DETROIT (AP) — The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys are the top two teams in the hunt for an NFC wild card and are still holding on to hopes of competing for division championships.
Detroit (7-5) hosts Dallas (6-5-1) on Thursday night and the winner will improve its position in the playoff picture while the loser may not have time to recover from the setback over the last month of the regular season.
“Our margin for error is very small right now,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We’ve got to find a way to win this next one in front of us.
“Time’s running out.”
After starting 5-2, the two-time defending NFC North champions have lost three of five to fall behind division-leading Chicago (9-3) and second-place Green Bay (8-3-1).
The Cowboys, meanwhile, are surging into postseason contention behind a revitalized defense.
They’re over .500 for the first time this year thanks to three straight victories — including one over Philadelphia — to potentially challenge the NFC East-leading Eagles (8-3) for the division title.
Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott acknowledged he looked up the NFC playoff picture this week after he saw the AFC rundown on TV.
“We just win and handle our business, we’ll put ourselves in a great spot,” Prescott said.
Call it a comeback
Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson broke his left leg in two places in last year’s 47-9 early-season win at Dallas, ending his season.
Hutchinson has 8 1/2 sacks, a career-high four forced fumbles and 24 quarterback hits this season.
“Knowing how good of a player he is, we’ll have eyes on him and as many hands as we can,” Prescott said.
While Hutchinson has had an impact in most games, he did not have a sack or a QB hit in last week’s loss to Green Bay.
Testing a trend
Detroit has played 56 regular-season games over three-plus years without losing two in a row. If the Lions win on Thursday night, the streak without consecutive setbacks will be the league’s longest since New England’s 57-game run that ended in 2006, according to Sportradar.
Rubber match
The Cowboys and Lions are playing for the third straight year after splitting the last two memorable matchups in Dallas.
Detroit ended a six-game losing streak against Dallas with a 47-9 victory at AT&T Stadium last season. It was the most lopsided loss under owner Jerry Jones, who bought the Cowboys in 1989.
Two years ago, Detroit lost at Dallas 20-19 after a 2-point conversion pass to offensive lineman Taylor Decker was negated because the officials said offensive lineman Dan Skipper reported as eligible and Decker did not.
Each time Skipper has reported as eligible at home games since then, the crowd has roared for a player who has become an unlikely fan favorite.
“He’s reliable, dependable, and he does a lot of jobs for us,” Campbell said.
Potential shootout
Dallas has the NFL’s top-ranked offense, averaging 393 yards a game, and ranks second with 29.3 points per game. Detroit averages 376 yards of offense, ranking third, and 29.2 points to tie for third in the league.
The game will feature teams averaging at least 375 yards and 29 points for just the fifth time since 1970.
Still no Diggs
Dallas’ secondary has enjoyed the return of several injured players, most notably starting safeties Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson. But the Cowboys will have to wait at least another week to see 2021 All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs back on the field.
Diggs was ruled out for the seventh consecutive game with a concussion and issues with both knees, including a left knee that has been surgically repaired twice in the past two years. He was initially sidelined by the concussion, which he suffered in an accident at home.
The former Alabama player has never come close to matching his league-leading 11 interceptions in 2021, and he’s had a tumultuous year that included a workout bonus in his contract being withheld and a brief benching by first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“I know who I am,” Diggs told reporters this week, declining to go into detail on the circumstances of the concussion. “I know what I can do on the field, and I’m going to put that out there and show if they forgot, I’m going to make sure to remind them.”
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