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Playoff Pressure Bursts: Cowboys Buckle Late in Costly Loss to Lions

December 5, 2025

Both the Cowboys and Lions went into week 14 needing a big win to keep their season afloat. A loss in the TNF slot would greatly hurt their playoff odds with both sides falling behind in their divisional race.

The moves Jerry Jones made at the trade deadline have been paying off in a big way. They were 2-0 over the last two game stretch in Philly, Kansas City and needed a third win in Detroit to keep the momentum going. Both sides played on Thanksgiving and had the full week to prepare but Detroit came out a little more “ready” with so much on the line. The Lions defense has been struggling to generate pressure as of late and were just carved up by Jordan Love for 4 scores and seemingly couldn’t cover anyone. That changed in a big way (from a passrush perspective) as they were able to sack Prescott 5 times and generate 14 hurries. Dallas lost 50 (!) yards on those 5 sacks constantly making things even more difficult for themselves.

Despite the protection struggles, Dak and CeeDee started to get a rhythm going. Lamb shook coverage multiple times to get open for a short gain, made a quick move and turned it into a large gain. He was making the most of his receptions as he was closing in on a 100 yard game at halftime. You have to imagine that he would have had a massive night had he not sustained a concussion on a circus catch attempt in the endzone. With Lamb out, it became the George Pickens show once again. Pickens played incredibly well without Lamb early in the season but Thursday was a bit different. There were a number of plays (including one that turned into an interception) where he seemed to short arm the catch, not give total effort, it was a little confusing and something that Pittsburgh fans have seen all too often. Even Richard Sherman made a few comments in the postgame about the lack of effort and how Pickens seemed “uninterested in playing football”. If you want to be paid like a WR1, you need to be THAT guy and play like a WR1. Former Falcons wide receiver who played with Julio Jones and Roddy White added “I know what a WR1 looks like, and that ain’t it”. The guy that stepped up in a huge way for Dallas was Ryan Flournoy. Flournoy racked up 9 grabs and a big score late to bring them within a field goal.

Ultimately, it was a disappointing loss as Prescott was picked off late by DJ Reed of the Lions to seal their fate. With the loss, Dallas now has a 9% chance of making the playoffs. It’s yet to be seen if they’ll be without Lamb for their next game. Given they played on Thursday, there might be a chance he plays with the extra few days of rest depending on the severity. However, they need to be prepared to be without him and reset. Playoff football has officially arrived in Dallas. They cannot afford another loss and it may already be too late.

Keith, Author

Keith runs youth flag football leagues by day, and by night he hosts the podcast and writes articles with the confidence of a man who’s been rushing quarterbacks since dial-up. A longtime flag football DE and lifelong Falcons fan, he’s no stranger to heartbreak and enjoys watching the bears get slaughtered each week. Equal parts coach, critic, and chaos, Keith calls it like he sees it… even if it hurts.