pass rush without blitzing and if that can happen, it’ll be a long day for the Quarterback, The other is the Dallas receivers against this Lions secondary which has been a bit up and down this year. This Detroit secondary must stay disciplined to prevent giving up big plays and Dallas on the other side can stretch the field and open up the middle for shorter passes, which will keep the Lions secondary on their heels. The final matchup I’m watching is the Lions’ ground attack against the Cowboys’ run defense which hasn’t been the best this year. It’s no secret that Gibbs and Montgomery are vital pieces of this offense and if they can establish a rhythm early, it’ll force the Dallas Linebackers to cheat up and open up opportunities with play action. I’m expecting a close contest here in week six and this game will come down to which team can keep their Quarterback protected. I think that will be Detroit and they’ll finally snap the losing streak to the Cowboys on Sunday.
Prediction: Lions 30, Cowboys 28
