Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK Breaking down the Lions’ Week 6 opponent: the Dallas Cowboys. They’ve been inconsistent thus far, but they’re on a winning streak... for now. Coming off a well-needed bye week, the Detroit Lions head on the road to take on the Dallas Cowboys. Like their last game against the Seattle Seahawks, the Lions haven’t beaten Dallas since 2013 and haven’t won in Dallas since 2011. Detroit has had painful losses in Dallas with the missed pass interference penalty in the playoffs in 2015, and even what happened last season with the officials not recognizing offensive tackle Taylor Decker reporting as eligible. This year, the Lions are looking to overcome their demons of the past and start a new trend against the teams that have hurt them for a long time. The Cowboys are having their own issues, despite being on a two-game winning streak. Things aren’t sunshine and rainbows in Dallas, so can Detroit finally take down another long-standing foe? Let’s look deeper into the Cowboys in our Week 6 scouting report for the 2024 season. Dallas Cowboys 2024 season thus far (3-2) Week 1: Defeated Cleveland Browns 33-17Week 2: Lost to New Orleans Saints 44-19Week 3: Lost to Baltimore Ravens 28-25Week 4: Defeated New York Giants 20-15Week 5: Defeated Pittsburgh Steelers 20-17 Stats: 15th in points scored, 23rd in points allowed 18th in DVOA 20th in offensive DVOA (20th in pass DVOA, 17th in run DVOA) 24th in defensive DVOA (18th pass DVOA, 31st in run DVOA) 1st in special teams DVOA It feels like the Cowboys have been in limbo since the end of the 2023 season. After winning their division, they got destroyed by the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card and the offseason had some trouble too. Re-signing quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was a dramatic showcase, and now the play on the field hasn’t been consistent. After starting out with a big win over the Browns, people thought Dallas could be one of the best teams in the NFL, that is until we learned just how bad the Browns really are. Even afterward, the Cowboys then came back home and got embarrassed by the Saints, leaving us to question: just how good are the Saints? After that, losing a close game to a winless Ravens team was tough, but now the Cowboys are on a two-game winning streak that doesn’t seem that impressive. Only beating the New York Giants by five is rough, and in the weather delay, the Cowboys could still only beat the Steelers by three. I just don’t feel like this team is consistent overall and they haven’t been playing their best. Their defense isn’t as strong as it once was, and the offense seems to be lackluster as well. Prescott has been playing well, throwing for 1,424 yards (second most in the NFL) with eight touchdowns and four interceptions. Lamb is showing he was worth the money, having 25 catches for 378 yards (ninth most in the NFL) and two touchdowns, but the lack of a running game has hurt the team greatly and I’ll touch on that later. 55-YARD TD FOR CEEDEE LAMB (via @dallascowboys)pic.twitter.com/8ZXlBzbSIR— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 27, 2024 The defense is where the team has been struggling the most. Defensive end Micah Parsons only has 14 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble so far this season, and is dealing with an injury. Their next-best defensive end, DeMarcus Lawrence, has 14 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble, but he isn’t available this week as he is on IR. Dallas has allowed the 10th most rushing yards in the NFL with 675, and tied for the second most rushing touchdowns allowed with eight. Losing former defensive coordinator and now Washington Commanders head coach Dan Quinn seems to have been impactful to the team more than they expected it to be. Injury notes Key players ruled out: WR Brandin Cooks (IR/knee), DE DeMarcus Lawrence (IR/foot), DE Sam Williams (IR/ACL/MCL), DE Marshawn Kneeland (knee) Key players to monitor: CB DaRon Bland (IR/foot), CB Caelen Carson (IR/Shoulder), DE Micah Parsons (ankle), OT Tyler Guyton (knee) The Cowboys are entering the game mildly banged up. Their defensive line has taken a hit in the past few weeks. They first lost defensive end Sam Williams in training camp with a torn ACL and MCL, hurting their depth. Then they lost Lawrence to IR for a few weeks with a foot injury, and Parsons missed Week 5 with an ankle injury. During the game itself, rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland left with a knee injury. On Monday it was announced that Kneeland would be out for a few weeks and scheduled for a procedure on