Dallas Cowboys vs Detroit Lions: Quick Game Preview
While the Dallas Cowboys take on the Detroit Lions in what could be an NFC Playoff preview on Monday, only one team really has something to play for.
The Dallas Cowboys look to continue their new win streak when they take on the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. While December 25th will land on Sunday, Christmas came early for the Cowboys when the New York Giants lost in Philadelphia Thursday night, clinching the NFC East as well as home field advantage for the Cowboys.
While that means the Cowboys won’t be playing in a meaningful game for the next three weeks, there is still plenty to watch for as the team has two Rookie of the Year/MVP candidates, as well as a high-profile backup quarterback that some are itching to see get some playing time.
The biggest question for the Cowboys now is simple: how much playing time does the starting unit get Monday night? The Cowboys biggest stars, quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott were prepping for bowl games this time a year ago, and there has been talk of them hitting the proverbial “rookie wall” in recent weeks.
The young tag team put an end to that talk after an impressive showing against Tampa Bay, but it can’t hurt to reduce some wear on them heading into the biggest games of their careers.
However that’s what Week Seventeen and the first round bye are for. A prime time matchup against a potential playoff team is not the time to take a night off. Should these two teams meet in January, it would benefit the team to have some previous success against Detroit.
Should we see limited reps from the starters, it’s possible that we get our first glimpse of Tony Romo in 2016. It would be the first game action for Romo since being injured in Seattle back in August. While it would be nice to see number 9 back under center, it’s far from necessary to risk his health in a meaningless game.
Romo has been a very successful NFL quarterback for the better part of a decade. Should the Cowboys have to call on him in a pinch next month, rust won’t be an issue. If the Cowboys believe Romo only has a limited amount of football left in him, it’s not wise to waste it on regular season mop-up duty.
Looking at the actual game on the field, this is an exciting matchup on paper as the Lions defense will come into Dallas with their 98.9 rushing yards allowed per game. And they’ll take on Elliott’s 110 yards per game.
While the Cowboys defense has been overachieving recently, they should also have their hands full with Lions’ quarterback Matthew Stafford, who seems to be on his way to the best season of his career.
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Beyond X’s and O’s, this game could come down to the simple fact that the Lions have something to play for, while the Cowboys will likely be looking ahead to the postseason. This has all the makings of a trap game, but should the Cowboys live by their Finish the Fight motto, they could ride a new hot streak into the playoffs.