Operating again Jahmyr Gibbs scored three touchdowns to energy the Detroit Lions to a 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys in a pivotal end that retains the Lions on the hunt for a Wild Card berth within the NFC.
A sloppy exhibiting on each side felt just like the Week 14 “Thursday Evening Soccer” matchup at Ford Area was heading within the path of a runaway Lions win, however the Cowboys – hoping to outlive a three-game win streak and late-season playoff aspirations – would not go down simple.
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Cowboys (6-6-1) quarterback Dak Prescott (31/47, 376 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT) saved the group alive by discovering receiver Ryan Flournoy in damaged protection down the sideline within the fourth quarter. A two-point conversion move to tight finish Jake Ferguson introduced the rating to 30-27, Detroit.
Lions (8-5) quarterback Jared Goff answered with a strike to speedy huge receiver Jameson Williams for a achieve of 33 yards, with a Cowboys roughing penalty bringing the ball half the space to the objective.
Gibbs powered to the objective line for his second landing of the sport to place the Lions again up by double digits a number of performs later. Gibbs completed with 120 all-purpose yards within the win (43 dashing, 77 receiving).
Prescott drove the offense all the way down to the Lions’ purple zone regardless of going through waves of pass-rush stress. With below 4 minutes to go, a questionable offensive move interference was referred to as on Ferguson to halt the prospect for a landing to reply. Brandon Aubrey kicked his fifth subject objective of the night time to deliver the deficit to seven.
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Lions wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t follow all week after spraining his left ankle on Thanksgiving, however he got here alive for Goff in a giant method. No play was larger than his 37-yard reception to increase the Detroit drive that drained the fourth quarter clock after the Dallas landing. St. Brown hauled in 92 receiving yards on six receptions.
The play was the sixth “explosive” play of at the least 25 yards for the Lions’ offense.
Gibbs skipped into the tip zone for his hat-trick landing to increase the result in the ultimate tally.
Prescott was sacked for the fifth time and intercepted for the second to place the sport on ice simply after the two-minute warning.
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We transfer into our “Winners & Losers” evaluation by specializing in the way by which Prescott dedicated this ultimate turnover.
Beginning left sort out Tyler Guyton was out for the second straight week, leaving the Cowboys’ Nate Thomas to fend for himself towards the man with the second-most pressures within the league coming into Week 14 in edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson – who has been elite in his return from a damaged leg suffered in Detroit’s sport towards Dallas final season. Thomas was pummeled all through.
The ultimate rating may have been a number of ticks worse for the Cowboys if a security on the fringe of the objective line wasn’t over turned again within the first quarter.
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A brilliant spot on the offensive line was Tyler Smith’s fumble restoration on the objective line to save lots of a landing drive, however Prescott was hounded for almost all of the night time, resulting in out-of-system misconnections to receivers and 5 sacks. Detroit edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad had three of these sacks.
The All-Professional kicker was all of Dallas’ first-half offensive manufacturing on the scoreboard … and he was nearly probably the most thrilling participant to observe for the Cowboys all through the sport. Aubrey hit three subject objectives from 57, 42 and 55 yards within the first two quarters because the Cowboys trailed 20-9 on the half.
Within the third quarter, Aubrey hit his sixth-career 60+-yard subject objective, this one from 63. He now owns three of the 5 longest subject objectives in NFL historical past.
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Aubrey’s second make was his one centesimal of his stellar two-and-a-half-year profession. His 47 video games performed ties Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker for the fewest to succeed in 100 profession subject objectives in NFL historical past.
The pattern dimension additionally qualifies Aubrey for the NFL profession effectivity file guide, the place he’s now the second-most correct field-goal kicker in NFL historical past (90.1 % accuracy) behind the Chargers’ Cameron Dicker (93.6 %).
We hate to be a damaged file, however at this level it is laborious to think about how Aubrey’s upcoming extension can proceed to extend in worth and necessity.
The Cowboys had 4 crucially expensive penalties in a primary half the place the offense struggled to reside as much as it is league-best statistical customary.
