Scouting the Lions

Bobhaze

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The Detroit Lions are headed to AT&T this Sunday, and for the first time I can remember (as of this writing) are hitting town as 3 point road favorites. Coincidentally, the last time the Cowboys won a home game was Dec 30th, 2023 when we beat the lions 20-19 in a very close and controversial game.

So here are the strengths and weaknesses for a really good lions team:
STRENGTHS
  • Total offense: Ranked 3rd, 397 ypg; team through 4 games averages 26 ppg.
  • Rushing offense ranked 6th, 151 ypg. The lions have two good RBs in David Montgomery and Jahmir Gibbs; Gibbs averages 5.3 ypc and with his speed is a legit home run threat at any time.
  • Passing offense ranked 7th, 246 ypg. QB Jared Goff is very accurate as evidenced by his last game where he went 18-18.
  • They have 3 outstanding receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and TE Sam LaPorta. Brown has become their underneath weapon while Williams is dangerous deep threat, currently averaging 22 yards per reception. LaPorta was an All Pro as a rookie, and this year has battled an ankle injury early but he is still a weapon.
  • The lions D is currently 4th in the NFL against the run, only giving up 91 yards per game.
  • DE Aidan Hutchinson is an excellent pass rusher and currently leads the league with 6.5 sacks in 4 games. Safety Kerry Joseph has 3 INTs which is currently second in NFL.
WEAKNESSES
  • The lions defense is currently ranked 21st in total defense, giving up 345 yards per game. They have a good pass rush but their secondary is not as strong as their DL and LBs.
  • The lions pass defense is ranked 27th and average giving up 254 yards per game. Most of those yards have happened because the lions had a two score lead, forcing opponents to pass. But their coverage is not stellar.
  • Despite his usual accuracy, QB Jared Goff has thrown 4 INTs in 4 games (they have only played 4 games because of a bye last week) Goff is not particularly mobile and can be pressured more easily than some of our recent opponents.
  • The lions average giving up 20 ppg, which is not bad, but they tend to be in more close games than other top teams.
I expect this game to be the best test of the young season so far. The lions are really good on offense but their defense can be vulnerable to good passing games. Despite their offensive strengths, the lions usually play in a lot of close games, so I expect the game Sunday to also be close. Interestingly the Cowboys are 1-5 in games where they are underdogs since 2023, so that trend needs to change.

The Cowboys defense will be tested by the best offense we have faced so far. I expect our offense to be able to move the ball too so this may be a shootout. Should be entertaining.
 

Bobhaze

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it looks like another day our defense is going to give up 200+ yards rushing.

they probably score TDs, we score fields goals, then they cruise...

probably a 35-20 type score, with dallas scoring late TDs
I expect this to be a closer game but we cannot afford to get two scores down because the lions are brutal when nursing a two score lead. If the Cowboys win the toss they should take the ball in an attempt to score first. The Cowboys cannot afford a slow start.
 

Bobhaze

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Trivia question:

When was last time Cowboys were a home dog with a winning record?

Note: we were dog against Ravens but we were 1-1.
Great question Greg. I did see that we are 1-5 since 2023 in games as an underdog. I will try to find the last time we were a home ‘dog with a winning record.
 

Creeper

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The Lions are better than the Saints on offense and defense. We will see this week if Zimmer fixed the run defense or if facing the Giants and Steelers inferior OLs just made it look like they fixed the run defense.

Goff can going on passing streak of extreme accuracy with WRs who can burn teams deep or with YAC. Yes, the defense will be tested.

But on the other side of the ball, once again our OTs are going to get tested as well. Aiden Hutchinson is like a Tazmanian Devil. He rushes with total abandon with arms and legs flying all over the place. His style makes it hard to double team him as well. It is hard to chip a guys who is flying all over the place. The Lions defense allows only 90 yards per game rushing. They have 4 INTs in 4 games and 3 forced fumbles. The have 11 sacks, 6.5 from Hutchinson. But they still give up almost 350 yards per game in the air. If Dallas is going to have any chance they need to take some shots down the field which means they have to get Hutchinson blocked.

I think Detroit blows out the Cowboys by the score of 38 to 20 or something like that. Dak will throw a late TD pass to get to 20 points. Goff will have all day to throw and the Lions will run the ball effectively.
 

Techsass

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The Lions are better than the Saints on offense and defense. We will see this week if Zimmer fixed the run defense or if facing the Giants and Steelers inferior OLs just made it look like they fixed the run defense.

Goff can going on passing streak of extreme accuracy with WRs who can burn teams deep or with YAC. Yes, the defense will be tested.

But on the other side of the ball, once again our OTs are going to get tested as well. Aiden Hutchinson is like a Tazmanian Devil. He rushes with total abandon with arms and legs flying all over the place. His style makes it hard to double team him as well. It is hard to chip a guys who is flying all over the place. The Lions defense allows only 90 yards per game rushing. They have 4 INTs in 4 games and 3 forced fumbles. The have 11 sacks, 6.5 from Hutchinson. But they still give up almost 350 yards per game in the air. If Dallas is going to have any chance they need to take some shots down the field which means they have to get Hutchinson blocked.

