Lions vs. Cowboys: Breaking Down Detroit's Game Plan

The Detroit Lions head to the Lone Star State for just their second playoff game since the turn of the century. Sunday's game against the Dallas Cowboys gives Detroit a chance to win just its second playoff game in the Super Bowl era.

Even though the Cowboys are favored by a touchdown at Odds Shark, this is a very winnable game for the visiting Lions. Here are three things Detroit can do to augment their chances of securing the team's first playoff win since 1991.

Viewing Info

What: Detroit Lions (11-5) at Dallas Cowboys (12-4)

When: Sunday, Jan. 4, 4:40 p.m. ET

Watch: Fox, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call

Sharp Stafford

If Detroit is going to outscore Dallas, quarterback Matthew Stafford is going to have to play like he's worthy of being a No. 1 overall pick, which he was in 2009. He has demonstrated that at times, but his inconsistent greatness is a flummoxing issue.

More to the point, he has not been at his best when facing playoff teams.

"

Not a great look for Matthew Stafford: pic.twitter.com/frgJHpaRJa

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) December 29, 2014"

It's hard to put a finger on what exactly plagues Stafford, because even in his poorer performances he still flashes brilliance. Last week's game in Green Bay is a great example. He was bad enough to inspire this very valid tweet from Bleacher Report's Michael Schottey:

"

Stafford was throwing terribly that drive… …decision making was worse…so, so bad

— Michael Schottey (@Schottey) December 28, 2014"

Yet he also made some truly fantastic throws, including a touchdown in the corner of the end zone to Calvin Johnson.

"

Megatron! Matthew Stafford with a perfect pass to Calvin Johnson for a 20-yard TD. Johnson's 7th TD of season. Packers lead Lions, 14-7.

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 28, 2014"

The thing is, when Stafford is consistently playing his A-game, Detroit is very, very good. With Johnson and Golden Tate—both of whom topped 1,000 yards receiving—at his disposal and fully healthy, Stafford has a chance to put up another monster game.

"

Matthew Stafford finished 4 games with a passer rating over 100.0 this season. #Lions went 4-0, with an average margin of almost 16 points.

— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) December 31, 2014"

This game is a big challenge for Stafford. It's put up or shut up time. No more missed reads where he throws the ball into double coverage when the backside receiver is wide-open. No more failing to check out of the run against a nine-man box, which happened twice in the Green Bay loss last weekend. No more wildly overthrowing an open Tate on fourth down. 

Don't Get Beat by Role Players

Dallas is loaded with premium offensive talent:

• DeMarco Murray led the NFL in rushing and yards from scrimmage
• Dez Bryant led the league in touchdown receptions
• Tony Romo led all quarterbacks in yards per attempt and threw 34 touchdowns to just nine interceptions

Throw in venerable veteran tight end Jason Witten and what is generally regarded as the best offensive line in football and it's easy to see why the Cowboys offense is such a formidable foe.

"

Cowboys point totals in December 41, 38, 42, 44.

— Draft NFCE Champs™ (@DraftCowboys) December 28, 2014"

If Dallas can ride those great players to victory, they deserve the win. Tip your hat and congratulate them on a job well done. 

The Lions need to avoid getting beaten by the ancillary players in the Dallas offense. If Detroit goes down, it cannot be to the likes of backup running back Joseph Randle, reserve tight end Gavin Escobar or wideouts Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley.

The Indianapolis Colts know how dangerous Beasley is out of the slot, and last week's game in Green Bay demonstrated how vulnerable Detroit's otherwise stalwart defense is in that area. 

This Beasley play from the Week 16 blowout win over Indy should give Lions fans nightmares. 

NFL Game Rewind

The Colts play press on the outside receivers but give Beasley quite a cushion after he motions across the formation. In fact, it appears they essentially ignore him; nobody crosses with him, and three defenders remain locked in on Murray in the backfield.

NFL Game Rewind

Romo quickly recognizes this, giving a quick nod to Beasley just before the snap. Witten runs an adept crossing route to clear out the linebacker, who moves forward to chuck the tight end. The slot corner sloughs backward, almost as if he's more concerned about helping on Bryant on the outside than Beasley.

Big mistake.

Romo fires a dart and Beasley has loads of room to operate once he gets the ball.

NFL Game Rewind

The converging Colts then fail to bring down Beasley, who uses a sweet dip move to get the linebacker to fly over him. From there it's an easy end-zone trot for the former SMU Mustang. 

NFL Game Rewind

Role players were a problem for Detroit much of the year. Remember seldom-used tight end Chris Gragg scoring Buffalo's only touchdown, or fullback Austin Johnson scoring New Orleans' first TD against the Lions? 

It's a tough balance to take focus away from Dallas' offensive stars, but Detroit's defense needs to be wary of the lesser weapons too. 

Lean on Recent History

It sounds strange to emphasize anything in Detroit's recent history as a positive, given the team is playing in the postseason for just the second time since 1999. However, these Lions have a pretty distinct mental edge in the head-to-head department with these Cowboys.

MLive's Kyle Meinke covered this success, noting:

"

Detroit has won two straight against the Cowboys. The Lions are 3-2 in the last five games, 9-6 in the past 15 and won the teams' last playoff game in 1991.

The Lions' last trip to AT&T Stadium occurred in 2011, when they trailed 20-3 at halftime and 30-17 entering the fourth before rattling off 17 unanswered points in a dramatic 34-30 win.

"

Detroit recorded two pick-sixes off Romo as part of that epic comeback, one of the games often cited in the "Tony Romo is a choker" narrative. He's largely absolved himself from that with a fantastic season, but it wouldn't hurt for the Lions to dredge up those memories with an early interception.

Then there was last year's contest.

To say Calvin Johnson had a big game against the Cowboys is an understatement:

"

Calvin Johnson 329 receiving yards last season vs the Cowboys were the 2nd most receiving yards in a single-game in NFL history.

— NFLN_Playbook (@NFLN_Playbook) December 31, 2014"

He accomplished that with Kris Durham as his No. 2, not even remotely close to what balance Golden Tate offers this year. 

That game was capped off by an epic comeback drive engineered by Stafford at his best. As chronicled by ESPN's Michael Rothstein, No. 9 perfectly executed a fake spike and scampered into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown around a bewildered Dallas defense. It's one of the best Lions highlights of the post-Barry Sanders era. 

Detroit has proved they can beat Dallas, even when falling behind early. While these Cowboys are better than those editions, so are these Lions. They should feel confident heading into Arlington that they can roar once again.