Odds Lions Beat Dallas Cowboys in Week 7
The Detroit Lions limped into the bye week, after suffering a 29-0 loss to the New England Patriots -- their worst loss of the season -- in Week 5.
Now, Dan Campbell's squad will do battle with the 4-2 Dallas Cowboys, seeking to get back on the right track.
It won't be an easy assignment for Campbell & Co., with Cowboys starting quarterback Dak Prescott expected back under center for the first time this season since Week 1.
Additionally, through six weeks, Dallas, led by defensive coordinator and former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, is allowing just 16.3 points per game. It's the third-best mark in the league.
The Cowboys are coming off a Week 6 loss to their NFC East rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. In the contest, Quinn's defense allowed a season-high 26 points.
In stark contrast, the least amount of points the Lions have allowed in a game this season is 27, which came in the team's Week 2 victory against the Washington Commanders.
For the season, Detroit is permitting a league-worst 34.0 points a game.
Coming out of the bye, the Lions need to get their defense righted, if they want to have any chance at turning around their fortunes in 2022.
According to Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, one of the ways the team can get better as a defense is through improving its tackling.
"I would say, more physical. Not wrapping up, shoulder tackles -- which are really correctable. That's the good thing about it," Glenn said Thursday, when talking about what has contributed to the Lions' tackling woes. "And, in this league, sometimes guys think that they can make a tackle just by diving or lunging. And, I will tell you, that's the one thing across the league now, not just us, but across the league. That's the one thing that you see that has gone down: tackling."
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One of the few things working in favor of Detroit going into its road tilt with the Cowboys is the fact that D'Andre Swift is likely to return to the starting lineup.
Swift, the Lions' lead back, has produced 231 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, and is averaging a career-best 8.6 yards a carry and 77.0 rushing yards per game. He's also contributed 77 yards and a score on eight receptions.
Yet, the third-year back has missed the team's last two games with ankle and shoulder injuries.
Despite Detroit's disappointing 1-4 start to the campaign, Swift remains optimistic that he and his teammates can still turn around their season.
“I feel like whatever we want to accomplish is still in front of us,” he told reporters earlier this week. “(This game is) very important, it’s the next one. We’ve got some big games coming up ahead, so I feel like we can do whatever we want to do, try to take it day by day, game by game, improve and finish better. Play better complementary football, offense, defense, special teams, starting with today.”
Even with Swift sounding like he's a go for Sunday, I don't believe the Lions have a great shot at securing the Week 7 win. At this juncture, I'll give Campbell's team a 30 percent chance of pulling off the upset.
