"Both the Cowboys and Lions desperately needed a win Thursday night in order to stay relevant in the NFC playoff picture. The Cowboys stayed in the game with kicker Brandon Aubrey drilling three field goals of 55+ yards, and they even trimmed the deficit to three points in the fourth quarter. But Jahmyr Gibbs and the Lions' offense couldn't be stopped in the second half, and rolled to a 44-30 victory."
"The Lions improved to 8-5 with the win. They remain in third place in the crowded NFC North, but are now just one game back of the 49ers (9-4) for the NFC's final wild-card spot. Dallas, on the other hand, falls to 6-6-1 and will need a dramatic late-season run and some help in order to make the playoffs. Entering the night, the Lions and Cowboys were the first two teams on the outside looking in at the playoff picture."
"That's still the case following the Lions' victory, but both teams' chances to make the playoffs changed drastically with the Thursday Night Football result. According to Next Gen Stats, the Lions now have a 53% chance to make the playoffs. Had they lost, that number would've dropped to 19%. The Cowboys' playoff chances look rather bleak at just 9%. If Dallas pulled out a win Thursday night, Next Gen Stats would've given it a 39% chance to make the playoffs."
Both the Cowboys and Lions entered Thursday night needing a win to remain relevant for an NFC playoff spot. Brandon Aubrey kept Dallas competitive with three field goals of 55+ yards, and the Cowboys briefly cut the deficit to three points in the fourth quarter. Jahmyr Gibbs and Detroit's offense dominated the second half, producing a 44-30 Lions victory. The Lions improved to 8-5 and moved to within one game of the 49ers for the final wild-card spot. Dallas fell to 6-6-1 and now faces long odds, with Next Gen Stats giving Detroit a 53% chance and Dallas a 9% chance to make the playoffs.
Read at Blogging The Boys
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