DALLAS — After two weeks on the road, and two wins, the Dallas Cowboys come home to take on the 3-1 Detroit Lions for Week 6. AT&T Stadium hasn’t been a friendly place for the Cowboys so far this year, they had won 16 straight regular season home contests before dropping the first two this year. Adding in the wild-card game embarrassment from January, and it’s been three terrible games in a row for Jerry Jones’ team inside his palace.
A third consecutive loss for the Cowboys in their own stadium to start this season could be in the cards. The Lions are one of the best teams in the league, they offer considerable challenges to a team that is still missing key defensive pieces, and they are coming off a bye week so they will be rested and ready to attempt to get revenge for a close loss at AT&T Stadium last December.
Dallas will have to play considerably better than they have in any of the first five weeks of the season if they want to pull off the upset. These are the strengths and weaknesses of a good Lions team visiting the Cowboys in Week 6:
Strength: Running game
Every week it feels like the Cowboys are going up against teams with strong ground games and the Lions are no exception. It’s also another offense that has two rushing threats, although in this case, unlike those of recent weeks, one is not the quarterback.
Running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are one of the top tandems in the league and they provide different styles to prepare to stop. Montgomery is a bruising runner who breaks tackles and wears defenses down. He currently leads the Lions in carries, first downs and touchdowns, with four.
His running mate in Gibbs provides more game-breaking ability. He leads Detroit’s offense with 285 rushing yards and averages 5.3 yards per carry. He can also beat defenses through the air or on the ground, accounting for four total scores through four games.
The duo has run for 556 yards and scored eight total touchdowns on the season; it will be a huge challenge for Mike Zimmer’s defense to stop the dynamic running game for the Lions, something they’ve struggled with all season.
Weakness: Pass defense
The last time these two teams got together, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb tore the Lions' pass defense apart. Prescott threw for 345 and two scores, and Lamb was responsible for 227 yards and a score from that output.
Detroit tried to answer last year’s weakness by selecting two cornerbacks with each of their first two draft picks and by signing veteran CB Carlton Davis. It hasn’t worked out so far as the Lions are still getting gashed through the air. Aaron Glenn’s defense is allowing over 258 yards per game passing, good for 27th in the league.
If the Cowboys want to win this game, they’ll have to attack the Lions with the passing game and get Lamb more involved in the action again.
Strength: Hutchinson’s pass rush ability
There aren’t many better young pass rushers in the league than Aidan Hutchinson, as the 24-year-old leads in the NFL in sacks with 6.5. Even when he’s not getting the quarterback down, Hutchinson is pressuring QBs at the highest rate in the league.
Hutchinson has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Detroit defense, he has over 50% of the team’s 11 total sacks on the year, to go along with six tackles for a loss.
The Cowboys are no stranger to playing against some of the top pass rushers through five games, going up against the likes of Dexter Lawrence, Myles Garrett, and T.J. Watt, and now they’ll have to prepare to face another elite talent. Combined, the offensive line gave up just 2.5 sacks to that group, so they’ve been able to limit the damage for some of the premiere edge pass rushers.
However, Dallas still sports an offensive line trying to find their rhythm and they will have to find a way to keep Hutchinson from ruining their game plan on offense.
Weakness: Discipline
Much like the Cowboys, the Lions have had their share of penalties this season. With 31 infractions, Dan Campbell’s team is close to averaging eight penalties per game, and their most common issue is getting called for pass interference.
Detroit’s 307 penalty yards is more than seven teams who’ve had more penalties called against them. That’s a lot of what former Cowboys coach Bill Parcells used to call ‘hidden yardage’ and it can play a role in the outcome of games.
The Lions have also been trending in the wrong direction with their penalties, committing 21 over their last two games. That’s something the Cowboys can hope to exploit if they want to pull off the upset.
Strength: Passing game
Not only do the Lions have a great rushing attack, but they also have an impressive passing game. Led by All-Pro WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, QB Jared Goff has plenty of weapons at his disposal.
St. Brown is coming off a career year in 2023 and has had back-to-back seasons with over 100 catches and 1,150+ receiving yards. After a slow first week, St. Brown has had either 100 yards or a touchdown in each of the last three games.
Opposite St. Brown is Jameson Williams, who is starting to look more like the 12th overall pick in the 2022 draft. Williams has been more consistent this season, is still making explosive plays, and is averaging a ridiculous 22.2 yards per catch, good for third in the league.
Both of Williams’ scores have come from over 50 yards out, including an electric 70-yard touchdown on Monday Night Football two weeks ago. The young WR has the speed to score anytime he touches the ball, and his speed allows him to get separation when he’s on the field.
The Lions also have one of the best young tight ends in the game. Sam LaPorta is coming off an All-Pro season as a rookie and although he hasn’t caught a touchdown yet in the 2024 campaign, he’s a dangerous weapon in the Detroit passing game.
It won’t be easy for the Cowboys to slow down a very good passing offense, but for them to be victorious for the first time at home this season, they’ll need to pull out all the stops.
Do you think the Cowboys will be able to claim their first home victory of 2024? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
