Detroit (3-1) at Dallas (3-2)
Sunday, 4:25 p.m. EDT, Fox.
BetMGM NFL Odds: Lions by 3.
Against the spread: Lions 3-1; Cowboys 2-3.
Series record: Cowboys lead 19-12.
Last meeting: Cowboys beat Lions 20-19 on Dec. 30, 2023, in Arlington, Texas.
Last week: Lions beat Seahawks 42-29 on Sept. 30; Cowboys beat Steelers 20-17.
Lions offense: overall (3), rush (6), pass (7), scoring (7)
Lions defense: overall (22), rush (4), pass (27), scoring (10)
Cowboys offense: overall (12), rush (31), pass (2), scoring (15)
Cowboys defense: overall (15), rush (24), pass (11), scoring (T23)
Turnover differential: Lions plus-1; Cowboys minus-1.
Lions player to watch
Assuming Jared Goff throws an incompletion against the Cowboys, it will be the first since Sept. 22 for the Lions QB. Goff set an NFL record by completing all 18 of his passes in the victory over Seattle, and the Lions were off last week. Goff’s overall streak is 19 completions, six shy of the NFL record of 25 shared by Nick Foles, Marcus Mariota, Philip Rivers and Ryan Tannehill. Goff faces a pass defense that could be gaining reinforcements with the return of CB DaRon Bland. After setting an NFL record with five interception returns for touchdowns last season, Bland missed the first five games following surgery for a stress fracture in his foot late in the preseason.
Cowboys player to watch
RB Rico Dowdle will try to maintain the momentum of the best game of his career against the Steelers, which was a boost for what was the NFL’s worst rushing offense through four weeks. The undrafted fifth-year player had career highs in carries (20), yards rushing (87) and scrimmage yards (114) against Pittsburgh. Dowdle has clearly taken the lead role from Ezekiel Elliott, a two-time rushing champion with the Cowboys who returned to his original team in the offseason. Dallas is now 31st in rushing after gaining a season-high 109 yards against Pittsburgh.
Key matchup
Cowboys QB Dak Prescott vs. a Detroit pass defense that includes struggling rookie CB Terrion Arnold. Prescott answered a three-turnover game against Pittsburgh by leading the Cowboys on a winning 70-yard drive capped by his 4-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert with 20 seconds remaining. Prescott was 29 of 42 for 352 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions and a lost fumble. Arnold has been called for pass interference or holding seven times in four games. The 24th overall pick out of Alabama insists he’s confident enough to not get discouraged by the penalty-filled start of his career.
Key injuries
Three-time Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow (pectoral muscle) and S Brian Branch (illness) are trending toward returning for Detroit after being inactive against Seattle. … The Cowboys will be without star pass rusher Micah Parsons for a second consecutive game because of a high ankle sprain. It’s the first time Parsons has missed games with injuries since Dallas drafted him 12th overall in 2021. … LB Eric Kendricks is now sidelined as well with calf and shoulder issues. … In addition to Bland, the Cowboys might get his replacement back. Rookie Caelen Carson has missed the past two games with a shoulder injury. Bland and Carson are listed as questionable. … Cowboys rookie T Tyler Guyton should be available after leaving the Pittsburgh game with a knee injury.
Series notes
The Cowboys have a six-game winning streak in the series. They also won six in a row from 1963-77, a streak that included a divisional playoff victory in 1970 by the quirky score of 5-0.
Stats and stuff
These teams meet again about nine months after Detroit had a 2-point conversion incorrectly disallowed by officials with 23 seconds left in a one-point loss at Dallas in Week 17 last season. The loss cost the Lions a shot at the top seed in the NFC, and they lost at San Francisco in the conference championship game. … The Lions have won three of their first four games in consecutive years for the first time since 2013-14. … This is the start of four out of five games on the road for Detroit, which visits NFC North-leading Minnesota next week. … The Cowboys have lost three consecutive home games, starting with a wild-card loss to Green Bay in January and the first two at AT&T Stadium this season. Before the loss to the Packers, the Cowboys had won 16 consecutive games in their retractable-roof home. … The Lions are 7-0 when RBs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs each have a rushing TD in a game. … Goff has averaged 23 pass attempts in three wins, and threw 55 times in the team’s only loss. He is 36 of 41 over the past two games, an 88% completion rate. … WR Jameson Williams is the franchise’s third player to have multiple 50-yard touchdown receptions over the first four games of a season and the first since 1971. … Detroit allowed Seattle to set an NFL record with 38 first downs in a loss, gave up 516 yards and had 101 yards in penalties. … DE Aidan Hutchinson was the NFC defensive player of the month in September, becoming the first player to win the award for the franchise since LB DeAndre Levy in 2014. … Since 2022, Kerby Joseph leads all NFL safeties with 23 passes defended and is tied for the league league with 11 INTs. … The Cowboys’ Prescott has at least 250 yards passing in 12 consecutive home games. He’s one game shy of Ben Roethlisberger’s streak, the third longest, with Pittsburgh from 2014-16. Drew Brees has the record at 18, which the retired New Orleans star did twice. … Tolbert set career highs in catches and yards for the second time this season against the Steelers. The clutch game-winner was the last of seven catches for 87 yards. … CB Jourdan Lewis, a Detroit native, has intercepted Goff in each of Dallas’ past two victories over the Lions. It’s the only opponent Lewis has intercepted multiple times. … K Brandon Aubrey has at least one kick of 50-plus yards in seven consecutive games, an NFL record.
Fantasy tip
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb is still looking for his first 100-yard game this season. The All-Pro had a career-high 227 yards in last season’s meeting with the Lions. Lamb tied his career best with 13 catches and had a TD in that game.
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