5 things to watch: Lions at Cowboys
The Detroit Lions hit the road for four of their next five contests starting this afternoon in Dallas against the Cowboys.
Dallas has had Detroit's number the last two years these teams have met and Detroit will be looking to flip the script and get a big NFC win that could have playoff implications later on.
Here are five things to watch out for in today's intraconference matchup:
1. Slowing down Lamb
The Cowboys have the No. 2 passing offense in the NFL averaging 271.6 yards per game. All-Pro wide receiver CeeDee Lamb is quarterback Dak Prescott's top weapon with 25 receptions for 378 yards and a couple scores.
Detroit's coming off a win over Seattle in which they allowed 395 passing yards to the Seahawks, but they also didn't have safety Brian Branch (illness) for that game. Branch is off the injury report this week and could make a huge impact Sunday in Dallas.
Lamb had 13 receptions for 227 yards and a touchdown in Dallas' Week 17 win over Detroit last season. They have to do a much better job limiting him this time around.
2. Team health
The Lions had a little bit of an injury scare Thursday at practice when safety Kerby Joseph injured a hamstring and was listed as a limited participant, but the third-year safety was a full participant in practice Friday and does not carry a game designation into today's contest.
That means the Lions are the healthiest they've been all year. No player on the active roster carried an injury designation into the game.
Joseph has been one of Detroit's biggest playmakers on defense early in 2024. He leads the team with three interceptions with all three coming in the Lions' end zone to take scoring opportunities away from the Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks in Lions wins.
Going against one of the better passing attacks in the NFL in Dallas, Detroit will have its full complement of players in the secondary with Branch back alongside Joseph in the back end of Detroit's defense.
3. Can Goff keep rolling?
Jared Goff completed all 18 passes he attempted in the Lions' Week 4 win over the Seattle, an NFL record for most completions in a game without a miss.
Goff has now completed 19 straight passes overall and needs to open today's game against the Cowboys with seven straight completions to break the NFL record of 25 straight completions held by Ryan Tannehill, Marcus Mariota, Philip Rivers and Nick Foles.
"He knows exactly what we're looking for, he knows what the bad looks are too," Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said of Goff this week. "He knows why each play is being called and the premier look for that play, but he also knows what could give us some issues, and so just his general awareness of how to make things right now when I'm not timing things up quite right – it's been really impressive.
"And so, we're getting into our own rhythm, just our week to week, what does a Tuesday look like as we're starting into the week, a Wednesday, Thursday, and he and I like to close the door in the early evenings and just make sure we're squared away. And so, I think we're getting into a nice groove between the two of us as well."
4. Quick start
Starting strong is always the goal, but there's even more emphasis on starting fast and playing with the lead given how good Dallas has been holding on to leads late over the years.
Opponents have had success this season when they jump on the Cowboys early. Dallas is 0-2 this season when trailing at the half and 3-0 when leading. Since 2021, Dallas is 31-2 when they lead at halftime, the most wins and highest win percentage (.939) of any team in the league during that span.
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Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions tackle Penei Sewell (58) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker (2) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions linebacker James Houston (41) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions defensive lineman Alim McNeill (54) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions offensive lineman Graham Glasgow (60) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions cornerback Khalil Dorsey (30) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo (94) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions defensive lineman Aidan Hutchinson (97) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions tight end Sam LaPorta (87) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions defensive lineman Kyle Peko (96) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions defensive back Brian Branch (32) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions cornerback Carlton Davis III (23) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions wide receiver Allen Robinson (8) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions cornerback Kindle Vildor (29) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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Detroit Lions cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (15) during practice at the Meijer Performance Center in Allen Park, MI on October 11, 2024. (Jeff Nguyen/Detroit Lions)
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5. Navigating the unknown with the Cowboys' defense
The Cowboys are banged up on defense and will be without their two best players on that side of the football – Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. They've suffered other injuries to their front seven that might leave them without their top four edge rushers in today's contest.
But Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer has been doing this a long time and he tends to get the most out of the players he does have on the field with his creative looks and double-A gap blitzes. He's good at creating confusion upfront, which is why it's huge Detroit gets All-Pro center Frank Ragnow (pectoral) back for this one after he missed Detroit's Week 4 win over Seattle.
In Dallas' Week 5 win over Pittsburgh, backup edge rushers Chauncey Golston, Tyrus Wheat and Carl Lawson all recorded half sacks, so despite the absences, Zimmer is still finding ways to get his players to the quarterback.
