Dak Prescott's track record vs. Lions may reveal Cowboys' fate in Week 6

After winning two straight on the road with victories over the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys will play in front of their home fans for the first time since September 22 when they welcome the Detroit Lions to AT&T Stadium for a high-profile NFC showdown on Sunday afternoon.

And Dak Prescott should be salivating.

In his five career starts against the Lions, the three-time Pro Bowler owns a 5-0 record, his best mark against any team, and has absolutely dismantled the Detroit defense in each victory.

Okay, so the Cowboys' 20-19 victory over the Lions late last season comes with a bit of an asterisk, given the two-point conversion controversy. But a win is a win, right? And that doesn't change the fact that Dak has tormented the team from the Motor City for years, putting up strong numbers in each of the five victories.

Past success, of course, doesn't guarantee a thing. However, given the issues the Lions have had against the pass this season, Prescott should be in for another prolific performance on Sunday.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has owned the Lions in his career

While straight stats can be deceiving at times, that's not been the case as it pertains to Prescott's previous performances against the Lions.

In his five starts against Detroit, the Mississippi State alum has completed 67.9% of his passes for 1,463 yards and 11 touchdowns against just one interception.

He's never had a passer rating lower than 103.5 and his overall rating versus the Lions is an astounding 118.6. And the 444 yards for which he threw in the Cowboys' 35-27 victory in 2019 remain the seventh-most of any game in his career.

Here's a quick breakdown of Dak's dominance over Detroit.

Again, just because Prescott has performed well against the Lions in the past doesn't mean he'll do so this time around. But Cowboys fans (and fantasy football managers, of course) should like his chances.

The Detroit defense has been stellar against the run in their first four games of the 2024 season, allowing just 90.8 yards per game, the fourth-fewest in the NFL. Against the pass, however, Aaron Glenn's unit has struggled, giving up 258.2 yards per game, the sixth-most in the league.

Through the Cowboys' first five games, Dak has averaged 284.8 passing yards per game, the second-most of any quarterback. And it should be noted that one of the two ahead of him, Jordan Love, has only played three games for the Green Bay Packers. For those wondering, the leader is Geno Smith, who's averaged 296.3 yards during the Seattle Seahawks' up-and-down 3-3 start to the season.

Prescott won't be facing the same Lions secondary he did a season ago, as Detroit overhauled the cornerback room, bringing in Carlton Davis III to cover one side and drafting Terrion Arnold out of Alabama with their first-round selection to man the other.

It's an upgrade, for sure, but there are still plenty of issues there. And Dak should be able to exploit them, as should CeeDee Lamb, who should also be excited about facing the Lions, as he set career highs in receptions (13) and receiving yards (227) in the controversial win last December, which included a career-long 92-yard touchdown.

Given the issues the Dallas defense has had, whether performance or the ongoing injury issues, Sunday's matchup could very well turn into a shootout. But if Dak can limit his turnovers, which, as you can see above, he's historically done against Detroit, he's got a great shot at keeping his undefeated streak against the Lions alive.

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