The Dallas Cowboys bit the bullet in a 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football, a defeat that has seriously jeopardized their playoff hopes.
Quarterback Dak Prescott went full throttle, throwing for a season-high 376 passing yards, completing 31 of 47 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions, along with three rushes for 14 yards. He also threw a two-point conversion and was involved in a fumble that Dallas recovered. Despite the strong performance, the Cowboys were unable to overcome a combination of turnovers, penalties, and a late-game officiating controversy.
In the closing moments of the fourth quarter, with Dallas trailing by 10, the Cowboys drove into the red zone, with an opportunity to shave the deficit to three. On a crucial pass attempt to tight end Jake Ferguson, contact appeared between Ferguson and Lions linebacker Alex Anzalone, and the officials threw a flag.
After a brief discussion, the crew surprisingly called offensive pass interference on Ferguson. The penalty pushed the Cowboys back, forcing the team to settle for a field goal on fourth down and putting the outcome squarely in the hands of the defense. Dallas' defense couldn’t hold, giving up a touchdown, and ultimately lost 44-30.
Prescott expressed his bewilderment postgame.
“Do I get fined for talking about this?… I’m sorry, that was bad,” he said when asked about the call. “I got to look at the film, maybe I can see it from their vantage point. I know I talked to the ref after, he said [Ferguson] aggressively pulled through. I’ve never seen a call like that.”
Replay suggested Ferguson’s swim move, not the hit by Anzalone, drew the flag. Rules analyst and former NFL referee Terry McAulay weighed in, saying the swim move was legal and the penalty appeared to be a blown call. Not the deciding factor, but the call came at the moment the Cowboys needed momentum most.
Dallas star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb left the game with a concussion in the third quarter after totaling 121 yards on six catches, and that did not help their cause. In Lamb's absence, Ryan Flournoy stepped up, recording a career-high 115 receiving yards, and George Pickens added 37 more.
Late in the fourth quarter, Prescott spread the ball among eight targets, connecting with Ferguson for a touchdown and two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to three. Out-gaining the Lions 417 yards to 408 and keeping possession for 31:23, the Cowboys still paid the price for missed red-zone chances.
Dallas limited Detroit Jahmyr Gibbs to 43 rushing yards, but could not stop him from scoring three touchdowns and adding 77 receiving yards. David Montgomery sprinted for another 60 rushing yards and a touchdown, helping the Lions rush for 109 yards total. Jared Goff was efficient, completing 73.5% of his passes for 309 yards and a passer rating of 111.0. Moreover, Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown combined for 188 receiving yards.
The loss dropped the Cowboys to 6-6-1, slashing their playoff probability from 23% to just 9%. Even if they win their final four regular-season games against the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders, and New York Giants, Dallas would still need the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Lions to stumble to sneak into the postseason.
Next up, the Cowboys will host Minnesota in Week 15. A win is imperative, but the road to the playoffs is now extraordinarily narrow.
