NFL Picks Week 4: 8 Ways Dallas Cowboys Will Crush the Lions' Undefeated Hopes

The Dallas Cowboys can and will put an end to the Detroit Lions' undefeated season on Sunday.

A bold statement to some, but when looking over the facts it's not out of the question. The Cowboys are banged up, yet they still managed to beat a much better than expected Washington Redskins club on Monday Night Football.

After flipping through this slideshow, you'll all understand why and how the America's Team will reign supreme on Sunday.

Detroit Is Yet to Face a Top Defense

Unbeknownst to just about everyone, the Dallas Cowboys are ranked fifth in total defense this season.

The Detroit Lions have faced the 24th, 23rd and 20th ranked defenses so far this season, and looked mighty iffy against that 20th ranked Minnesota Vikings defense.

At the end of the first half, the Lions were down 20-0 and looked every bit like the Lions we have all grown to know as cellar dwellers.

Of course, the Lions did still manage to pull of an overtime victory, but there is now a blueprint for success and the Cowboys have all the tools to follow through.

Stuff the Lions' Ground Game

The Vikings were able to bring the Lions to the brink of defeat by making them one-dimensional.

Through the first two games of the season, the Lions averaged 107.5 yards rushing a game; on Sunday, the Lions ran the ball 19 times for a total of 20 yards.

As strong as the Vikings are against the run, the Cowboys are even better, allowing six fewer yards per game. Dallas ranks second in the NFL in run defense with 61.3 yards per game.

If the Cowboys are able to come anywhere near duplicating the Vikings' Week 3 performance, the Lions may find themselves in a hole too deep.

Above Average Pass Defense

As I said, despite the stifling run defense the Vikings showed in Week 3, they still lost the game. Much of that is due to their ineptitude in pass defense.

The Vikings rank 29th in pass defense, whereas the Cowboys are currently 12th.

The better than average pass defense means Dallas won't have to be as stingy in their run defense, and it will make things much more difficult for Detroit to make another late comeback should they fall behind.

Elite Pass Rush

The Cowboys are incredibly adept in forcing pressure on opposing quarterbacks. They rank first in the NFL in sacks with 13.

Linebacker DeMarcus Ware is the leader of this brigade and the league leader in sacks with five so far this season.

I expect new defensive coordinator Rob Ryan to ratchet up the blitzes on obvious passing downs once the Lions running game becomes irrelevant.

Tony Romo

After some early turmoil in a still young season, Tony Romo has responded to his critics with two gritty victories in Weeks 2 and 3.

And despite missing a quarter of action against the San Francisco 49ers, Romo ranks sixth in the league in passing yards.

Romo is yet to see a pass defense ranked lower than 16th, so the fact that he is averaging more than 300 passing yards a game is fairly remarkable.

Although the Lions are ranked fourth in pass defense, the New York Jets—Dallas' Week 1 opponents—aren't far off in sixth. Romo and a healthy wide receiving corps were able to gain 342 yards through the air in New York.

Furthermore, on Monday night, Romo proved he can still get the job done minus Miles Austin.

Improving Running Game

One thing that changed from the first two weeks of the season to Week 3 is that Felix Jones finally showed the big-play ability the team had been hoping for when they promoted him to the starting lineup this season.

Jones rushed for 115 yards on just 14 carries against the Redskins and picked up another 40 yards on three receptions.

For all the praise showered over the Lions defensive line, they have proven to be very inconsistent against the run.

Detroit is allowing 113 yards per game on the ground, leaving a real weakness to be exploited by the Cowboys' injury-plagued offense.

If the Cowboys can keep Jones performing at this level, it will help make up for Miles Austin's absence and a gimpy Dez Bryant.

Win the Field Position Battle

The Lions have given up a league worst 34.1 yards per kickoff return this season and have given up the sixth most return yards on punt coverage.

The Cowboys have been very weak on their returns, but this is a real opportunity for Dallas to provide themselves with a short field on a regular basis on Sunday.

It will also give the strong leg of kicker Dan Bailey more opportunities to be put on display the way it was against the Redskins.

Young Receivers Showed They Can Step Up

Laurent Robinson and Kevin Ogletree stepped up to combine for six catches and 68 yards on Monday, and Jesse Holley made the huge overtime catch in Week 2 that led to a game-winning field goal against the 49ers.

The ability of the Cowboys receivers to help make up for the injured Miles Austin is essential to the team's continued success, and there's no reason to think they can't continue.