Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys: Complete Wild Card Game Preview for Detroit
The Detroit Lions will make their second postseason appearance in four years against the Dallas Cowboys this Sunday. Based on the conversation around the league and on Twitter, it sure doesn't feel like it.
"Lions fans on an emotional roller coaster past 10 days. Score playoff berth, lose division, lose Suh, get Suh back...
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) December 30, 2014"
Trust me though. The game will go on, and it should be a good one.
It's a classic matchup of strength on strength. Running back DeMarco Murray finished the season with 1,845 yards. That's almost 500 yards more than Le'Veon Bell, his closest competition.
Detroit, meanwhile, gave up just 69.3 yards per game. That's 10.5 yards less than the second-best Denver Broncos.
And that's just one facet of a winnable game for the Lions.
Kickoff is set for 4:40 p.m. ET on Sunday at At&T Stadium. Since we have some time to kill, let's dig into everything you need to know about Detroit ahead of its Wild Card Game.
Lions' Week 17 Recap
1 of 5
The Green Bay Packers decided the NFC North on their own. Detroit could have had a say in the outcome, but when the time for objections came, the Lions choked on their tongues.
Aaron Rodgers didn't look healthy from the start. After tossing a touchdown to Randall Cobb to make it 14-0 with just over two minutes left in the first half, he collapsed to the ground and was eventually carted to the locker room.
Detroit then shook out of its offensive funk, scoring once before halftime and adding another right after to even the score. But the day was going to belong to Rodgers.
The presumptive NFL MVP walked back to the sideline after one Matt Flynn-led drive resulted in a three-and-out. He promptly tossed another scoring strike to Cobb, and Green Bay never looked back.
Matthew Stafford wasn't able to consistently measure up to the NFL's standard-bearer for quarterbacks. Too many of his throws sailed harmlessly over the heads of his receivers, although all three of his touchdown passes were perfect.
Mistakes would ultimately cost Detroit its chance. The Lions blocked a field goal early in the fourth quarter to keep the deficit at seven, but Joique Bell mishandled the handoff from Stafford on the next play.
Green Bay, of course, pounded the final nail in the coffin on the ensuing drive. Detroit couldn't pull it together in time, and a late rally failed.
Those mental miscues cost Detroit the game because the competition was better. The Lions must take the lessons learned from the Packers and apply them, or this playoff run will be over quickly.
News and Notes
2 of 5
Suh Sidesteps Suspension
Ndamukong Suh stepped in it again when he shifted his weight onto Aaron Rodgers' calf and ankle. The action occurred late in Detroit's loss, leading to NFL Vice President of Football Operations Merton Hanks' suspension of Suh for the Wild Card Game.
Suh appealed the decision and had seemingly won by claiming his feet were so "numb from the cold" that he couldn't tell what he was stepping on, per ESPN.com. League spokesman Greg Aiello set the record straight:
".@hblodget No. Mr. Suh didn't win his appeal. Ted Cottrell did not accept the excuse. He decided the apropriate discipline was a $70K fine.
— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) December 31, 2014"
The whole episode was a tired rerun of a series we've all grown sick of. Suh put his team's season in serious jeopardy by acting irrationally and selfishly.
He was aware that he would be considered a first-time offender because he had gone 32 games without a player-safety issue. While that clean slate paved the way for appeals officer Ted Cottrell to remove the suspension, the ridiculous action cost Suh $70,000.
Good luck finding a fan of any team who feels sorry for Suh's wallet.
The Price of Success
Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin has been outstanding this year. He's manipulated the right facets of the defense all season, giving Detroit the league's best rushing defense and second-stingiest unit points-wise.
There's no denying Austin's in-game adjustments either. The Atlanta Falcons put up 21 points in the first half in Week 8. They followed that up with a goose egg thanks to some light tinkering. The Chicago Bears (twice), the Minnesota Vikings and the Arizona Cardinals have also fallen victim to Austin's adjustments.
Unfortunately, other teams are taking notice, per Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News:
"The Lions' first-year defensive coordinator confirmed Thursday he's received requests to interview for head coaching vacancies with the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons, and although he's unsure when he'll be available, he hopes to take advantage of the opportunities.
"I would probably get as many as I could," he said when asked if he would take both interviews.
"
Austin deserves these interviews thanks to the masterful job he's done. Head coach Jim Caldwell is squarely in his corner, and you can rest assured that Austin will leave Detroit before Caldwell does.
Will that be this offseason? It's too early to tell. There's a chance that other franchises will want to see him replicate his success before handing over the keys. And Lions fans will have to live with that chance.
Last Game of the Year, Brent
Fans of The Waterboy understand that you can't hold anything back during the last game of the year. Detroit's season doesn't have to end this weekend, but it needs to be treated as the end-all, be-all that it is.
Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com explains that Caldwell is doing exactly that:
"Detroit Lions head coach Jim Caldwell said everything is considered when it comes to scheme and personnel in the playoffs.
He said that specifically when asked if there was a chance Golden Tate could return punts.
"Everything is looked at, seriously,” Caldwell said.
Tate had a 12.6 average with a long of 63 yards in 2010 as a rookie returning punts in Seattle. Last year in Seattle, he returned 51 punts for 585 yards (11.4 average) with a long of 71 yards.
"
The playoffs are an entirely different animal. The Pittsburgh Steelers might be willing to let Antonio Brown return punts during the regular season, but it's a dangerous proposition.
