The Detroit Lions need to move quickly from their NFC North championship celebration to a big primetime game in Dallas. The Cowboys may be on a two-game losing streak, but they are undoubtedly one of the most talented teams in the NFL. And considering they're on the verge of losing the division to the Philadelphia Eagles, they're far more desperate than Detroit.
On the surface, it looks like this could be a very tough matchup for Detroit. The Cowboys boast one of the best passing games in football and Dak Prescott is in the midst of his career season. That could spell trouble for the Lions' pass defense, which has trended in the wrong direction for much of the past few months.
But the other side of the ball could offer a solution to this. The Lions boast a top-three running game in almost every way, and the Cowboys have shown they can be beaten if you outwork them on the ground.
On this week's First Byte podcast we welcomed the Editor-in-Chief of Blogging the Boys RJ Ochoa to close out this matchup, and he admitted that the Lions' running game is scaring him this week.
“The Cowboys are a tough team, but they’re not a physical team,” Ochoa said.
“That’s just not her strong point,” he continued later. “They build themselves up to be quick, play against the pass and think, 'Nickel is the new base.' That leaves you vulnerable to teams who can build a lead and control the game in that sense.”
Combine that with a pass rush that is really only defined by Micah Parsons right now, and Ochoa doesn't think the Cowboys defense is playing like the top-10 unit that their season-long stats currently suggest.
“Even though they are a top defense, however you want to look at it from a season perspective, they are currently a bottom 10 group over the last month,” Ochoa said. “They are available. They don’t attack the quarterback as consistently.”
Added later:
“I don’t have a lot of confidence in them right now, I’m kind of on the right track with this Cowboys defense,” Ochoa said. “I have some faith in the star power of Micah Parsons and that those things will remain true, but as a group they're really treading water right now.
Other topics in this week's podcast, with timestamps:
- (4:40) What was the secret to the Cowboys' incredible streak at home games?
- (9:00) How is the offense different with Mike McCarthy leading it in front of Kellen Moore?
- (11:45) Why are the Cowboys having trouble running the ball?
- (14:00) CeeDee Lamb: Why is he so good?
- (16:30) TE Jake Ferguson's breakout season
- (20:30) Will LT Tyron Smith play, and if not, how big a deal is it?
- (25:00) Where on the field is Micah Parsons most dangerous?
- (27:00) Recent defensive issues for the Cowboys
- (32:00) Cowboys secondary: strengths and weaknesses
- (34:30) Other pass rushing threats outside of Parsons
- (36:00) PREDICTIONS!
Listen to the full episode below or find us on one of your podcasting platforms.