Cowboys-Lions on ‘Thursday Night Football’: What We Learned from Detroit’s 44-30 win

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1. Lions stars stepped up in a huge victory, keeping Detroit’s playoff hopes alive. With their backs against the wall, the Lions’ offensive warhorses came alive at Ford Field on Thursday, helping hold off a ferocious Cowboys charge. The victory improves their playoff chances to 53%, per Next Gen Stats – and they’re in the field now, prior to Sunday’s games – but a loss would have dropped them to 18%. All week it looked like Amon-Ra St. Brown wouldn’t play, yet there he was, starting Thursday night and catching Jared Goff‘s first pass of the night – the first of six receptions for 92 yards in a gutsy performance. His biggest contributions came at the ends of both halves, catching key passes on Lions scoring drives, including a 37-yarder to set up Jahmyr Gibbs‘ third rushing TD of the game. Gibbs also caught seven passes for 77 yards, routinely making Cowboys defenders look foolish. David Montgomery , who’d seen a reduced role in recent games, joined his partner in crime in the end zone with a 35-yard TD romp and several tough runs. Jameson Williams also had a whale of a game, with several big catches. The Lions needed every one of their points from their stars, and they got them in a season-preserving victory.
2. Cowboys playoff chances took major hit in loss. The Cowboys’ resurgence has been a terrific late-season storyline, but their playoff chances took a serious hit Thursday night, with Next Gen Stats estimating their chances at a scant 8%. A win would have pushed them to 35%, but the Cowboys were in a trail position most of the night, struggling to stop an explosive Lions offense and committing two key turnovers that led to Lions scores. Jake Ferguson fumbled for the third time (losing his second) in the past five games, and his penalty offset what would have been a Lions defensive pass interference call, giving Dallas the ball at the Detroit 1-yard line; instead, the Cowboys settled for the third of five Brandon Aubrey field goals. Aubrey was amazing, but the Cowboys brought too many field goals to a touchdown fight. They fought hard, with Sam Williams‘ blocked field goal turning the momentum and Dak Prescott firing away until the end – even without his best receiver. But the Cowboys had too many breakdowns, and now they’re way on the outside looking in on the playoff field.
3. Lions defense generated the big plays they needed. After a pair of humbling defensive performances against the Giants and Packers, the Lions’ defense gave up some ground Thursday night but delivered some of the game’s most crucial plays. Jack Campbell had a huge game with a sack (ruled a safety before being overturned) and a terrific punchout of Jake Ferguson that led to a Lions TD. On the first play of the second half, Amik Robertson tipped a pass that was intercepted by Derrick Barnes for his first career INT and a run back to the Dallas 14-yard line, also followed by a Lions TD. Detroit’s pass rush set the tone early, with three first-half sacks, plus two more in the fourth quarter to help thwart Dallas’ comeback attempt. The biggest worry is now the health of the Lions’ safeties. Thomas Harper went down on the second defensive play, stretching the secondary thin, and then Brian Branch got hurt late in the fourth quarter. They’ll have the mini-bye now to rest, but losing either for any extended period would be a blow. 
4. After Lamb left, Flournoy – not Pickens – stepped up. CeeDee Lamb had been carving up the Lions’ secondary, with six catches for 121 yards, early in the third quarter when he fell hard after an incomplete pass in the end zone. Lamb was helped off and ruled out with a concussion, putting the spotlight on George Pickens , who only had two catches at that point and who failed to grab a ball that the Lions turned into a 27-9 lead after an interception. Pickens caught three passes on five targets for 22 yards after Lamb left and hurt his team with an offensive pass interference call that wiped out a 23-yard catch by Ryan Flournoy . Pickens was also lucky that his fumble inside the Detroit 5-yard line was recovered by his teammate, guard Tyler Smith, allowing the Cowboys to score a TD and make it a two-score game early in the third quarter. Dak Prescott started dialing in more on Flournoy, who had career highs in catches (nine) and receiving yards (155) in a breakout performance, even with a fumble down two scores late. Flournoy’s performance was great, but Pickens – a man seeking a massive contract in the offseason – couldn’t come up big with Lamb out of action.
5. Campbell’s aggression came out in other ways. A lot was made this week about the Lions’ recent struggles on fourth downs, failing to convert on their past seven attempts coming into Thursday. That streak remains alive, but only because – gasp! – the Lions didn’t go for it a single time on fourth down against the Cowboys. There were a few cases where Dan Campbell’s trademark aggression was put to the test. Leading, 10-6, early in the second quarter, Campbell opted to punt on fourth-and-2, and his defense rewarded him with a takeaway. Then midway through the third quarter, up, 27-16, Campbell sent out Jake Bates to make it a two-TD lead, but the try was blocked. There was no thought of going for it on fourth-and-9, either, with Detroit increasing its lead to 30-19 with just under 12 minutes left in the game. So you could say that Campbell played it conservatively on fourth downs, but his aggression came out in other forms. The Lions only ran the ball six times in the first half, taking the early lead and holding it. And when the Lions needed to protect the lead late, Campbell used plenty of heavy formations to grind out rushing yards, but he also play-action passed off that to a dagger of a 37-yard reception by Amon-Ra St. Brown with just under three minutes left. That wasn’t a gutsy call, however; it was trust in his elite playmakers to get the job done. Campbell coached a good game and got the Lions back on track. 

Next Gen Stats Insight for Cowboys-Lions (via NFL Pro): Lions CB D.J. Reed covered Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb on 13 snaps in Week 14, allowing receptions all five times he was targeted for 105 yards.

NFL Research: Jahmyr Gibbs and Hall Of Famer Barry Sanders are tied with the most touchdowns in NFL history (47) for a player prior to his 24th birthday.