Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports
Ezekiel Elliott: "It Was Kind of a Home Crowd"
In this story:
The scene was not new to Lions faithful.
Several fans have noticed that in recent years when the Lions have struggled or are have no longer been in playoff contention, fans have been willing to sell their game tickets to the oppositions' fans.
As a result, the crowd Sunday was behind the Cowboys in full force.
Loud chants and cheers were evident the majority of the game, and Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott took notice.
“Our fans definitely got a lot louder than their fans,” Elliott said. “It was kind of a home crowd.”
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott noted that a team can feed off the energy of a favorable crowd.
"When you got a fanbase like we do that is all across America, you are not surprised when you go to a visiting stadium, and you get a chant like you are getting," Prescott said. "It's fun. It allows you to feed off of that energy for sure."
Lions head coach Matt Patricia and cornerback Darius Slay were asked for their thoughts in the postgame about the pro-Cowboys environment that was present at Ford Field Sunday.
“For us, we’re just out there playing hard. Our fans are great," Patricia said. "They’re out there, they’re cheering hard and trying to support us and doing everything they can to help us. So, that’s really it."
Patricia added, “I have no idea why -- what the situation is and who bought tickets and who didn’t. We’re just focused on the game. The game wasn’t good enough for us."
On the Dallas-friendly crowd, Slay expressed, "It be what it is. I don't know all that kind of stuff when I am between them lines. I really don't hear s**t. I just be playing. The only time I hear cheers is when I make a play and when I am in my calm zone. Or when the offense is making a play. Between the lines, all I see is see ball, get ball."
He added, "I love the fans. I love the state of Michigan. When I am on the field, there could be nobody there. Between the lines, I am trying to dog the guy in front of me, compete and do everything I can to help."
More: Cowboys Take Over Ford Field and Defeat Lions, 35-27
