After two-quarters of Sunday afternoon action in Jerry World, the Detroit Lions lead the Dallas Cowboys 6-3. All eyes were on QB Dak Prescott in the first half, as he was returning from his week one injury, and on his opening drive, he went three-and-out.
A drop from WR Noah Brown, an ineffective run from RB Ezekiel Elliott, and a sack on Prescott– it wasn’t looking too hot for him. On the next drive, after the Cowboys’ defense got a quick three-and-out on the Lions, Prescott got his first completion on the day to TE Jake Ferguson for seven yards, but the Boys went three-and-out again.
After quickly stopping the Lions on their first drive, the defense allowed the QB Jared Goff and the offense to seamlessly move down the field with a mix of sweeps, runs, and passes on their second drive. But on a crucial third down in the red zone, CB Trevon Diggs broke up a pass intended for WR Kalif Raymond, and the defense held them to a 40-yard FG.
The Cowboys responded with a 12-play, 72-yard drive that spanned from the end of the first quarter to the second and got a 22-yard field goal from K Brett Maher. Although only three points, Prescott got back into rhythm, and his best throw came when he connected with Lamb for a 24-yard catch.
Ceedee Lamb with catch! pic.twitter.com/Bpfbv27KtU
— Micho Riso 👁️👁️ (@FrankieJay__) October 23, 2022
On their next drive, the Lions showed flashes on offense, but without their two best playmakers (RB D’Andre Swift & WR Amon-Ra St. Brown– who got injured in the first quarter), they couldn’t create big plays. They wound up getting into Cowboys’ territory and getting another field goal from K Michael Badgley, who connected from 53-yards.
After getting into a rhythm on the last drive, you figured Prescott would come out slinging on the ensuing drive. However, Prescott threw two incompletions (one near interception), and the offense had another three-and-out. You could hear boos from the fans inside AT&T Stadium.
With momentum swaying towards Detroit, the Lions had an opportunity to increase their lead, but the “Doomsday Defense 4.0” came through with a big play when S Donovan Wilson got a sack on Goff, as CBS commentator Tony Romo said it prevented a touchdown.
Cowboys S Donovan Wilson, sackpic.twitter.com/XjgWg9zV4t
— Jori Epstein (@JoriEpstein) October 23, 2022
Following the big stop, the Cowboys marched down the field behind Elliotts’ runs before he got injured near mid-field. With a penalty on the Lions, the Cowboys got near the red zone again and had an opportunity to score.
Prescott would connect with Brown for 14-yards, but he would fumble inside the three-yard line, and the Lions recovered. They would just run a couple of plays before the half ended.
Overall, Prescott and the offense are not on the same page. From overthrown and dropped balls to inefficient runs and penalties– it looks bad.
On defense, they have been able to stop the Lions. But if the offense can’t get going and the defense isn’t fresh- we may see an upset.
