DALLAS, Texas – Jim Caldwell's first season with the Lions was as rocky of a roller coaster ride as an 11-5 year can be. Detroit won six games by one possession, pulled out five fourth-quarter comeback victories and ultimately squeaked into the playoffs as the No. 6 seed for the second time in four seasons. Last weekend, the Lions were tied with the Packers in the second quarter in a game that could have given them a home playoff game in the second round. But late heroics from a gimpy Aaron Rodgers ultimately landed the Lions where they are today: Facing a first-round matchup with the Cowboys.

The two teams last met on Oct. 27, 2013, in Detroit, when Matthew Stafford led the Lions from the cellars of a 27-17 deficit late in the fourth quarter to the rooftops of a dramatic 31-30 win in the final seconds.

Now two of the NFC's surprise teams will duke it out in AT&T Stadium in Dallas with a trip to the NFC semifinals on the line. Let's take a look at some of the most important numbers going into Sunday afternoon's matchup.

12: DeMarco Murray games of at least 100 yards rushing

Dallas' combination of a dominant offensive line and lethal running back joined forces to propel DeMarco Murray to a NFL rushing title this season, as the 26-year-old picked up 1,845 rushing yards -- 484 more than the next-best mark in the league (Le'Veon Bell).

More important than Murray's total numbers was the consistency he displayed throughout the season, rushing for at least 100 yards in each of Dallas' first eight games and four times in an injury-riddled second half of the year. Murray found the end zone 13 times for the Cowboys and was only held under 100 yards without a touchdown once -- a November loss to Arizona.

At the start of the 2014 campaign, teams attacked Murray's only weakness: A tendency to fumble the ball. Though he led the NFL with 1,054 rushing yards through Week 8, Murray lost five fumbles and led all NFL running backs in turnovers. But after a second-quarter fumble forced by Washington's Bashaud Breeland on Oct. 27, Murray refused to cough the ball up during the entire second half.

Can this guy be stopped? If it's possible, the Lions are the team to do it. With the best rushing defense in the NFL since Pittsburgh's dominating D-line in 2010, Detroit surrenders less than 70 yards per game on the ground and hasn't allowed a single back over 100 yards this season (Eddie Lacy rushed for exactly 100 in Green Bay).

All season long, teams have found it nearly impossible to run against the Lions front seven. But teams have been equally unsuccessful in stopping the Cowboys' downhill rushing attack. One of these trends will be broken on Sunday, and that could be the difference between advancing or going home for the offseason.

4-4: Dallas' home record, Detroit's road record

Season ticket holders in Dallas had a strange year, as the 12-4 Cowboys ran the table away from home but finished a meager 4-4 inside the friendly confines of AT&T Stadium. For all the glamour surrounding Jerry Jones's 80,000-plus seat stadium, complete with 2,100-inch video board and retractable roof, the Cowboys rarely play well in their owner's "sports mecca."

After posting a solid 6-2 home record during the stadium's opening season in 2009, the Cowboys have never won more than five home games in a season. This year, all four of Dallas' loses came at home -- three to teams that are out on the golf course this weekend. In those four loses, the Cowboys were outscored by an average of 27.3-15.3.

On the visiting sideline, the Lions will carry an identical 4-4 road record into Dallas after ending a two-year streak of losing seasons away from home. Each of Detroit's road loses came against teams in the postseason, and each of its road wins came against teams with losing records. In fact, Stafford is 0-16 in his career against winning teams on the road.

Home-field advantage may not be a major factor for the Cowboys, but they'll definitely head into Sunday's game with the slight edge. Despite coming in as an underdog, six years of NFL experience is more than enough for Stafford to lead his Lions to a statement road victory for the first time.

27.6: Difference between Tony Romo and Matthew Stafford QBRs

Both Romo and Stafford battle perceptions that they can't win in December or the postseason. Stafford was 0-9 in his last two season's-worth of December games heading into 2014, and Romo is still haunted by the infamous fumbled snap during an extra-point attempt in the first round of the playoffs in 2006. Neither of these talented QBs have reached a Super Bowl throughout their stat-stuffing careers and therefore face harsh criticisms from starving fan bases.

