By DaVince “Dino” Wright
Dallas Cowboys and the NFC East
The Dallas Cowboys are sitting in second place in the NFC East while in the 8th place spot for a playoff run. Yep… pretty much on the outside looking in right now. Dallas is on a 3-game winning streak with wins over Las Vegas, Philadelphia and Kansas City. Keep in mind that the Cowboys beat the two teams that played in the Super Bowl last season by a combined 6 points. Dallas will be tested in the Detroit Thursday night and will win. Dallas is 2 games behind the Philadelphia Eagles who by the way are on a 2-game losing streak right now. The Cowboys defense has played lights out since beating the Raiders on 11/17. The defense is giving up an average of 22 points in the last 3 games while giving up an average 31 points per contest in their first 9 games of the season.
Major Changes on the Defense
The Cowboys have found a way to play some solid defense. The defense was the problem and getting the correct players into the right spot was the problem and now the team has been playing tough on the line of scrimmage. The only problems that I see on this team are costly penalties and playing flex defense. Since playing the new defensive tackles and linebacker, the Dallas defense has a sense of nastiness for stopping the run and creating havoc for opposing offenses. The secondary has played better than expected over the last 3 games. They haven’t been giving up as many big passing plays down the field. Solid tackling has become the rallying crying for the defense!
Game Info
Dallas Cowboys vs Detroit Lions
Thursday – December 4 – 7:15 p.m.
TV: PRIME VIDEO
Ford Field – Detroit, MI
Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1, 2-4 Away)
The Cowboys are 3-2 in their last 5 games with wins over the Raiders, Eagles and Chiefs. The offense is still tops in the NFL, averaging 29.3 points per game while the defense is giving up 28.5. The offense is led by Dak Prescott, George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, JaVonte Williams and Jake Ferguson. These are the players that opposing defenses game plan for while Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Tolbert catch key passes in clutch times. The offense is one of the best offenses in the league now that the play calling is a lot better as of late. The defense is solid and creating turnovers will be job one for the team. Dallas has only one interception for a touchdown this season and 28 total sacks right now. The team is gelling at the right time.
Detroit Lions (7-5, 4-2 Home)
The Lions are trying to find some consistency right now. Since head coach Dan Campbell took over play calling, the team has been a bit erratic on offense. The Lions are 2-3 in their last 5 games with wins over the Commanders and Giants. The Lions will eventually make the playoffs, and they play tough at home. Players to watch: QB Jared Goff, RB Jamir Gibbs, WR Amon St. Brown and DE Aiden Hutchinson. These guys are the players that will be the focus for a Lions win at home this week. The Lions need a win to keep up in the NFC North. They are currently in 3rd place in the division right now.
Prediction
ESPN has the Lions with a 62.0% chance of winning at home. Believe it or not they are favorite because they are a good home team with only 2 losses there this season. That means nothing right now. Dallas will get a 6-point victory and tighten the close race in their own division. This game will come down to how well the defense plays. Detroit is falling fast right now on both sides of the ball.
Final Score
Cowboys – 33
Lions – 27
