DETROIT – We learned a great deal about the Detroit Lions during their dominant win over the Cowboys in Dallas.
This 47-9 drubbing was over from the very start, with the Lions scoring on each of their first nine drives (excluding a kneel-down before halftime). The Cowboys never found the end zone on offense.
Here are my takeaways:
Aidan Hutchinson injury
Let’s address the elephant in the room: Aidan Hutchinson is a massive, devastating loss for the Lions.
Hutchinson has been a one-man wrecking crew for the Lions' defense this season, leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks through five games.
But he suffered a serious leg injury in the third quarter, and the Lions will be without their best defensive player for the rest of the season.
The team confirmed Monday that Hutchinson had successful surgery for a broken tibia and fibula. He’s expected to make a full recovery.
Without Hutchinson, the Lions might struggle to pressure the quarterback. And without pressure, the new-look secondary is going to be under even more stress.
The Lions are still good enough to compete with anybody, but losing Hutchinson is a major blow to their Super Bowl hopes.
Lions are one of NFL’s best
Even without Hutchinson, the Lions reinforced Sunday that they’re one of the best teams in the NFL.
At 4-1, they trail only the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) in the NFC, and now that the offense is clicking, the Lions look like a wrecking ball.
We all thought the Lions would be a Super Bowl favorite coming into the season. With the early offensive struggles behind them, there’s no reason to change that stance.
Lions remembered last season
Last year’s controversial loss in Dallas was a hot topic among fans leading up to Sunday, but it’s clear the Lions were still angry, too.
In the midst of a blowout, the Lions tried three separate times to complete passes to offensive linemen, just to remind the Cowboys what happened last season.
Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell both came close to touchdowns, and even Dan Skipper got in on the action.
Click here to read the full breakdown of what the Lions tried to do, and why.
Jared Goff vs. Dak Prescott
Remember when NFL players voted on the top 100 players in the league this offseason? By far the most outrageous ranking, to me, was Dak Prescott at No. 16.
Prescott was ranked ahead of guys like C.J. Stroud, Justin Jefferson, and teammate Micah Parsons -- possibly the best defensive player in the league.
He was also ranked higher than Sewell, Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and fellow quarterback Jared Goff, who came in at No. 48.
Might be time to rethink that one.
The only time Prescott found the end zone Sunday was when he lobbed a popup into the arms of Brian Branch for his first of two interceptions. Prescott finished with 17 completions in 33 attempts for 178 yards.
Goff, meanwhile, threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns on 18-of-25 passing.
Makes ya think!
Tim Patrick emerges
The Lions struggled early in the season to replace the very specific role played by Josh Reynolds the past two seasons. But now, it feels like they’ve found their man.
Tim Patrick caught all three of his targets for 68 yards on Sunday, including a 42-yard bomb. The Lions have so many weapons on offense, but that big-bodied veteran was missing.
Not anymore.
Kalif Raymond gets involved
It was an odd start to the season for Kalif Raymond, who only got targeted five times in the team’s first four games. He caught four of those targets for a total of 36 yards.
Ben Johnson made a point to get Raymond more involved on Sunday, as Goff targeted him six times. Raymond caught four of those passes for 73 yards.
Raymond is best known for his skills as a returner, but he can be a weapon on offense, too. It was good to see him get back in the mix.
David Montgomery is on another level
David Montgomery was really good for the Lions last year, his first in Detroit. But he’s on a whole new level this season.
His run against the Seahawks before the bye was iconic, and he did it again to the Cowboys a couple of times -- once for a 16-yard touchdown and again for a 19-yard gain in the third quarter.
You just can’t tackle this man.
He’s running with an unmatched level of physicality, and the Lions have the luxury of keeping him fresh without missing a beat when they bring in Jahmyr Gibbs.
Montgomery was one of the most underrated players on the team coming into the season, but I think now people are starting to notice.
Maybe Josh Paschal is next up
Nobody on the Lions' roster is capable of replacing Hutchinson, but maybe Josh Paschal is someone who can step up a bit in his absence.
Paschal hasn’t gotten a real chance to show his potential due to injuries. But he had some nice moments Sunday, getting into the backfield for a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
The Lions are going to need several guys to help fill the hole left by Hutchinson, and Paschal feels like an obvious candidate.
Jameson Williams bounces back
We all know Jameson Williams is an electric talent. The question has been whether he can avoid mistakes and find some consistency.
On Sunday, Williams had his first really egregious drop of the season. It looked like he started to turn upfield before really gaining possession of the ball, because he had a lane to the end zone.
How did he respond? By catching a pass on the very next play for a 15-yard gain. He didn’t trot off to the sideline, or compound the mistake with another drop. He immediately got back on track.
Williams is obviously a deep threat, but he’s become much more than just that. He’s a reliable target for Goff, and currently leads the team with 365 receiving yards. It’s that consistency that could take him to the next level.
He’s also tied with St. Brown for the team lead in touchdown catches, and is second to St. Brown with 16 receptions.
Jake Bates perfection
Coming into Sunday’s game, the Lions hadn’t asked Jake Bates to attempt a single field goal longer than 35 yards. He was a perfect 5-for-5 on the season, sure, but they were all chip shots.
That changed in Dallas, as Bates knocked in field goals from 40 and 48 yards as part of a 4-for-4 day. He also made an extra point from 48 yards after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Other than one missed extra point, Bates has been perfect on the season, making all nine field goals and 16 of 17 extra points.
I’ll just come out and say it
The Lions aren’t going to say it publicly, so I’ll do it for them: It felt really good to see them do that to the Cowboys.
It seems like every time the Lions go to Dallas, they leave under infuriating circumstances, whether it’s a blowout loss or some sort of controversy.
Well, the Lions made sure no controversy could get in the way Sunday. They destroyed the Cowboys from start to finish, and if you could get an honest answer out of them, I bet this serving of revenge tasted extra sweet.
