Cowboys face brutal Lions flashback as Jerry Jones sounds the alarm

Vibes are high for America's Team on the strength of three straight victories, but Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has served up a reminder of just how painful losing in the NFL is.

Jones comes across as a happy-go-lucky type of fella to the general public. He loves his Cowboys. He loves making money. Sometimes those two passions don't marry up on the gridiron, nor result in an on-field product worthy of professional sports' most valuable franchise.

It seems more due to Jones' meddling tendencies than his lack of care as to why the Cowboys fall short year after year.

Every indication of how Dallas is trending suggests they're ready for prime time in Thursday's impending matchup with the Detroit Lions. However, Jerry is starting to get cold feet — and probably some cold sweats — as he braces to face this particular opponent.

Jerry Jones still scarred by Lions' blowout of Cowboys on his 82nd birthday

In a radio interview on Dallas' 105.3 The Fan, Jerry Jones recounted how awful it was when the Cowboys got the brakes beaten off them by the Lions 47-9 in Week 6 last year. He was hoping to celebrate his birthday with a "W." Instead, Big D got big-bodied by MC/DC Dan Campbell's bullies at Jerry World.

That humiliating loss indeed still sticks with Jones to this day, via ESPN's Todd Archer:

Whether Jones has stepped back on the personnel side of things, or the Cowboys front office has simply figured out a way to keep him involved without freezing him out of major decision-making, Dallas has taken so many huge swings lately that have paid off. So many that it feels unlikely that history will repeat itself in Detroit on Thursday night.

Trading away Micah Parsons was so dicey. Using key assets from that deal to acquire Quinnen Williams was polarizing. Taking a flier on George Pickens was far from a guaranteed success. Hiring an internally-promoted Brian Schottenheimer as head coach wasn't viewed as some revered or inspired move.

Jerry shouldn't be saying, "How 'bout them Cowboys!?" He should be rocking out to The Heavy's "How You Like Me Now" on the daily, because my goodness, this man is on a heater!!

Oh, did I mention that Dallas went full necessarily-capitalized Lions Mode in the 2025 NFL Draft? It looks like they hit on guard Tyler Booker, defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku, and cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. with their top three picks.

Shades of Detroit's 2023 haul of Jahmyr Gibbs, Jack Campbell, Sam LaPorta, and Brian Branch.

Speaking of which, LaPorta is sadly out for the foreseeable future due to back surgery. He torched the Cowboys in 2024 for a 52-yard touchdown. It was a vintage Ben Johnson trick play, where LaPorta broke free off an exotic end around-flea flicker combo.

Campbell is dialing up the plays these days for the Lions. Not that he's a slouch of a play-caller, but Ben Johnson is truly special. he has the Chicago Bears as the NFC's No. 1 seed right now. Raise your hand if you saw that coming before the season kicked off.

Detroit's offensive line is also not as good as it's been in years past, at least in pass protection. That makes immobile pocket quarterback Jared Goff an easier target.

Goff gashed the 'Boys for 315 yards and three TDs in the last meeting. This time around, Dallas' defensive front of Williams, Ezeiruaku, Kenny Clark and Co. should be able to tee off on a Lions pass blocking unit that PFF ranks in the NFL's bottom 10.

What the Cowboys really need to prioritize is limiting Gibbs' efficacy out of the backfield. He's an elite runner and a lethal threat to exploit Dallas' linebackers in coverage.

So while Ford Field is a hostile environment to play in, lots of signs suggest Jerry Jones will be feeling far better about this year's game versus the Lions than what lingers from ~14 months ago. Sorry you can't get that miserable birthday back, Jerry.