Free Press sports writers share their predictions for the Detroit Lions‘ Week 7 NFL game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday (1 p.m., CBS) in Arlington, Texas:
Dave Birkett
The Cowboys should be an angry bunch coming off last week’s loss to the Eagles, and Dak Prescott’s return makes their roster whole again. They have a ferocious pass rush, a balanced offense and they’ve held five of their six opponents under 20 points this season. The Lions can’t expect to win that low-scoring a game given the state of their defense, but their recipe for an upset is to run the ball. They need to keep Micah Parsons and the rest of the Cowboys front at bay, and sneak a big play or two out of their passing game or special teams. Anything short of that, and the Lions’ meager postseason hopes will fall even further out of reach. The pick: Cowboys 31, Lions 21.
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Carlos Monarrez
Prescott’s return and Parsons’ uncanny defensive versatility might be too much for the Lions to overcome, even with the bye week to prepare. But don’t count the Lions out entirely. Prescott might be rusty and the Cowboys’ defense, while amazing, had a hard time last week stopping Philly’s offense, which is comparable to the Lions’. The pick: Cowboys 30, Lions 26.
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Jeff Seidel
The Lions will try to keep the score down — and their defense off the field — with a slow-motion, run-oriented attack. That might keep the score down and limit the number of possessions, but it’s not gonna help in the win column. Dallas rolls. The Lions roll over. The pick: Cowboys 31, Lions 21.
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Shawn Windsor
The Lions will keep it competitive for a while and let’s give the offense two touchdowns and a field goal — Dan Campbell will go for two and miss. But with Prescott back and the state of the Lions’ defense still a mess, the Cowboys pull away. The pick: Cowboys 27, Lions 16.
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