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Cowboys vs Lions: Detroit’s rushing attack looks to thrive against Dallas’ rush defense

October 12, 2024
NFL: Seattle Seahawks at Detroit Lions
Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Lions fans are feeling confident this week.

The Honolulu Blueprint: 4 keys to a Lions victory over the Cowboys - Erik Schlitt, PrideofDetroit.com

Establishing their run game will likely be a focus for Detroit.

The Detroit Lions (3-1) are on the road in Week 6, traveling to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys (3-2), hoping for back-to-back wins over teams who have previously had their number.

The last time the Lions were in Dallas the ending of the game was drenched in controversy, and while that can be a motivating factor, coach Dan Campbell is confident his team will be able to control their emotions.

If the Lions want to continue their revenge tour, they’ll need to follow the keys to victory laid out in this week’s Honolulu Blueprint.

Key 1: Run the ball early and often

“We believe that we are an extremely physical, detailed, and explosive unit,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said of the offense. “That’s what we want to bring to the table each and every week, we want our physicality to show up. Obviously, the easiest way to do that is in the run game.”

By most metrics, the Lions have one of the top rushing attacks in the NFL. They have the fifth-best PFF team rushing grade, an average of 151.3 rushing yards per game, which is seventh-best, an average of 1.8 rushing touchdowns per game a third-best mark, and create an average of 1.62 yards before contact (meaning how many yards a running back gains before being touched by a defender) which is ninth best in the NFL.

Key 3: Make the Cowboys’ offense one-dimensional

While the Lions are expected to put points on the board, the Cowboys have the offensive firepower to stay with them.

If the Lions can stunt the Cowboys’ rushing attack, they can make the Cowboys one-dimensional. Now, that may seem counterintuitive, considering how efficient the Cowboys passing attack is, but there are advantages to be gained.

If the Lions can indeed take away the run game early, they’ll be able to counter Prescott’s sped-up offense by focusing more on pass rushing, allowing them to pin their ears back on their pass rush.

Jake Bates Showing ‘Steady Improvement’ - John Maakaron, Sports Illustrated

Dallas has already found a kicker, but Detroit may have also found one of their own.

The Detroit Lions invested in UFL standout Jake Bates to be the team’s kicker for what they are hoping to be the 2024 season and beyond.

To this point, Bates has provided strong returns with a perfect 5-for-5 mark on field goal attempts. He did miss one extra point against Arizona and a couple of near-misses, but has shown continued improvement in the eyes of special teams coordinator Dave Fipp.

“For Bates, I think honestly the biggest thing for him is he really had – it’s well documented he wasn’t the kicker in college and all that. I mean, he kicked, but he wasn’t the guy all the time. He just didn’t have a lot of reps,” said Fipp. “So, you have a young player who doesn’t have a ton of reps, has a tremendous skillset and talent and upside.”

The key for the Lions has been allowing him to continue to bank plenty of high-intensity reps. When Michael Badgley went down with a season-ending injury, the team elected to not add another kicker to the roster.

As a result, Bates was the beneficiary of all training camp reps from that point forward. Veteran Greg Joseph was briefly added to the practice squad, but he was eventually signed to the New York Giants’ active roster.

With a plethora of reps available to him and getting some game experience, the Lions are hoping they can continue to develop the talented kicker. Bates clearly has one of the biggest legs in the league, and has proceeded nicely in his development.

Lions’ David Montgomery reveals new nickname for Detroit backfield he shares with Jahmyr Gibbs - Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports

A solid 1-2 punch in the backfield provides plenty of opportunity for nicknames.

The Detroit Lions boast a top-10 rushing offense entering Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season, and the beauty of their ground attack is that’s it two-pronged, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both ranking among the league’s top 20 rushers. The Lions’ ball-carriers embrace the setup, too, with Montgomery revealing to CBS Sports HQ this week that he and Gibbs have their own nicknames for each other.

“We got a new name going around, Sonic and Knuckles, and I happen to be Knuckles,” Montgomery said. “I like that one.”

The nickname is a reference to the video-game characters Sonic the Hedgehog, who has supersonic speed; and Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic’s rival-turned-friend who possesses brute strength.

“But me and Jahmyr, we go hand in hand,” Montgomery explained. “And I think a lot of people kinda see it in one light. Like, Jahmyr is a guy who can just do this kind of skill and I’m a guy that does just this kind of skill. But anybody who really watches the tape, they can see I can move a lot better than people think I can. ... And Jahmyr, he’s fast, he’s shifty, but he’s strong, too. ... You mesh those two things together ... I think the sky’s the limit for us.”

Here are the final injury reports for both the Lions and Cowboys.


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