Ndamukong Suh's Successful Appeal Gives Lions a Fighting Chance vs. Cowboys

Ted Cottrell has given the Detroit Lions a fighting chance against the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round. 

The NFL's appeals officer overturned the one-game suspension levied on Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh Tuesday, choosing instead to fine Suh $70,000 for stepping on the lower leg of Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Week 17, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Suh will be eligible to play Sunday against the Cowboys. 

His return to the field could end up being the difference between a one-and-done playoff run and a win over running back DeMarco Murray and the Cowboys' No. 2-ranked rushing offense. At the very least, the Lions will be at or near full strength for the franchise's second playoff game since 1999. 

Suh, a four-time Pro Bowler, anchors the league's top run defense and third-best scoring defense.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Suh finished the 2014 season as the NFL's third-best defensive tackle, trailing only Aaron Donald of the St. Louis Rams and Gerald McCoy of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He tallied 8.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 37 pressures over 875 total snaps, and his 38 total "stops," or tackles that constitute an offensive failure, led the position. 

Without Suh, the 12-4 Cowboys became a heavy favorite to advance past the 11-5 Lions and into the divisional round. The vaunted running game for Dallas will now have a much bigger test on its hands. 

The Cowboys finished the regular season with 2,354 total rushing yards, which trailed only the Seattle Seahawks for first in the NFL. Murray, who averaged 115.3 rushing yards per game, led the league with 1,845 yards on 391 carries. He scored 13 touchdowns and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. 

The Cowboys went 10-2 when Murray broke 100 yards this season, including a 4-0 stretch over the second half. 

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Suh and the Lions entered Week 17 on a historic pace stopping the run. Through 15 games, Detroit had allowed only 63.8 rushing yards per game, which would have been the sixth-lowest total all-time.

The Packers put a slight ding in the final numbers during the season finale. Green Bay became just the second team to rush for over 100 total yards against Detroit, gaining 152 in Sunday's 30-20 win. Eddie Lacy also became the first running back to hit the century mark against the Lions this season. He needed 26 carries. 

The Lions still finished the season allowing 69.3 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry; both figures led the NFL. Detroit also became just the third defense since the 1970 merger to allow less than 1,110 rushing yards in a single season, while only 13 defenses have ever allowed a better yards-per-carry average over a full year. 

Suh was a big reason why. 

An athletic marvel at 305 pounds, Suh demands double-teams on most downs. He single-handedly helps free up linebacker DeAndre Levy to make plays all over the field, and few interior players are more individually disruptive against the run. Suh's 26 run stops were the fourth most among defensive tackles in 2014.

His unique ability to collapse the pocket from the inside is also a great asset for the Lions pass defense. 

ESPN's Stats & Info laid out how important Suh is for the Lions to have on the field:

Not having him available might have been a death blow to a defense that also isn't likely to have defensive tackle Nick Fairley healthy in time for Sunday's contest. 

With Suh, the Lions have a chance to slow Murray and make the Cowboys offense uncomfortably one-dimensional. Dallas finished 2-2 when Murray was unable to rush for 100 or more yards in 2014, including home losses to the Arizona Cardinals and Philadelphia Eagles.

The Lions haven't won a road playoff game since 1957, a current nine-game winless streak that likely would have continued had Cottrell stuck with the suspension and kept Suh on the sidelines. 

In returning the Lions' best defensive player to the field, Cottrell may have just saved Detroit's season.

Zach Kruse covers the NFC North for Bleacher Report. 

Follow @zachkruse2