5 must-win games for the Dallas Cowboys in 2023
By Lior Lampert
Dallas Cowboys must-win games in 2023: 4. Detroit Lions (Week 17)
The Lions were one of the biggest surprises of the 2022-23 season. Head coach Dan Campbell has helped instill a culture in Detroit that has sorely been missing for quite some time. They were just a Rams Week 18 victory away from being in a win-and-in scenario playoff berth scenario. As a result, they are now expected to take the next step as a franchise toward playoff contention.
The Lions posted a 7-2 record in their last nine games of the season and will look to take that momentum into this year. They were one of the best offenses in the NFL last year, ranking fifth in the league in points per game (26.6). The Lions were able to retain their offensive coordinator, Ben Johnson, who was highly regarded as a potential head coaching candidate in this year’s offseason coaching carousel cycle.
While history suggests last season could’ve been an anomaly for the Lions, they now have an expected win total of 9.5 games for this season. Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs, and the rest of the Cowboys’ defense are going to have their hands full in this game.
Last season, these two teams met and the Cowboys defeated the Lions 24-6. They did a great job of containing Detroit’s stud wide receiver, Amon-Ra St. Brown while also sacking Jared Goff five times and holding him to 228 scoreless yards while also forcing two interceptions.
Dan Campbell made it clear last year in his opening press conference: “When you knock us down, we’re gonna get up, and when we get up, we’re going to bite a kneecap off.”
The Cowboys better come out ready to match the Lions’ intensity if they care about their kneecaps.