Tuesday. Parsons isn’t expected to miss much time, but his status for next Sunday is unknown right now. It’s not just the defensive line that is banged up either, as two cornerbacks are also injured. Starter DaRon Bland is on IR and his replacement, rookie Caelen Carson, practiced last week but didn’t play against the Steelers. Carson could be back this week, and the Cowboys are indicating Bland could possibly be back this week, albeit in a limited role. The offense hasn’t been as banged up, though wide receiver Brandin Cooks was moved to IR before Week 5. During the Steelers game, starting left tackle Tyler Guyton left with a knee injury and didn’t return. However, Jerry Jones indicated Guyton has a good chance to play this week. Biggest strength: Special teams While special teams are important, it’s not a good sign if that is the biggest strength on your team. The Cowboys have one of the best, if not the best kicker in the NFL, Brandon Aubrey. He is nine-for-nine on extra points and 14-for-16 on field goal attempts, tying the most made in the NFL and leading in attempts. Aubrey has made a monster 65-yard field goal, the longest kick made this season so far, and was a record for the Cowboys franchise. BRANDON AUBREY FROM 65 YARDS! : #BALvsDAL on FOX : https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/vWfyguDXdU— NFL (@NFL) September 22, 2024 Punter Bryan Anger is having a nice season as well. He has punted the ball 15 times for 766 yards, averaging 51.1 yards per punt, seventh best in the NFL. Of those 15 punts, only one has been a touchback. He has forced five fair catches, and four of the 15 punts have landed inside the 20-yard line. It’s not all about the kicks though, as wide receiver KaVontae Turpin has five punt returns for 96 yards and already took one back for a touchdown. Biggest weakness: Ground attack Unlike previous seasons where the Cowboys had some depth and talent at running back, it appears that the team has taken a step back there. Currently, Dallas has the second fewest rushing yards in the NFL with 410 on 116 carries. The have just two rushing touchdowns, and the team ranks 31st in yards per carry with 3.5. According to PFF, their run game is the fourth worst in the NFL with a 65.2 run grade. Running back Rico Dowdle is the starting running back and had 54 carries for 221 yards, averaging 4.1 yards per carry. He is a receiving threat though, as he has 11 catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns. So the Lions can’t overlook him in the backfield. Behind him is former starter Ezekiel Elliott, who has 30 carries for 98 yards, and a touchdown, averaging just 3.3 yards per carry. It’s not just the running backs themselves either, the offensive line hasn’t been as efficient in helping create those lanes for the running backs. According to PFF, the Cowboys have a 62.1 run blocking grade (18th). The left side of the offensive line seems to be their issue with that, as Guyton has the lowest run blocking grade of the offensive line with a 52.5. Left guard Tyler Smith helps him out with a 72.2 grade, but with center Brock Hoffman having a 64.2 grade, Smith can’t help both of the men out at once. Key matchup: Lions receivers vs. Cowboys secondary Going up against the Cowboys secondary last season, Lions quarterback Jared Goff went 19-for-34 for 271 yards, throwing a touchdown and two interceptions. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown led the receiving room with six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, and Jameson Williams only had two catches for 69 yards. This year, I expect those numbers to be different overall. The Cowboys will be shorthanded overall. They’re thin at defensive end, and if they don’t have Parsons, that will mean less pressure on Goff. While it appears they’re getting healthier in the secondary, guys like Carson and Bland are not likely to be 100 percent. They won’t make it easy for Detroit, though. The Cowboys still have cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and nickelback Jourdan Lewis leading the charge in the cornerback room. Diggs has an interception this season and is tied with Lewis for pass deflections with three. But Detroit’s passing attack is starting to come alive. Jameson Williams is emerging as an explosive threat and he currently leads the Lions in receiving yards. Additionally, Tim Patrick is getting more and more comfortable with the offense. If the Lions are able to pass the ball with ease against Dallas, the Cowboys are in for a long night. If Dallas can hold up their end, Detroit will have to work on the ground game to help open it up. Vegas line for Sunday: Lions favored by 3