Thursday night’s loss to the Lions makes it very unlikely that the Cowboys will make the playoffs, but quarterback Dak Prescott says he and his teammates aren’t going to quit fighting.
“I think guys are pissed off right now,” Prescott said, via ESPN. “I don’t think it’s any deflated moment like, oh, hands are up, we’re done. No. No. Absolutely not. I think you’re going to get a team that’s pissed, especially as we talk about a team that’s kind of changed since the bye week. This is the first time this group, to an extent, suffered this. So hopefully it pisses people off the right way, we use it as fuel, and I know, starting with myself, I’ll make sure we have a great week of prep for the next one.”
The Cowboys had pulled themselves back into playoff contention with a three-game winning streak and had beaten last year’s two Super Bowl teams, the Eagles and Chiefs, in back-to-back weeks. But their sluggish start meant they were probably going to need to win in Detroit to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Dallas may not be deflated, but at 6-6-1, the Cowboys’ playoff hopes are rapidly deflating.
The Lions needed to win Thursday night, and so did the Cowboys.
Detroit’s 44-30 win over Dallas in primetime greatly improved the Lions’ playoff chances as they moved to 8-5. The Cowboys (6-6-1) desperately need a loss by the Eagles to the Chargers on Monday night to keep realistic hopes for an NFC East title alive.
The Cowboys never led, falling behind by as much as 27-9 after Dak Prescott threw an interception on the first play from scrimmage in the second half. They rallied, getting as close as 30-27 on Ryan Flournoy’s 42-yard touchdown with 9:52 left in the fourth quarter and a 2-point conversion on a catch by Jake Ferguson.
But that was as close as they got.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ third touchdown — a 13-yard run — was the nail with 2:19 remaining. Gibbs also had touchdown runs of 1 and 10 yards. David Montgomery had a 35-yard touchdown run.
Gibbs now has 47 career touchdowns before turning 24 years old, tying Barry Sanders for the most in NFL history.
The Cowboys outgained the Lions 417 to 408 but had too many mistakes and gave up too many big plays. Detroit had six plays of 25 yards or more.
Jared Goff went 25-of-34 for 309 yards and a touchdown, a 12-yard throw to tight end Isaac TeSlaa. Jameson Williams caught seven passes for 96 yards and Amon-Ra St. Brown six for 92. Gibbs ran for 43 yards on 12 carries and caught seven passes for 77 yards, and Montgomery had six carries for 60 yards.
Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey became the first kicker in NFL history with at least three field goals of 55 yards or more in a single game. He was good from 57, 42, 55, 63 and 29. His last field goal came with 3:42 remaining to cut the Lions’ lead to seven points.
On the previous play, Ferguson was called for a questionable offensive pass interference penalty on Alex Anzalone. The Lions declined it, setting up Aubrey’s red-zone field goal. Lions defensive back Brian Branch injured his right ankle on the play, needing a cart to get to the X-ray room.
The Lions’ three-play, 51-yard drive that ended with Gibbs’ 13-yard touchdown run iced it.
Prescott was 31-of-47 for 376 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. CeeDee Lamb made six catches for 121 before leaving with a concussion in the first half, and Flournoy had a career night with nine catches for 115 yards. George Pickens, on a night they needed him most, had a rough night with five catches for 58 yards.
The Lions, who had only four sacks in the past four games, got three sacks of Prescott by Al-Quadin Muhammad and one each by Jack Campbell and Alim McNeill. Derrick Barnes and D.J. Reed each had an interception of Prescott, and Campbell forced a fumble by tight end Jake Ferguson.
The Cowboys have pulled themselves up and are back in the game.
They have outscored the Lions 18-3 since early in the third quarter and trail only 30-27.
Detroit had a bust in its secondary, leaving Ryan Flournoy wide open for an easy 42-yard touchdown reception with 9:52 left in regulation. Jake Ferguson caught the 2-point conversion pass.
The Lions have gotten only a field goal since leading 27-9 following their first possession of the second half.
Dallas has now outgained the Lions 321 to 317.
Dak Prescott is 23-of-32 for 273 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
The Cowboys are playing the second half without CeeDee Lamb, who left with a concussion.
The Cowboys had three field goals in the first half and after opening the second half with a turnover, they faced a 27-9 deficit. Javonte Williams got them in the end zone with 10:41 remaining in the third quarter.
That has cut the Cowboys’ deficit to 27-16.
If Dallas is going to come back, though, it is going to do it without star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb is ruled out with a concussion.
With 12:42 remaining in the third quarter, Lamb elevated in an attempt to make a spectacular catch. He landed on his head.
It didn’t take long for the neurologist to rule out Lamb for the rest of the game.
Lamb finishes with six catches for 121 yards.
The Cowboys received the second-half kickoff, but they didn’t possess the ball long.
Dallas turned it over on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter, and two plays later, the Lions upped their lead to 27-9.
Amik Robertson had tight coverage on George Pickens on a slant, and Robertson got his hand on the ball and tipped it in the air. Derrick Barnes intercepted it and returned it 23 yards to the Dallas 14 before Dak Prescott made the tackle.
Jared Goff threw a 2-yard pass to Jameson Williams and then a 12-yard touchdown throw to tight end Isaac TeSlaa.
Goff is 15-of-23 for 167 yards and a touchdown. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have rushing touchdowns.
