The Lions won big on Sunday, beating the Cowboys 47-9 a year after blowing a game they felt they should have won. But the locker room celebration likely is subdued and the plane ride home quieter than usual after a win.
Edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson, the betting favorite for defensive player of the year, left with a gruesome lower leg injury in the third quarter. His left leg was placed in an air cast, and he left on a cart for an awaiting ambulance.
It marred what otherwise was a glorious day for the Lions, who scored on their first nine possessions not counting a one-play kneel down to end the first half. They outgained the Cowboys 492 to 251, with touchdown drives of 70, 63, 38, 70 and 4 yards and field goal drives of 58, 39, 44 and 57 yards.
The Lions improved to 4-1, and the Cowboys fell to 3-3 heading into their off week.
The Lions not only ran it up on the Cowboys, but they tried to embarrass them by trying two trick plays to their offensive tackles. Detroit lost 20-19 to the Cowboys last year on three failed two-point conversions in the fourth quarter, including the first one on a completed pass to lineman Taylor Decker, who was ruled an ineligible receiver much to the Lions’ chagrin.
Jared Goff completed 18 of 25 passes for 315 yards and three touchdowns, a 52-yarder to Sam LaPorta, a 37-yarder to Jameson Williams and a 4-yarder to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Williams made three catches for 76 yards. David Montgomery ran for 80 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
The Cowboys were missing edge rushers DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons, Marshawn Kneeland and Sam Williams, cornerbacks DaRon Bland and Caelen Carson and linebacker Eric Kendricks. It was ugly from start to finish for the defense without them.
The Cowboys needed to outscore the Lions to have a chance, and they had three field goals and five turnovers.
Dak Prescott went 17-of-33 for 178 yards and two interceptions, both by Brian Branch, and his backup, Cooper Rush, threw another pick to Kerby Joseph in the end zone. CeeDee Lamb caught seven passes for 89 yards.