Romo responded by storming through 2014, posting the best all-around numbers of his 10-year career. With a revamped rushing attack at his disposal, Romo picked apart defenses to the tune of a 69.9 completion percentage (best in the NFL). He tossed 34 touchdown passes and just nine interceptions en route to an NFL-leading QBR of 82.7 -- a career high. Romo also leads the league with 8.52 yards per passing attempt

Stafford, on the other hand, adopted a new system and struggled with consistency. The former No. 1 overall draft pick completed just 60.3 percent of his passes while throwing 22 touchdowns and 12 picks. Stafford's 55.1 QBR ranks him last among playoff quarterbacks (excluding Arizona's Ryan Lindley, who doesn't qualify) and 20th in the NFL.

Detroit will lean heavily on a defense that ranks among the best in the NFL in terms of scoring and yardage, but Stafford will have to play a strong game against Dallas' 26th-ranked passing defense to give the Lions a chance Sunday.

45: Times Stafford was sacked in 2014

Stafford has certainly made his fair share of mistakes in 2014, often missing open receivers or throwing into double coverage to commit costly turnovers. But the beating he took over the last four months has played a big role in the franchise quarterback's digression.

Only San Francisco's Colin Kaepernick was sacked more times than Stafford in the NFC this season, as the Lions QB hit the deck 45 times. An offensive line that emerged as a strength last year was completely overmatched in both pass and run blocking throughout the season.

Thanks to frequent pressure from opposing pass rushes, it was often difficult for Stafford to step into throws. As a result, hurried plays led to passes that sailed over targets, spiked in the dirt, or flew behind receivers. Stafford would make dazzling, jaw-dropping throws only to have fans pulling their hair out on the very next play.

The Cowboys were the second-worst team in the NFC at pressuring the quarterback this season, picking up just 28 sacks. If the Lions can buy time for Stafford, they'll see much more of the guy that fits passes into the smallest of windows and avoids costly turnovers.

1: Lions playoff wins in the Super Bowl era

Though the Cowboys put together an impressive season at 12-4, Sunday's matchup is really about the Lions trying to change the perception of one of the least successful franchises in the Super Bowl era.

Since Super Bowl I in 1967, Detroit has qualified for the playoffs 11 times, accumulating a 1-10 record in the postseason. The first of those games came against the Cowboys on Dec. 26, 1970, when the Lions lost by a head-shaking score of 5-0. Twenty-one years later, Detroit crushed Dallas 38-6 for its only playoff win in the last 57 years.

But in the end, games that finished more than 20 years ago have little to do with the current state of the Lions' franchise. Today's Lions face the additional hurdle of a fan base conditioned to expect the worst at the first sign of adversity, and the franchise only has itself to blame.

Perhaps the "Same Old Lions" mentality gained steam during the 2007 season, when the Lions started 6-2 and Jon Kitna told reporters the team should finish "no worse than 12-4." Detroit went on to lose 41 of its next 44 games, a streak that included the NFL's first 0-16 season.

Even after the Lions earned a playoff spot in 2011, they couldn't seem to shake the habits that so angered fans. In the playoff loss, Detroit's defense surrendered 45 points and failed to force a punt, giving the Lions faithful very little hope throughout the course of the game.

The following season, a 4-4 start was washed away by an astronomical collapse as the Lions dropped their final eight games and finished dead-last in the division. Last season demonstrated more of the same, as the 6-3 Lions blew six fourth-quarter leads in their final seven games to throw away the NFC North.

Each of these memories conditioned Lions fans to look at this year's team with little more than cautious optimism. Forget the new regime Caldwell brought into Detroit or the revamped defense under Teryl Austin, 50 years of negative history overpowered much of the season that Lions fans should have been thoroughly enjoying.

Now, the Lions have a chance to validate the 11-5 record that landed them in this position. A road playoff win would soften the blows of the past decade and breathe new life into the Lions organization. As a No. 6 seed, Detroit has very little chance of playing in a Super Bowl this season, but winning Sunday's game would be a step in the right direction.