DETROIT – The Detroit Lions went into Dallas and humiliated the Cowboys on Sunday, but the win was overshadowed by a gruesome injury.
Detroit’s 47-9 evisceration of “America’s team" should have been the headline coming out of Dallas. But it’s hard not to think more about what the Lions lost on Sunday evening.
LATEST: Everything we know about Aidan Hutchinson’s horrific leg injury
Leading 34-6 in the third quarter, Aidan Hutchinson picked up sack No. 7.5, which leads the NFL.
But while he was bringing Dak Prescott to the ground, Hutchinson suffered what appeared to be a horrific injury to his left leg. Trainers immediately ran out and put the leg in an air cast, and Hutchinson was taken off the field on a cart.
If not for Hutchinson’s injury, Sunday would have been a perfect game for the Lions. They jumped all over the Cowboys from the start, scoring a touchdown on their opening drive, picking off a pass on the next, and running out to a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter.
Lions fans had this rematch circled after last season’s controversial loss in Dallas. The Lions appeared to beat the Cowboys with a late two-point conversion, but it was called back with a very delayed flag for an ineligible lineman downfield.
The Lions clearly had that game on their mind, too. Ben Johnson tried to dial up a touchdown pass for Taylor Decker (who caught the two-point conversion last year before it was taken off the board), but it was batted away.
On the next drive, the Lions threw a pass to Penei Sewell down in the red zone, but it was called back for -- you guessed it -- an illegal man downfield. This time it was called on center Frank Ragnow.
Detroit also had an interception and two touchdowns taken off the board by penalties, but it didn’t matter. The Cowboys didn’t belong on the same field.
Dak Prescott, who was ranked by fellow players as a better quarterback than Goff in a preseason ranking, completed only 17 of 33 passes for178 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Goff threw for 315 yards and three scores on 18-of-25 passing.
David Montgomery continued to bulldoze his way through defenders, running for 80 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 12 carries. His backfield partner, Jahmyr Gibbs, put up 91 total yards on 12 carries and three catches.
Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown also caught touchdown passes. Kalif Raymond had his best game of the season, catching four balls for 73 yards.
Brian Branch led the way in another excellent defensive effort. He finished with two interceptions, a QB hit, and six tackles (five solo).
Kerby Joseph also notched another interception -- his fourth of the year, second in the NFL.
The Lions racked up nearly 500 yards of offense while holding the Cowboys to 251. It was a thorough a beatdown as you’ll see in professional football.
With this win, the Lions improved to 4-1 on the season, second only to the 5-0 Vikings in the NFC. Those two teams will square off next week in a battle for first place in not only the NFC North, but the entire conference.
