The NFL and NFL Players Association have agreed on new standards for playing surfaces. Although the new approach counts as progress in the effort to give football players the best possible workplaces, the NFLPA wants more.
“While our player members have been clear about their overwhelming preference for high-quality, natural grass surfaces, we’re encouraged that their demands for more consistent and safer fields across the board are taking a step in the right direction,” the NFLPA said Thursday, after the league announced the change during a media conference call. “We look forward to continuing this work with the NFL on behalf of our player members.”
The league clings to the notion that non-contact injury rates are not significantly different between grass and artificial turf. Players resort to the reality that they prefer the softer surface provided by the real stuff.
And the issue will continue to be tied up in collective bargaining.
It continues to be a strange way to do business for the NFL. Protection of the players, either as human beings or “investments,” takes a back seat to holding the rope when it comes to the concessions the two sides will make within the fuller universe of terms and conditions relative to the labor-management relationship.
But that’s where we are. The players won’t get high-quality grass surfaces unless they give up something else. Even if it’s part of the deal for expanding the regular season to 18 games, the players could have gotten some other benefit from the league, if the owners weren’t insistent on making what should be non-negotiable into a negotiating point.
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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.
The Cowboys had a chance to reach the end zone on their final drive of the first half, but the league’s third-most penalized team couldn’t get out of its own way.
The Cowboys settled for a 55-yard Brandon Aubrey field goal with 50 seconds remaining in the half, but the Lions matched it with a 47-yarder from Jake Bates on the final play of the half. That has the Lions holding a 20-9 halftime lead.
On the Cowboys’ nine-play, 43-yard field-goal drive to close out the half, Dak Prescott threw a long pass to George Pickens, who drew a pass interference penalty on D.J. Reed at the 2. The penalty, though, was offset by an illegal use of hands penalty on tight end Jake Ferguson.
Later in the drive, Prescott completed a 9-yard pass to Pickens, who was called for a 15-yard facemask penalty on Rock Ya-Sin and negate the reception.
Aubrey accounted for all the Lions’ points, hitting on field goals of 57 and 42 yards in addition to the 55-yarder.
The Lions outgained the Cowboys 205 to 158.
Prescott was 16-of-21 for 154 yards, with CeeDee Lamb catching five for 89 yards. Pickens has two catches for 15 yards.
The Lions have three sacks of Prescott, and Jack Campbell, who has one of the sacks, also forced a fumble of Ferguson that Brian Branch recovered for Detroit. Officials ruled Campbell’s sack of the Cowboys quarterback a safety before replay overturned it.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff is 13-of-21 for 153 yards. Jahmyr Gibbs has three carries for 18 yards and a touchdown and five catches for 63 yards. David Montgomery had a 35-yard touchdown run.
Bates kicked a 38-yard field goal on the Lions’ first drive after Detroit reached the Dallas 8.
The Lions have stretched their lead to 17-6.
David Montgomery ran 35 yards to the end zone on a second-and-10 play with 4:27 remaining in the first half.
The Lions got good field position after Jack Campbell forced a Jake Ferguson fumble and Brian Branch recovered for the Lions at the Detroit 47.
Detroit opened the drive with a holding penalty on Dan Skipper and Tate Ratledge had a false start. They overcame a first-and-25.
Jameson Williams caught a 25-yard pass from Jared Goff on second down to reset the downs.
Goff now is 10-of-16 for 122 yards, with Jahmyr Gibbs catching four passes for 45 yards. Gibbs has the Lions’ other touchdown on a 1-yard run.
The Lions had a safety taken away by replay, but the Cowboys had to punt out of the end zone. Detroit used the short field to go 42 yards in six plays for a 10-3 lead.
Tom Kennedy returned Bryan Anger’s punt 21 yards to the Dallas 42.
The big play in the possession was Jared Goff’s 26-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown to the Cowboys 8. Jameson Williams ran for 7 yards to the 1, and Jahmyr Gibbs, on a clearing block by offensive lineman Tate Ratledge on Sam Williams, plowed into the end zone.
The Lions have outgained the Cowboys 93 to 41 after one quarter of play.
Goff is 7-of-10 for 76 yards, and Gibbs has three carries for 18 yards and three catches for 32 yards.
Dak Prescott is 5-of-7 for 33 yards.
The Lions have ruled out safety Thomas Harper, who was accidentally hit in the head by the thigh of George Pickens.
It appeared everyone, including Dak Prescott, expected replay to uphold a safety for the Lions with 5:36 remaining in the first quarter.
Jack Campbell’s sack of Prescott was ruled a safety on the field, giving the Lions a 5-3 lead.
Replay, though, overturned it, ruling that the entire ball was out of the end zone when Campbell contacted the Cowboys quarterback.
Even Prime Video’s rules expert, Terry McAulay, initially disagreed with the decision. After a Cowboys punt out of the end zone, though, Prime showed a view the league used to overturn the call, and McAulay then agreed with the replay decision.
The Lions have outgained the Cowboys 57 to 25.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is off to a fast start tonight in Detroit.
Gibbs had a 19-yard run and a 26-yard reception on the Lions’ first possession, and although Detroit stalled once Gibbs got into the red zone, his big plays were enough to get into field goal range, and the Lions took an early 3-0 lead.
The Lions’ first play was a seven-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown, a welcome sight for Lions fans after St. Brown suffered an ankle injury a week ago.
It’s a big game for both the Lions and Cowboys, who are trying to stay in the playoff hunt, and the Lions’ offense got off to a promising start.