Yet when the entire season boils down to 60 minutes, you pull out all the stops.
Jeremy Ross has done an adequate job, averaging 8.9 yards per return (11th overall), but he hasn't broken the big one. His 28-yard long doesn't inspire confidence that he'll find his explosive groove in the postseason, and Tate might be just what the team needs.
Injury Report
3 of 5
| Player | Position | Injury | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Status |
| Darryl Tapp | DE | Not Injury Related | Not Listed | NP | FP | Probable |
| Larry Warford | G | Knee | NP | NP | NP | Out |
| Nick Fairley | DT | Knee | NP | LP | LP | Doubtful |
| Calvin Johnson | WR | Ankle | LP | FP | FP | Probable |
| Ezekiel Ansah | DE | Toe | Not Listed | Not Listed | LP | Probable |
*All injury information is sourced from DetroitLions.com.
The offensive line will continue its carousel this week. The right side already has undrafted free agent Cornelius Lucas on the outside and now will feature rookie Travis Swanson at guard.
Larry Warford left the Green Bay game due to a knee injury. This will be Swanson's sixth start, and the last two have seen him play markedly better.
There's no word on Darryl Tapp's issue yet, but he's not injured. He and Calvin Johnson will probably be fine to play.
The most interesting news revolves around Nick Fairley. The big man is back on the practice field in a limited capacity, inspiring hope that the Lions defensive line will be at full strength in a game where it'll play a pivotal role.
However, temper your expectations for Fairley. If he does play, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin insists that he'll be on a "pitch count," per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
4 of 5
DT Ndamukong Suh vs. G Zack Martin
The Packers were able to rush for 152 yards last week. The main reason? Guard T.J. Lang consistently blocked Suh one-on-one, allowing the center or tackle to move on to the linebackers.
Suh has been the key to the defense because he eats up double-teams while DeAndre Levy and Tahir Whitehead flow to the ball. Hopefully, last week's performance will force Suh to take out his frustration on the Cowboys.
Zack Martin will be the man charged with stopping Suh on Sunday. The rookie first-rounder finished four spots behind Lang as the seventh-highest graded guard, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
CBs Darius Slay and Rashean Mathis vs. WR Dez Bryant
DeMarco Murray is the league's leading rusher, but Bryant is Dallas' most dominant offensive player. His combination of size and speed helped him bully his way to 1,320 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdown receptions.
Detroit will probably use a more aggressive scheme than the Tampa 2-ish defense of late. The Dallas offensive line will force strong safety James Ihedigbo to pay extra attention to the run, meaning the corners will need to stay close to Bryant and tackle well.
Teryl Austin will likely keep Glover Quin at least aware of Bryant's position. That means it will be extremely important for the rest of the coverage defenders to limit the damage from the likes of Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley and Jason Witten.
G Rob Sims vs. DT Tyrone Crawford
The Cowboys only have a few defensive players you need to scheme for. With Henry Melton on the injured reserve list, Crawford is arguably the only one left on the front line who requires special attention.
Crawford is second on the team with 25 hurries and leads the way with 12 quarterback hits, per PFF. He can be the thorn in Matthew Stafford's side if Sims doesn't slow him down. Most likely, offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi will give Sims some help from a running back or the center.
Lions' X-Factor of the Week: WR Golden Tate
Stafford will be the key to Detroit's offense this week, but Tate will provide the power to the engine.
Calvin Johnson lit up the Cowboys for 329 yards last year when Dallas tried to single-cover him with Brandon Carr. It's unlikely Dallas falls into that trap again, meaning Tate should see plenty of one-on-one matchups to exploit.
He'll find the sledding could be tough though. Cornerback Orlando Scandrick hasn't given up a touchdown yet and limited opponents to just a 82.8 passer rating when throwing at his assignment. Tate must get open and make would-be tacklers miss to keep the chains moving.
Prediction
5 of 5
The Cowboys have been cruising lately. They've won six of their last seven, giving rise to plenty of predictions of victory this week.
It's easy to see why when you factor in that Dallas' four December wins came by an average of 18.5 points. It's why Odds Shark has Dallas listed as a 6.5-point favorite.
The thought process for giving the Lions so many points is Detroit simply won't be able to keep up with Dallas' offense. The balance between DeMarco Murray, Dez Bryant and Tony Romo behind a talented offensive line will be too much for Matthew Stafford's hot-and-cold game.
But everyone is overlooking Detroit's defense.
The league's leading rusher has faced off against the stingiest rushing defense five times in the playoffs since 1970, per ESPN Stats & Information (h/t Todd Archer of ESPN.com). The running back has walked out with a win once.
If the Lions can limit Murray and put Romo in obvious passing downs, Detroit's defensive line will get a chance to redeem itself after three straight subpar performances rushing the passer.
The above is an entirely plausible scenario. It might even be likely. However, that doesn't mean the Lions will win.
The offense has to get out of its own way. The miscommunications between a receiver and Stafford or two offensive linemen have cost the Lions countless points. Drops and poor throws haven't helped either.
Those dumb plays will fly against the Tampa Bays and the Chicagos of the league. They don't against 12-win playoff teams.
Score: Dallas 27, Detroit 24
All advanced stats, grades and positional rankings are courtesy of Pro Football Focus and require a subscription.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
