Lions keep playoff hopes alive with 44-30 win over Cowboys

DETROIT — It was now or never for the Detroit Lions in Thursday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys at Ford Field.

And they chose now.

Detroit entered the pivotal must-win matchup with its hair on fire, scoring 10 first-quarter points and holding off a ferocious comeback attempt from the red-hot Cowboys in a 44-30 victory.

With the win, Detroit (8-5) staved off the Cowboys (6-6-1) from climbing back into the NFC playoff race and improved its own playoff chances from 30% to 45%, according to the New York Times' playoff simulator. A loss would have dropped Detroit's playoff odds to 13%.

The Lions put the ball in the air for most of the first half and took it to the ground for the second, executing a perfect game plan to put the Cowboys away.

Lions running back David Montgomery, who's seen a significant decrease in his production this season, stepped up at the perfect time: He carried the ball six times for 60 yards, including a 35-yard rushing touchdown on a night when Jahmyr Gibbs (43 rushing yards, 12 carries) wasn't able to get going on the ground.

Gibbs, however, had 77 receiving yards and three total touchdowns. He delivered a critical 10-yard rushing touchdown to go up 10 points, 37-27, with 7:17 remaining in the game. He then iced the game with a 13-yard rushing touchdown to put the Lions up, 44-30, with 2:19 left.

Amon-Ra St. Brown came back from his ankle injury sooner than expected and was his old reliable self in a game where the Lions desperately needed him. He caught six passes for 92 yards. Jameson Williams led the team with 96 receiving yards and caught several big passes, including a 33-yard reception on third down, leading to Gibbs' 10-yard score, after the Cowboys had trimmed their deficit from 18 points to 3.

Detroit forced three turnovers, including an interception by Derrick Barnes on the first play of the second half. Amik Robertson broke up a pass and popped it into the air for Barnes, who returned it to the 14-yard line of Dallas. The Lions turned into a touchdown two plays later, with Jared Goff connecting with Isaac TeSlaa for an 11-yard score to go up, 27-9, with 14:14 left in the third quarter.

Another takeaway came with 6:28 left in the second half. Jack Campbell punched the ball away from Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson. Branch recovered, leading directly to the 35-yard rushing touchdown by Montgomery, which put Detroit up 17-6 with 4:27 to go in the second quarter. Lions cornerback D.J. Reed iced the game with an interception on the Cowboys' final offensive series.

The Lions maligned pass rush got home all night. Detroit sacked Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott five times, with three of them coming from Al-Quadin Muhammad.

Prescott was 31-for-47 passing for 376 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb caught six passes for 121 yards before exiting with a concussion in the third quarter, and receiver Ryan Flournoy caught nine passes for 115 yards and a touchdown. The Lions held running back Javonte Williams to 67 yards on 17 rushing attempts.

Kicker Brandon Aubrey was Dallas' most valuable player. He was 5 for 5 on field-goal attempts with makes from 57 and 63 yards.

The Lions started with a bang, as Gibbs tallied a quick 43 yards on Detroit's opening drive to reach the red zone. But the drive ended when edge defender James Houston, a former sixth-round pick by Detroit who was waived by the Lions last November, sacked Goff on third down. The Lions settled for a 38-yard field goal off the foot of Jake Bates, taking a 3-0 lead at 10:46 in the first quarter.

Dallas responded with a field goal of its own. After defensive backs Rock Ya-Sin and Avonte Maddox both contributed to a third-down pass breakup, Aubrey hit a 57-yard attempt to tie the game, 3-3, with 8:07 left in the first quarter.

The Lions appeared to gain a 5-3 lead with 5:36 left in the first quarter. Linebacker Jack Campbell sacked Prescott and was initially ruled to do so in the end zone for a safety. After review, officials determined the ball fully came out of the end zone. But Detroit capitalized on good starting field position after a 21-yard punt return by Tom Kennedy.

Detroit entered the red zone with a 26-yard completion to St. Brown and punched it in with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Gibbs, his 14th of the season.

The Cowboys added another field goal when Lions edge defender Muhammad came around the corner untouched and sacked Prescott, making it 10-6 with 9:23 left in the second quarter on a 42-yard attempt.

Detroit again held Dallas to a field goal on a promising drive near the end of the first half. The Cowboys couldn't overcome a second-and-25 from their own 42-yard line, but did pick up enough yardage to let Aubrey swing at a 55-yard field goal to bring themselves within a score, 17-9, with 50 seconds left in the half.

The Lions were aggressive before halftime and quickly moved the ball downfield. Goff had a wide-open TeSlaa in the end zone as the defender in coverage fell down, but missed the throw with four seconds left in the half as Detroit settled for a field goal to go up, 20-9, entering halftime.

Dallas answered with its first touchdown of the game, going 65 yards in nine plays — 37 yards came via penalties on Lions cornerback D.J. Reed — culminating in a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Williams that cut Detroit's lead to 27-16 with 10:41 to go in the third quarter.

After Bates had a field-goal attempt blocked in the third quarter, the Cowboys made it a one-score game when Aubrey hit a 63-yard attempt to draw the Cowboys within a score, 27-19, at 2:49 in the third.

Detroit regained the two-score lead, 30-19, as Bates responded with a 46-yard field goal with 11:50 left in the game.

But the Cowboys just wouldn't go away. A coverage bust led to Prescott connecting with Flournoy for a 42-yard touchdown with 9:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Cowboys cut the deficit to 3 with a successful 2-point attempt that was caught by Ferguson.

The Lions will now get a mini-bye and travel to Los Angeles for a date with the Rams next Sunday, where they will continue to try to keep their playoff hopes alive against ex-quarterback Matthew Stafford.