Detroit Lions continue their losing ways after blowing winnable game against Cowboys

ARLINGTON, Texas – The Detroit Lions continued their losing ways as they fell to the Dallas Cowboys 24-6 in a week seven matchup that was very winnable.

The Lions did what they always do, which is give their fanbase a false sense of hope by building a lead and later blowing it or have a come-from-behind miraculous last dash to the finish line but come up short, which is what they did Sunday while heading into the half with a 6-3 lead.

But untimely turnovers in critical situations sealed their fate, extending their road losing streak in the Dan Campbell era and falling to 1-5 on the season.

“I thought our defense played much better today,” said Campbell. “It wasn’t perfect, but I told those guys that you can win when you play that type of defense. They set the tone early. They played hard at one point.”

Campbell continued:

“We were physical on the perimeter, and I thought our corners and safeties really showed up, and those big guys in the middle made a step in the right direction. Offensively we ran the type of plays we needed to run against this opponent minus the turnovers, and that’s what killed us. The turnovers and inopportune penalties.”

The Lions had five turnovers in the game, with four coming in the second half. The most pivotal one came in the fourth quarter, with Detroit training 10-6. Running back Jamaal Williams ran into his lineman and coughed up the ball on the one-yard line.

“The bottom line is that you’ve got to find a way to win,” Campbell said. “I really felt like we were on track to do that, and then you know, we made those couple mistakes that killed us. The turnovers against an opponent this good, good luck. This (Dallas) is a good opponent. It’s a talented roster that’s well coached.”

Aidan Hutchinson

The Lions’ defense was stout early and often as they went into halftime, holding the Cowboys to 104 yards passing and 52 yards rushing while taking a 6-3 lead thanks partly to rookie defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.

Hutchinson had himself a day as he flashed on the massive screens in Jerry World while recording his fourth sack with one arm and a half sack later in the game.

Hutchinson nearly spoiled the return of Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott as he finished the game with four quarterback pressures, three tackles one and a half sacks.

Dak Prescott

Ed Werder of ESPN reported that Prescott chose the Lions to be the opponent to return against as he sat out the previous five games after surgery on his thumb on his throwing hand.

Prescott’s performance was what you’d expect from a guy making his return after a long layoff as he finished the game completing 19-25 for 207 yards and one touchdown.

Before Sunday’s (Oct. 23) matchup, Prescott has played the Lions three times in his career, winning all three games. He’s averaged 30 points a game with eight touchdown passes and no interceptions.

Detroit had two weeks to prepare for the matchup. The talk leading up to the game suggested they were preparing to get back into the win column, but all they did was extend their losing streak to four. And with the high-flying Miami Dolphins coming into Ford Field next Sunday, let’s hope Detroit can get healthy on offense expeditiously.