The Detroit Lions are back in action in Week 7. Dan Campbell’s Lions return from the bye week with a trip to Dallas to face the 4-2 Cowboys in search of Detroit’s second win of the season.
The Lions are looking healthier out of the break, but they draw a Dallas team that figures to be rejuvenated with the return of starting QB Dak Prescott, who has not played since Week 1 with a thumb injury.
If the Lions are to defy the odds and win in Dallas, they’ll need strong afternoons from several key performers. Here are four Lions who need to show up big against the Cowboys.
Jared Goff
The Cowboys defense is the strength of the team. They are successful because Dallas is really good at forcing opposing QBs into mistakes.
They do so smartly, by creating considerable pressure up front and mixing things up behind it. It takes smart decisions by the quarterback and the ability to operate effectively under pressure.
Goff has done that pretty well for Detroit this season. However, when last we saw No. 16, he played terribly in the shutout loss to New England. The pick-six, the brutal sack/fumble, the missed targets under pressure — those Goff mistakes cannot happen in Dallas or else it’s going to be a very long afternoon.
The quarterback is almost always the most important player on the field. Against a defense like what Dallas brings, it’s unquestionably imperative for Goff to have a strong game.
Kerby Joseph
Joseph has taken over the primary coverage safety role from inured Tracy Walker. After an uneven first game in Week 4, Joseph played well in coverage in the last Lions game against the Patriots.
Pressure is on the rookie safety to perform. The Cowboys receiving corps does not get open well; Dallas WRs have the lowest average separation per route in the NFL through Week 6. Now they’re working with Prescott, who has not thrown to them for over a month until practices this week. Expect a little rust, which means an opportunity for Joseph to make a big play or two. Joseph should have more freedom to ballhawk and roam with the CBs (hopefully) not needing so much help over the top in coverage.
Joseph’s tackling has been rough dating back to preseason and that’s another area where the rookie has to be sharp. The Lions cannot give up big plays to Tony Pollard or Ezekiel Elliott on the ground, which means Joseph (and fellow S DeShon Elliott) cannot be out of position or miss tackles.
Whoever might be kicking
As of Friday morning, the Lions still do not have a kicker on the active 53-man roster. There are two kickers on the practice squad, Michael Badgley and Sam Ficken.
Neither has appeared for the Lions. Badgley was active as a game-day elevation in Week 5 but never got a chance to kick an extra point or field goal, and punter Jack Fox handled Detroit’s one kickoff. Badgley’s lack of activity was directly related to a lack of confidence in the kicking game by head coach Dan Campbell.
Hopefully, Campbell has realized that kicking a 38-yard FG is smarter than trying to go for it on 4th-and-6 with an injury-riddled receiving corps. But for that to work, the kicker has to make the kick. Badgley was 4-for-4 for the Bears kicking in Week 4; he’s proven he can be a very effective NFL kicker. Badgley was more accurate on field goals than former Lions kicker Matt Prater between 2018-2021. Ficken has a big leg but spotty accuracy, notably on extra points (missed three each in 2019 and 2020 with the Jets).
If Campbell doesn’t trust the kicker, expect more failed fourth-down conversions and stalled, empty drives. Can’t have that against the NFL’s No. 3 scoring defense.
Penei Sewell
Penei Sewell has quickly proven to be one of the gems of the 2021 NFL draft. However, the Lions right tackle is coming off a subpar game in New England. Now he draws perhaps the best player from that draft class in Micah Parsons in Dallas.
Parsons won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2021 and he’s picked up right where he left off. The versatile EDGE has six sacks and eight TFLs in the first six weeks, and he does almost all of that on his individual talent, no schematic help needed. Parsons aligns against the right tackle about 65 percent of the time, but when he rushes the passer, that figure goes up to almost 90 percent.
Sewell struggled against the similarly quick Matthew Judon in New England, unable to land the strong punch to dictate the direction of the rush. If Sewell can’t hold up against Parsons–notably to Sewell’s inside shoulder–it’s going to be a very long day for Goff and the Lions offense.