I think Detroit blows out the Cowboys by the score of 38 to 20 or something like that. Dak will throw a late TD pass to get to 20 points. Goff will have all day to throw and the Lions will run the ball effectively.
I don't see us getting blown out by 3 scores, but expect it to be a tough game. We seem to match up pretty well against each other. Of course we're missing 1/2 of our defense, so that may not be the case Sunday. Also Dan might still be pissed about getting stupid at the end of our last battle.

The other thing we have going for us is it's about that time of the season where McCarthy finally decides to open up the offense.
 
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Diehardblues

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Great question Greg. I did see that we are 1-5 since 2023 in games as an underdog. I will try to find the last time we were a home ‘dog with a winning record.
Not official but last I found was 2019 Patriots. We were 6-4 and lost.
 

Mac_MaloneV1

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I don't believe in Goff and I don't believe in the Lions' secondary.

Problem is that Dallas isn't built to exploit either of those things right now.
 

Fla Cowpoke

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I don't believe in Goff and I don't believe in the Lions' secondary.

Problem is that Dallas isn't built to exploit either of those things right now.
Yep, Detroit has a very good OL as evidenced by their high averages rushing and receiving. Our defense without Lawrence, Parsons and Kneeland is unlikely to get a lot of pressure. Goff does pretty well when he has time.

Dallas passing game is good enough, I mean Dak is almost leading in passing yardage, but I think if we are going to have any chance we have to get similar production from the run game as we did last week.
 

Bobhaze

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Yep, Detroit has a very good OL as evidenced by their high averages rushing and receiving. Our defense without Lawrence, Parsons and Kneeland is unlikely to get a lot of pressure. Goff does pretty well when he has time.

Dallas passing game is good enough, I mean Dak is almost leading in passing yardage, but I think if we are going to have any chance we have to get similar production from the run game as we did last week.
I agree. My hope is that Big Mac recognizes that Dowdle gives us way more than any other running back option we have and feeds him more. He’s not a threat to take one to the house but he can get some chunks of yardage that save us from the dreaded 3rd and long.

The lions are good against the run but I believe some of that is due to t(em getting up early on their opponents and forcing them to pass more. If we can run the ball early it will open up everything.

We have to hope we can score early and keep it close because they are really tough when ahead by 10 or more.
 

rambo2

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The Detroit Lions are headed to AT&T this Sunday, and for the first time I can remember (as of this writing) are hitting town as 3 point road favorites. Coincidentally, the last time the Cowboys won a home game was Dec 30th, 2023 when we beat the lions 20-19 in a very close and controversial game.

So here are the strengths and weaknesses for a really good lions team:
STRENGTHS
  • Total offense: Ranked 3rd, 397 ypg; team through 4 games averages 26 ppg.
  • Rushing offense ranked 6th, 151 ypg. The lions have two good RBs in David Montgomery and Jahmir Gibbs; Gibbs averages 5.3 ypc and with his speed is a legit home run threat at any time.
  • Passing offense ranked 7th, 246 ypg. QB Jared Goff is very accurate as evidenced by his last game where he went 18-18.
  • They have 3 outstanding receivers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams and TE Sam LaPorta. Brown has become their underneath weapon while Williams is dangerous deep threat, currently averaging 22 yards per reception. LaPorta was an All Pro as a rookie, and this year has battled an ankle injury early but he is still a weapon.
  • The lions D is currently 4th in the NFL against the run, only giving up 91 yards per game.
  • DE Aidan Hutchinson is an excellent pass rusher and currently leads the league with 6.5 sacks in 4 games. Safety Kerry Joseph has 3 INTs which is currently second in NFL.
WEAKNESSES
  • The lions defense is currently ranked 21st in total defense, giving up 345 yards per game. They have a good pass rush but their secondary is not as strong as their DL and LBs.
  • The lions pass defense is ranked 27th and average giving up 254 yards per game. Most of those yards have happened because the lions had a two score lead, forcing opponents to pass. But their coverage is not stellar.
  • Despite his usual accuracy, QB Jared Goff has thrown 4 INTs in 4 games (they have only played 4 games because of a bye last week) Goff is not particularly mobile and can be pressured more easily than some of our recent opponents.
  • The lions average giving up 20 ppg, which is not bad, but they tend to be in more close games than other top teams.
I expect this game to be the best test of the young season so far. The lions are really good on offense but their defense can be vulnerable to good passing games. Despite their offensive strengths, the lions usually play in a lot of close games, so I expect the game Sunday to also be close. Interestingly the Cowboys are 1-5 in games where they are underdogs since 2023, so that trend needs to change.

The Cowboys defense will be tested by the best offense we have faced so far. I expect our offense to be able to move the ball too so this may be a shootout. Should be entertaining.
21st in total defense. Gave up around 560 yards last week. Looks like another exciting game.
 

fivetwos

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Can’t like this matchup as a Dallas fan. I think they run it down our throats at will which will open up things for Goff.

The offense will need to show up big time, limit the mistakes, and at least try to play keep away and help the defense out.

If nothing else the blue and white colors of opposing fans ought to blend in better than usual.

This years team appears to be the usual….find a way to beat the lower end teams, but anyone who can run the ball, it’s game over.

Running the ball and stopping the same will plague this team all year….who would have ever saw that coming??
 
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