For the Detroit Lions to have any chance to upset the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, these four players will have to be on their games.
Coming off a bye week that was early but sorely needed, the Detroit Lions will get a road test on Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys as 6.5-point underdogs based on Friday’s odds over at FanDuel Sportsbook. They have not won a road game under head coach Dan Campbell, and their last road win was Week 13 of the 2020 season.
There’s an angle that the Cowboys may be in line for a trap game, after the intensity attached to a divisional loss to the Philadelphia Eagles last week. Quarterback Dak Prescott is also set to play after missing the last five games, so will he be rusty coming off a thumb injury?
It wouldn’t necessarily be surprising to see the Lions keep Sunday’s game competitive for a time. But to actually pull of the upset, these four players will have to be a the top of their games.
4 Detroit Lions who must be on top of their games against the Cowboys
4. CB Jeff Okudah
As our own Zach Payne noted, Okudah is in line to matchup with Cowboys’ No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb on a regular basis Sunday. He has had a drop-off in his level of play since shutting Justin Jefferson down in Week 3, but he has replace Amani Oruwariye as the Lions’ No. 1 corner.
Okudah will surely have some help on Lamb at times, with few other credible perimeter receiving threats for Dallas for the Lions to put attention on. But he has to re-step up his level of play against one of the best wide receivers in the league, or it could be a very bad day for Detroit’s secondary.