Lions vs. Cowboys: Final Odds, TV Schedule, Predictions for 2015 NFC Wild Card

Wild Card Weekend saves the best for last, concluding the first-round slate with an enticing showdown between the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.

If any NFC club knocks off a top-two seed en route to the Super Bowl, it's one of these squads. While Detroit boasts a top defense that could play well in the postseason, Dallas wields a star-studded offense that caught fire during December.

They both fell short of a first-round bye, but the Cowboys match the conference's bests at 12-4, with the Lions falling just shy at 11-5. With each team's strength coinciding with the other's forte, this NFC clash is poised to steal the show Sunday.

No. 6 Detroit Lions at No. 3 Dallas Cowboys

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

Where: A&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

TV: Fox

Game Line (via Odds Shark): DAL -6.5

Preview

Mike McGinnis/Getty Images

A remarkable thing has happened this week. Heading into a playoff game involving Tony Romo, everyone is instead poking holes into the opposing quarterback's merits.

Often unfairly maligned, Romo slabbed duct tape over his critics' mouth by leading the league in completion percentage (69.9) and yards per attempt (8.52). Yeah, but he always stinks in December. Oh, not so, amalgam of Romo skeptics. He tossed 12 touchdowns during the final month while completing an outstanding 74.8 percent of his passes.

Well, that pent-up anger needs to go somewhere, so let's redirect it to Matthew Stafford. ESPN Stats & Info tweeted out the popular and concerning stat floating around the Internet all week:

Football Outsiders' Scott Kacsmar delved deeper into his performance, home and away, against all winning teams before Detroit's Week 17 loss against the Green Bay Packers.

Just like that, everyone has suddenly realized that maybe Stafford isn't an amazing quarterback. While he has tallied yards galore in high-volume passing offenses, he also sports a 59.6 completion percentage and 7.01 yards per attempt over his career, average marks the 26-year-old mirrored during his sixth season.

Regardless of the opponent, Stafford struggled on the road this season. Dallas happens to be away from Detroit.

Category	Home	Road
CMP %	67.3	54.1
Pass YDs	2,256	2,001
Pass TDs	13	9
INT	6	6
YPA	7.94	6.29
QB Rating	97.7	74.9

Dallas' dwindling secondary offers the clearest path to victory, so the Lions can't afford a mediocre performance from Stafford.

Outside of the maddening passers lies an epic battle between NFL leading rusher DeMarco Murray and Detroit's league-best rushing defense. Murray, who gained 1,845 rushing yards on an unfathomable 392 carries, praised his opponent's swarming front seven to ESPN.com's Todd Archer.

“Just running to the ball,” Murray said. “They always got 11 guys finishing to the ball and rallying to the ball. That’s what you want on defense ... So you’ve got to make sure you finish blocks down field and you’ve got to make some guys miss and run through a lot of trash.” 

Any hope for a Detroit upset stems from Murray's baffling workload. Jason Garrett had two chances to take it easy on his star, broken hand and all, during two blowouts to end the season. Instead, he kept his foot on the pedal.

Murray remained upright and productive enough, but he showed signs of fatigue down the stretch, averaging 3.9 yards per carry over the final five weeks. Before that, the 26-year-old generated 5.1 yards per rush.

Although the almost-suspended Ndamukong Suh will line up against Murray, his important teammate will not. Despite practicing this week, Nick Fairley is unlikely to suit up Sunday. ESPN.com's Michael Rothstein delivered the blow to Detroit's chances.

"An angry Suh will destroy" narrative aside, Eddie Lacy collected 100 rushing yards in Fairley's absence last weekend. If Murray hits triple digits, the Cowboys are on their way to Lambeau to face Lacy's Packers. They shouldn't, however, force the issue on the ground.

Detroit fell outside the top 10 in passing defense, so it makes sense for Garrett to lean more on his star quarterback and the surging Dez Bryant, who concluded 2014 with six touchdowns through three games. A frequent rushing attack got Dallas this far, but failing to adapt to the matchup could cost the NFC East champions.

Their records are separated by only one game, but the Cowboys' plus-115 point differential trumps the Lions' plus-39 mark. Ask the Florida State Seminoles what happens when a team that coasts on narrowly beating subpar opposition gets dealt a superior opponent in the playoffs.

Prediction: Cowboys 27, Lions 17