The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys will kick off Week 14 of the NFL season with a Thursday Night Football matchup at Ford Field with major playoff implications.
Detroit and Dallas are both in the playoff hunt in the NFC, and the loser of Thursday's contest will have an uphill battle to make the postseason moving forward.
On the other hand, the winner between the Lions and the Cowboys will be in a prime position to clinch a spot in the playoffs in the coming weeks. That said, let's see what the experts believe will transpire in this matchup between two NFC playoff hopefuls.
NFL Week 14 picks: Lions vs. Cowboys
Bill Bender, AllSportsPeople: Lions 28, Cowboys 24
Bender: "Both teams are in the thick of the NFC playoff hunt. Dallas has allowed 69.7 rushing yards per game through a three-game winning streak. Detroit is at home and in desperation mode in the NFC North. The Lions have allowed 29 points per game in their last three home games."
NFL Spin Zone's Lou Scataglia: Cowboys 30, Lions 27
Scataglia: "The Cowboys and Lions can honestly move the ball at will, but with the improved Dallas defense, I am actually looking to pick Dallas here. They have the momentum, and the Lions just had a stinker of a loss against the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving."
Sportsnaut's Matt Johnson: Cowboys 28, Lions 24
Johnson: "With the Detroit Lions missing Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown in Week 14, an offense that has averaged just 22.3 points per game in the last three weeks may not have the firepower necessary to keep up with the Dallas Cowboys. It also doesn’t help that Detroit’s defense has surrendered 9 passing touchdowns, 237 passing yards per game, and a 105.6 QB rating over the last month. With how hot the Dallas Cowboys offense is right now, this seems like bad timing for the Lions and a recipe for a home loss to the Cowboys."
CBS Sports' John Breech: Cowboys 34, Lions 27
Breech: "When we have two high-powered offenses facing each other, my pick usually comes down to which defense I trust more and right now, it's the one in Dallas. Heading into their Week 10 bye, the Cowboys had one of the worst run defenses in the NFL, giving up an average of 143 yards per game. Since adding Quinnen Williams at the trade deadline, the Cowboys have given up an average of just 69.7 rushing yards per game in three games. They have chopped their rushing total IN HALF. That's a huge improvement and it should help them this week, because the Lions struggle to win when they can't run the ball. The Lions are 0-4 this year when they're held under 100 yards rushing."
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