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KaVontae Turpin issued a pretend honest catch sign (his second such penalty in as many weeks). Jake Ferguson coughed up the Cowboys’ first turnover as he fumbled the ball to the Lions, who capitalized with a David Montgomery dashing landing. Ferguson then offset what would’ve been Dallas’ longest play of the half (a move interference that will’ve put the Cowboys contained in the five-yard line) with unlawful arms to the face.
Then, the protection could not comprise the Lions’ up-tempo assault on the finish of the second quarter as Detroit hustled downfield with ease to arrange a subject objective by Jake Bates to retake a two-possession lead on the break. A sack of Prescott significantly restricted the Cowboys offense from draining extra day without work the clock in a two-for-one state of affairs the place Dallas would obtain the ball to begin the third quarter.
… However two performs into the second half, a slant to Pickens was damaged up and intercepted for the second Cowboys giveaway of the sport. It arrange Detroit’s second touchdown-off-turnover rating: an Isaac TeSlaa reception to place Detroit up 27-9.
Miscues and missed alternatives galore. Dallas was nonetheless on this sport, however it’s a must to determine that issues may have been even nearer with a cleaner begin.
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The Cowboys’ star receiver took benefit of a banged-up Detroit secondary by being Prescott’s high goal downfield for six receptions and 121 yards. It is the fifth time – and third straight sport – the place Lamb has posted at the least 100 receiving yards.
He confronted a scare, nonetheless, when he landed laborious on a shoulder whereas making an attempt to make a circus catch in the long run zone within the third quarter. He didn’t play for the remainder of the collection and headed to the locker room as Javonte Williams rushed for a landing to make the rating 27-16 in favor of the Lions.
Lamb was identified with a concussion and didn’t return.
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Flournoy (9 receptions, 115 yards, TD) picked up some slack, however George Pickens (bonus loser) was quiet with simply 37 yards on 5 catches. He caught flack on social media after the sport after quite a few examples of a scarcity of hustle and seemingly uninterested physique language in vital conditions.
The Lions’ one-two punch of Gibbs and Montgomery within the backfield is among the hardest dashing assaults to organize for, however it was largely Gibbs’ skill as a pass-catcher that gave the Cowboys probably the most matches.
Within the first half alone, Gibbs discovered area beneath for 5 catches and 63 yards receiving; he was Detroit’s main receiver, with St. Brown banged-up and easing into issues to begin the sport.
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Montgomery pitched in with a team-high 60 dashing yards – 35 of which got here on his lone landing.
Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus was referred to as out by ESPN this week for nonetheless having “one thing to show” regardless of the indicators of progress throughout Dallas’ three-game win streak submit bye … however Thursday did not bode properly for conserving the great instances rolling.
It in the end will not be a crushing outcome for Eberflus’ tenure in Dallas (would not you need to see him handle a full offseason and schedule with Quinnen Williams & Co.?), however it would not assist conserving the critics quiet.
The Cowboys working again by no means pulled off any flashy chunk performs, however he displayed his trademark physicality with 67 dashing yards on 17 carries.
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On his third-quarter landing, Williams reached the 45 dashing yards wanted to surpass 1,000 for the season. It is the primary time the fifth-year man has rushed for over 1,000 yards in his profession.
A Cowboys win would have leapt Dallas over Detroit within the convention standings, however quite than rising to a 39 % of creating the playoffs, the loss drops Dallas’ postseason odds to 9 %, based on the Amazon Prime broadcast.
Detroit now improves to a 55 % likelihood at sneaking into the postseason as a Wild Card behind the NFC North-leading Chicago Bears, who sit because the No. 1 seed coming into the remainder of Week 14. With a loss, the Lions’ playoff odds would have plummeted to 19 %.
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It is a 2-1 end for the Cowboys within the three-game “gauntlet” towards the Tremendous Bowl opponents and Detroit, however there stays a number of work to be performed for Dallas extending its season.
Up subsequent is “Sunday Evening Soccer” in exhibiting in Arlington towards the 4-8 Minnesota Vikings on Dec. 14.
