Tonight’s Thursday Night Football clash between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys should be a doozy. Both teams are on the bubble of the playoff picture and are looking to gain some ground on the 7th seed. Ahead of the matchup, however, wideouts Amon-Ra St. Brown and CeeDee Lamb have stayed humble, hyping the opposing squads up rather than their own.
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Just a few days ago, Lamb admitted that the Lions’ defensive backs play on a whole other level.
“I know their DBs like to play hands-on, they run a lot of man, and they want to be in your face,” Lamb told the media on Monday. “You know what’s going on. It’s just about how you prepare for it. It’s almost like a boxing match. I find it fun; that’s what football is.”
However, while Detroit’s secondary has flourished (like against the run), their offense has shown some struggles. Coming off a 15-win season, the Jared Goff-led unit is a major reason why they’ve already fallen to 7-5 this year, and are now in danger of missing the playoffs.
The Cowboys, too, have had a roller-coaster season, but they’ve won three straight and beaten last year’s Super Bowl contenders in back-to-back weeks. That’s why, when Amon-Ra analyzed the matchup on the St. Brown podcast, he admitted that the Cowboys are truly on fire, noting that their defense has improved noticeably.
“They’re hot, I think they’ve won three in a row,” St. Brown said on his podcast. “They just beat the Chiefs. They beat the Eagles the week before that. So, they’re playing well. Their defense is playing a lot better than it has in the first 6-7 weeks. So, [the upcoming matchup] is going to be a good one.”
Dallas is indeed hot. But most importantly, they’re still in the playoff race. Many thought that they fell out of it after bad losses to the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals. But head coach Brian Schottenheimer has righted the ship after acquiring key pieces at the trade deadline.
On top of this, the Cowboys’ wide receiving duo of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens has looked unstoppable as of late.
“They’re balling,” St. Brown said of the Cowboys receivers. “Pickins is hooping. CeeDee’s back hooping. But we’ll have a plan.”
That’s easier said than done. Every team may have a plan for Pickens and Lamb, but once they get into action, they’re hard to contain. Both are twitchy, fast, and can get open with ease. Not to mention, they make some of the best contested catches in the NFL.
Notably, St. Brown hasn’t practiced all week with a sprained ankle and is questionable to play. The Cowboys are listing safety Malik Hooker and defensive end Jadeveon Clowney as questionable as well. Dallas will be without offensive lineman Tyler Guyton, and Trevon Diggs still isn’t ready to return.
For Detroit, they’re dealing with a litany of injuries. Safety Kerby Joseph will remain out, and his backfield partner, Brian Branch, is listed as questionable. Furthermore, four of the Lions’ five starting offensive linemen are also listed as questionable.
We know the Lions are favored to win, but St. Brown’s status, along with the other injuries, makes it hard to back them. That’s why we’re predicting the Cowboys stay hot and win this one in a high-scoring thriller, 38-35. It would send the Dallas fanbase into a frenzy, with wild predictions about how far they can go.
