For all of the temporary excitement about the Dallas Cowboys crawling back to the fringes of the NFC playoff race, they were just one bad game away from slinking back to irrelevancy.
The Cowboys aren't finished after their 44-30 loss to the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, but the lights are getting dimmer. The Cowboys' playoff odds took a huge hit as they now have a 9% chance to make the postseason, according toThe Athletic's playoff simulatorand 7% accordingto NFL.com— and they have themselves to blame.
Falling in a 3-5-1 hole about halfway through the season forces a team to be just about perfect the rest of the way, and the Cowboys weren't perfect Thursday night. They fell behind early, had a nice comeback to cut Detroit's lead to 30-27 in the fourth quarter, then gave up a very fast touchdown drive that put the game back out of reach. That was a microcosm of their season.
Any hope was erased when Jahmyr Gibbs scored his third touchdown of the night to give Detroit a 14-point lead with 2:19 to go.
3-spot for Jah boy!@Jahmyr_Gibbs1|#ProBowlVotepic.twitter.com/3bst2xYveE
— Detroit Lions (@Lions)December 5, 2025
The Lions haven't won or lost two straight games since the start of October. But when they needed a win Thursday to realistically keep their playoff hopes alive, after a home loss on Thanksgiving to the Packers, they brought out the version that still looks like it can make a deep playoff run.
The Lions move along with an 8-5 record, not comfortable with their playoff situation but feeling better about their chances. The Cowboys now have to win out to have any realistic chance, and even that might not be enough.
Lions put the Cowboys in an early hole
The game had huge playoff implications for both teams but the Lions were the only one to come out with a heightened sense of urgency.
The Lions were getting touchdowns while the Cowboys settled for field goals. Detroit got a 1-yard TD run from Gibbs in the first quarter, and in the second quarter David Montgomery broke free of a tackle and got into the open field for a 35-yard score. Dallas moved the ball decently but got only three field goals in the first half. The last field goal in the first half wasn't even clean. The Cowboys settled for a FG with 55 seconds left, which gave the Lions way too much time to answer. Detroit did, hitting a field goal as the half expired to extend its lead to 20-9.
Dallas made a critical mistake to start the second half. Prescott threw to George Pickens, who made a halfhearted play on the ball. It was tipped and bounced to linebacker Derrick Barnes for the interception. The Lions quickly turned that into a touchdown catch by rookie Isaac TeSlaa and a 27-9 lead.
That version of the Lions, getting big plays on offense and competing hard on defense, is impressive. That version hasn't been the one that has shown up most weeks, as was the case last season.
Cowboys crawl back in it
The Cowboys have been playing well lately, and even thoughthey lost CeeDee Lamb to a concussion, they weren't going to fade without a fight.
Thanks in part to Brandon Aubrey hitting some long-distance field goals, including a 63-yarder that looked like a layup for him, the Cowboys were still in the game when a busted coverage allowed Ryan Flournoy to get wide open for a 42-yard touchdown. The 2-point conversion made the score 30-27 with 9:52 to go.
But the Lions had a quick answer. They had a long kickoff return, a 29-yard catch by Jameson Williams and a roughing-the-passer penalty during the play, then a 10-yard touchdown run by Gibbs. In less than three minutes the Lions had pushed their lead back up to double digits. Dallas' defense, which had improved after a trade for Quinnen Williams, reverted back to its early-season form at the wrong time. The Cowboys allowed more than 400 yards and 44 points in a must-win game.
That sudden explosiveness on offense is why the Lions can still be dangerous. Injuries have piled up, but there are no obvious powerhouse teams in the league this season. The Lions are still capable of getting hot, though it would be nice to see them have their first two-game winning streak since Week 5.
Had Dallas not gotten off to a tough start to the season, a loss the Lions wouldn't have been that bad. The Lions are a capable team and tough to beat in Detroit. But Dallas put itself in a position in which losing on the road to a good team virtually crushed their playoff dreams, outside of a miracle happening.
There's no margin of error anymore.
