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Cowboys 2024 opponent preview: X-factors for the Detroit Lions

July 13, 2024
Syndication: Detroit Free Press
Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three Detroit x-factors when the Lions come to AT&T Stadium.

What a difference a few years makes. After starting his career as the coach of the Detroit Lions with a 3-13-1 record, Dan Campbell has had a tangible impact on what’s long been known as a moribund franchise. Campbell has the toughness to fight from his opening press conference of proclaiming to bite kneecaps. The culture around the Detroit Lions in the Motor City is changing, and the pride of the Lions is the highest it has been since days of Barry Sanders.

Fresh off an NFC Championship appearance with a thrilling yet disappointing finish, the Lions have planted their flag in the NFC and are a fearsome adversary to be reckoned with. Their controversial conclusion to last year’s game against the Dallas Cowboys will be intriguing when these teams meet again. Here are the Lions’ x-factors that will help decide this season’s rematch.

Opponent: Detroit Lions

2023 record: 12-5, 1st place in the NFC North

Date(s) on the schedule: Week 6, Oct 13th

Jameson Williams, Wide receiver

Syndication: Detroit Free Press Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

The transformation of the Lions under Dan Campbell includes their offense which has the horsepower that would make the city of Detroit proud. Speedsters like Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jahmyr Gibbs are throughout their offense. Yet Jameson Williams might be the fastest on the offense. Unfortunately, Williams has had a conversely slow start to his career. First, he suffered an ACL injury in the National Championship against Georgia in his final year of college. The Lions were comfortable enough with Williams’ recovery and upside that they drafted him with the 12th pick of the 2022 draft. His rookie season was severely underwhelming, with just one reception, albeit for 41 yards. Then, in his second year in the NFL, he was delayed by a four-game suspension. Yet, going into his third year could be where Williams puts it all together.

Once he returned from his suspension, Williams’ speed provided the Lions with a vertical threat that played well off the talents of St. Brown and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta. Williams averaged 14.8 yards per reception on 24 receptions, in a supporting role to the Lion’s other receivers, and that’s splitting time with Josh Reynolds, who is now with the Denver Broncos. Despite interest from other teams, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson remained with Detroit and should incorporate Williams more into the offense. Malik Hooker and whoever mans the deep third of the defense need to keep their eyes on Williams. Detroit is very intentional about the level of the field he is being targeted. Last season, he had an average distance of target (ADOT) of 15.6 yards downfield.

The Lions’ offensive line

Syndication: Detroit Free Press Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK

The unsung heroes that keep everything together. For years, the Detroit Lions garnered this reputation for having an endless stream of quarterbacks before landing with Matt Stafford. There was Joey Harrington, Dan Orlovsky, Jon Kitna and several others. Those quarterbacks struggled while Detroit longed for an answer under center, but the offensive line was oddly solid with good players like Jeff Backus, Dominic Raiola, and Godser Cherilus. Fast forward to the present day, and this may be the best offensive line Detroit has had in the last couple of decades. Their performance has a significant impact on the team’s overall performance.

Moving left to right: Taylor Decker has been a fixture at left tackle since being drafted in 2016. Graham Glasgow is a massive left guard at 6’6”, 315 lbs. and graded out at 75.1 from PFF in 2023. Frank Ragnow is one of the best centers in the league and is paid handsomely for it. He’s a three-time Pro Bowler and has been named to second-team All-Pro twice. Kevin Zeitler joins Detroit this season and has been one of the best linemen in football for years. He finally got the recognition he has deserved making his first Pro Bowl with the Ravens last season. Finally, you have the athletic Penei Sewell. Sewell is a nimble and agile blocker, that can get to the second and even third level of a defense with relative ease. In short, they were one of the most overlooked offensive lines last season and could be better in 2024.

Just look at the time they give Goff for the slow-developing gadget play for a 31-yard touchdown.

The advanced numbers accentuate how good the Lions were. ESPN’s Pass Block/Run Block and win rate statistics favor Detroit. Both Sewell and Decker ranked in the top 20 among offensive tackles in pass blocking at number six and seven, respectively, at a 93 and 92 percent win rate. Glasgow ranks even higher in run blocking, sitting number two among interior offensive linemen with a run block win rate of 77%. Collectively, the Lions are a respectable 13th in both pass block win rate and block win rate and should improve with the addition of Zeitler. We also have to acknowledge that Decker has had two receiving touchdowns in his career, and the Lions could get tricky in the red zone to pass to the offensive line, as we saw last season. Finally, the impact their line has had on Goff is tremendous. As we’ve seen, once Goff has to throw off-platform, his accuracy wanes, and he isn’t a threat to run with the football. They are essential to Detroit’s success.

Jack Campbell, Linebacker

NFL: Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears Mike Dinovo-USA TODAY Sports

Detroit did two things during last year’s draft that many draftniks think is taboo. Taking a running back (Jahmyr Gibbs, 12th overall) and linebacker (Jack Campbell, 18th overall) in the draft’s first round. So far, things have worked beautifully for Detroit in that aspect. Gibbs raced to 1,261 yards from scrimmage as a rookie, with 5.2 yards per carry after a relatively slow start. For his efforts, Gibbs was rewarded with a Pro Bowl appearance. Meanwhile, Campbell also did well for himself in his first season.

Campbell was a pre-draft favorite of many Cowboys fans, identifying a need at linebacker, which still holds true to an extent a year later. After taking some time to get acclimated to the speed of the NFL, Campbell became a starter in Week 6. Campbell has a similar build to former Cowboys linebacker Leighton Vander Esch but is a more physical presence. He loves to play downhill and initiate contact. Last year, he had 95 tackles, five for loss with two sacks, and was named PFWA All-Rookie Team. What Campbell has around him on the Lions’ defense should help him thrive even more.

The Lions defensive line is loaded. They added D.J. Reader to pair up with the powerful Alim McNeil. Marcus Davenport is a wild card on the defensive end. Plus, there’s Aidan Hutchinson, an exceptional player with all the tools to stagnate an offense. Versus Dallas, the Cowboys are starting Tyler Guyton as a rookie thus having to commit extra attention to the defensive line and freeing up Campbell to do what he does best. Campbell could be in store for a giant leap in his sophomore season.

Previous x-factor profiles:

Week 1, Cleveland Browns

Week 2, New Orleans Saints

Week 3, Baltimore Ravens|

Week 4, New York Giants

Week 5, Pittsburgh Steelers


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