FRISCO— The Dallas Cowboys are on the outside of the playoff picture as they head to Detroit for a pivotal December game. They have an 18% chance to make the playoffs, according to ESPN. They have a 10% chance to win the NFC East and prevent a repeat division winner for the first time in over 20 years. They dug themselves into an early season hole that might be too big to overcome.
Sounds like the perfect recipe for confidence heading into December. At least in the mind of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott.
“Now we’re starting to catch our stride, starting to figure out who we are — not just on offense but defense and as a team. It’s fun,” Prescott said. “I can tell you that. I’ve been on other teams where you started off hot and at this time of the year you’re trying to figure what you have to do to get back on the horse.”
This has been different. This three-game winning streak, with the changes they had after the bye, has made people believe this is a different Cowboys team from the one earlier this season. Winning a fourth in a row would be especially impressive, capping a stretch of three games in two weeks.
Cowboys
If the Cowboys win Thursday, they would likely be favored in all of their remaining games.
Here are five final thoughts before the Cowboys play the Lions:
Handling the environment
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer admitted Tuesday that even he was cold during their outdoor practice on Monday. Understandably so. The temperature did hit below 40 degrees in Frisco that day, though the drizzle and wind chill certainly made it feel colder.
Good news: The Cowboys won’t have to face that type of environment when they play indoors in Detroit. There will be another challenge, however.
After the loss on the road to the Broncos, Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams was asked about the difference between their offense at home and on the road. The Dallas Morning News asked him about noise being a potential factor.
Adams, a former offensive line coach, was adamant that noise shouldn’t disrupt the connectivity on the offensive line, because even though they communicate changes, the offensive line should be in a cerebral place where they know what others are doing without having to communicate it.
Adams said Monday that he feels like the offensive line has arrived at that place. That they can handle heading into a loud environment like the one Detroit surely will present on Thursday.
One factor that could play into that is the potential loss of starting left tackle Tyler Guyton for the second game in a row. Nate Thomas, Guyton’s replacement, played a lot with the starting group in preseason. He performed well in the previous game, too.
Thursday will be a big test to see if the Cowboys’ offensive line has truly mastered non-verbal communication.
Thunder and lightning
Part of the Cowboys’ defensive turnaround has been their run defense. The addition of Quinnen Williams has sparked a defense that’s allowed an average of less than 70 rushing yards per game over the last three games.
The Lions will offer a good litmus test for how far the Dallas run defense has come. The Lions’ tandem of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery is one of the best in the league. Montgomery provides the power, especially in short-yardage situations, and Gibbs provides the speed — and lots of it.
“He can go 70 yards in milliseconds,” Schottenheimer said of Gibbs on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) on Wednesday.
With so much speed from Gibbs, specifically, it’ll take great gap integrity and speed from the Cowboys’ linebackers, as well. I’d imagine the speed of linebacker DeMarvion Overshown comes in handy for the Cowboys on Thursday.
Inevitable
Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens once compared himself to Mr. Fantastic due to his catching radius. If he needed a villain comparison, how about Thanos? Because this week Pickens said his slant route can’t be stopped. He said, fittingly, his success on slant routes is inevitable.
Right now, it’s hard to argue.
Pickens, according to TruMedia and DLLS Sports, has 16 catches for 232 yards on slant routes this year. He leads the league in both those categories.
Pickens said he can’t be stopped on slants. Schottenheimer said he won’t stop calling them for Pickens, either. He announced in a news conference this week that Pickens will run slant routes regardless of how much attention he draws from it. He also said the Cowboys have married Pickens’ slant routes with alterations. If you see Pickens running a slant then turning it upfield into a vertical route, don’t be surprised.
Because right now, it seems that much of Pickens’ success is inevitable, considering how he’s played this season.
One to watch
Schottenheimer has talked multiple times this week about the threat of Gibbs. He’s also spoken about another weapon.
Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson suffered a devastating injury in last year’s blowout win over the Cowboys. Despite the injury, Hutchinson has returned and been just as impactful.
Hutchinson leads the NFL in pressures among edge rushers (71), according to Pro Football Focus. He has 8.5 sacks. It’ll be interesting to see how the Cowboys handle Hutchinson. He’ll certainly be a handful for either Thomas or right tackle Terence Steele.
The Cowboys love to run multiple tight end sets — could they devote extra help Hutchinson’s way? Add in the fact that the Lions can be dangerous in blitzing situations, and it could take multiple Cowboys to handle Detroit’s pass rush.
The key
Schottenheimer, speaking on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM) on Wednesday, was adamant that people shouldn’t pay too much attention to the records for the Cowboys and Lions. He said both teams are better than those records.
I don’t think he’s mistaking. The Lions may not be the 15-win team they were last year, but even after the losses of coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, they still have talent.
The Cowboys are significantly different from the team they were before the bye. It should be a close game. What could be the difference?
Schottenheimer pointed to the turnover battle. The reason Schottenheimer brought it up is because he thinks the Cowboys need to improve there. They need to do it in a hurry, too.
The Cowboys are currently minus-5 in the turnover battle. That can’t be the case Thursday.
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