For the fifth time this season, the Detroit Lions are coming off a loss. The four previous times this season, they’ve pulled out the win (though some of them, like Nov. 23’s overtime thriller over the NY Giants, have been less pretty than others) the following week. All that has kept the Lions without a losing streak — of even two games — since October 2022, a span of more than three years.
Not bad for a franchise that once lost 19 in a row over parts of three seasons.
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams strips the ball from Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff and recovers the fumble during the second half at AT&T Stadium, Oct. 23, 2022 in Arlington, Texas.SCOUTING THE GAME: Lions vs Cowboys game prediction, key matchups, who has the edge
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCan the Lions contain MVP candidate Dak Prescott and keep their skid-free streak going for another couple of weeks? Six Free Press sports writers have some thoughts:
Dave Birkett
This feels like a must-win game if the Lions want to make the playoffs, but I think this matchup favors the Cowboys. Dallas has played well since upgrading its defense at the trade deadline and Cowboys DTs Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark could make life difficult on the Lions' interior line.
The Cowboys can score points with the league's best passing game, and the Lions are thin in the secondary. They need to control the ball and have a big day from running back Jahmyr Gibbs to avoid their first losing streak in more than three years, but I don't see that happening. The pick: Cowboys 30, Lions 21.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCarlos Monarrez
The Lions are shorthanded on offense and defense, while Dallas and its second-ranked scoring offense is playing better defense and some of its best all-around football and coming off impressive wins against Philadelphia and Kansas City.
The Cowboys, meanwhile, say they aren’t interested in getting revenge for last year’s 47-9 mollywhopping in Dallas. Mm-hmm. Sure. They have a new coach, but they also have a lot of the same players who haven’t forgotten about the worst beatdown they suffered last season. The pick: Cowboys 47, Lions 19.
Christian Romo
The Lions are a seven-win team playing for their playoff lives. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are a six-win team that nobody in the NFL wants to face right now. How does that compute? With the Lions at home and even more desperate for a win, they'll find a way to squeak it out in prime-time. The pick: Lions 28, Cowboys 27.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementRainer Sabin
The Lions haven’t lost two consecutive games since October 2022. But Detroit is reeling after a horrible, no good, very bad week. The sting from a Thanksgiving Day defeat to Green Bay was compounded by the jolting news of Frank Ragnow’s failed physical that scuttled his retirement comeback and cornerback Terrion Arnold’s sudden move to injured reserve.
At 7-5, the Lions are just fighting to make the playoffs. Now, they face the surging Cowboys, who have won three straight and defeated last season’s Super Bowl participants – Philadelphia and Kansas City – in back-to-back games. Expect Dallas, with its potent offense, to stir up even more trouble for the Lions this Thursday. The pick: Cowboys 35, Lions 28.
Jeff Seidel
The Lions have struggled to protect Jared Goff and too often he doesn't seem comfortable. It's not going to get any easier in this game, facing defensive tackle Quinnen Williams. On the other side of the ball, I'm not sure how the Lions have enough healthy defensive backs to cover George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementMaybe the Lions will pull out all kinds of trick plays and turn this into a shootout. But with the loss of tight end Sam LaPorta and a banged-up Amon-Ra St. Brown (whether he plays or not, he won't be 100%)at wide receiver, I can't see the Lions keeping up with the Cowboys. The pick: Cowboys 31, Lions 28.
Shawn Windsor
This isn't a must-win, not by math. The Lions can probably make the playoffs with 11 wins, which means they'll need to win out after losing to Dallas. That said, I'm picking the Cowboys so the Lions will win. Narcissistic? Of course. I have that kind of power.
The problem is I'm not always the biggest fan of myself, and that makes me a kind of anti-narcissist, and that may mess with the karma I'm trying to induce here. So forgive me. Also, the Cowboys are on a roll, have the league's best offense, and the Lions are missing a few critical pieces.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementCan Detroit pull it out? Absolutely. This pick gives them a chance. The pick: Cowboys 31, Lions 27.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions picks, predictions vs Cowboys for NFL Week 14?
AdvertisementAdvertisement
