The Cowboys are back in action yet again, playing just one week after Thursday's win over the Chiefs. But the Lions, who also played on Thanksgiving as usual, are in the same boat.
The Lions and Cowboys will square off Thursday night in Detroit with both teams desperately needing the win to keep up in what has become a tight NFC playoff race.
Here are the top storylines for each team heading into the game.
Lions
Same Schedule – Like always, the Lions also played last Thursday on Thanksgiving, and lost a close battle with the Packers in a game that didn't help Detroit's playoff chances. This game is vital for both teams trying to stay alive in the NFC picture as the Lions are a half-game up on Dallas at 7-5. But both teams are currently on the outside looking in.
3 straight at home – The Lions got the rare gift from the NFL schedule-makers with three straight home games but they haven't exactly taken advantage of it. The Lions needed a 59-yard field goal to force overtime against the Giants and then survive for a win two weeks ago. Then Detroit lost 31-24 to NFC North rival Green Bay before taking on the Cowboys, one of the hottest teams in the NFL with a three-game win streak.
St. Brown injury? – Pro Bowl receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown suffered an ankle injury against the Packers and didn't return. The initial reports were that he could be out for the season but now it appears he's more "week-to-week." Head coach Dan Campbell called it "good news" that St. Brown wouldn't be out long-term but also said he could still miss "a week or two, maybe, if we're lucky." According to his coach, it appears the receiver would be a longshot to play against Dallas in just seven days.
Ragnow & O-line issues – The Lions haven't gotten much good news regarding the offensive line in a while. The latest setback was that recently-retired center Frank Ragnow would be able to return to the team but he couldn't pass his physical with a hamstring injury. The Lions announced Ragnow would not be joining the team in 2025 after all. The Lions were missing two starters on the O-line against Green Bay and the other three starters were on the injury report as well.
Best RB Duo? – You could make the case that Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is the best in the NFL and definitely the most exciting. But what's not up for debate is the Lions have the best running back duo in all of football when you add in David Montgomery. The Lions have the only RB duo in the NFL with 1,500+ rushing yards as Gibbs ranks third in the NFL with 1,019 and Montgomery with 543.
Cowboys
A Winning Team – For the first time all season, the Cowboys are now above .500 after securing a huge Thanksgiving Day win over the Chiefs last Thursday. The Cowboys are now 6-5-1 and still lurking in the NFC playoff picture. Their best chances for a playoff spot could be to win the NFC East, considering they are now 1.5 games behind the Eagles (8-4) with five games to play.
Diggs Returns – The Cowboys could have the services of Trevon Diggs at cornerback this week. Diggs' 21-day practice window opened and the veteran cornerback said he "felt great" returning to practice on Sunday. While he wasn't sure if he will play Thursday against the Lions, Diggs said he feels good enough to return to action after being on IR with a concussion and knee soreness.
Defensive Turnaround - The reason for the three-game win streak starts with defense. The Cowboys made two trades to add Quinnen Williams and Logan Wilson, plus the return from safeties Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker, and now Trevon Diggs, and it's easy to see why the Cowboys are playing better. And it starts with the run defense. In the last three games, opponents have only rushed for 204 yards, averaging just 68 yards per game, that's nearly half of their season-average of 124.2 yards per game.
1a & 1b WRs – If the Lions have the best running back duo in football, the Cowboys can argue they have the two best receivers. George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb have been on a tear lately. Lamb had the better statsitcal game on Thursday with 112 yards and a touchdown. Pickens had two straight games of 140+ yards before getting just 88 on Thursday, however he did have some clutch fourth-quarter grabs to seal the win. Entering Sunday, there were only 13 players with 740 receiving yards and the Cowboys are the only team that has two of them with Pickens at 1,142 and Lamb with 744.
O-Line Depth – Tyler Guyton missed last week's game with a high-ankle sprain and he was not on the field during the media-viewing portion on Sunday. If Guyton doesn't return, Nate Thomas would again get the start on the left side. Last week against the Chiefs, the Cowboys amassed 457 total yards and Dak was not sacked once.
