Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys Prediction, Odds and Picks for Sunday, 10/13/24

In one of the most anticipated games of the Week 6 slate, the Detroit Lions will head to Dallas for a second consecutive season to take on the Cowboys in a rematch of a pretty wild and controversial game a season ago. Detroit absolutely should have beaten the Cowboys last season but ultimately fell short due to some untimely officiating gaffes down the stretch — most notably on what would have been a game-winning 2-point conversion. This time around, the Lions are in prime position to take advantage of a Cowboys team that is in a tough situational spot after coming from behind to defeat Pittsburgh on the road last Sunday in primetime. Dallas also has the 49ers on deck, and while I don’t think that necessarily means this game will be a lookahead spot for the Cowboys, there is reason to believe that they could let down a little following last week’s victory.

It’s worth mentioning that the injuries are also continuing to pile up for the Cowboys, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. That doesn’t bode well against a Lions offensive line that finally established itself as the best unit in football in Week 5’s dominant effort against Seattle. Unlike the Cowboys, Detroit is coming off a bye week — which should give offensive coordinator Ben Johnson plenty of time to cook up the perfect offensive game-plan to attack this Dallas defense that is 31st in defensive line yards and 29th in 3rd-down success rate. Detroit should be able to chew up yards with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs on early downs, especially with Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence unavailable for this game. And as long as the Lions’ offensive line can keep Jared Goff protected for the majority of the contest, he won’t have any trouble spreading the ball around and enjoying plenty of success in this dome environment — much like he has done for most of his career to this point. The matchup significantly favors the Lions, particularly in the trenches, so I’ll gladly lay the short number with my best bet on this game.

Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys prediction: Lions -3 (-115) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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This season, totals above 50 have been nearly automatic to the under — which makes sense giving that scoring has been down across the league. While the Lions have showed some glaring weaknesses on defense, the Cowboys are a team that lack true difference-makers on offense outside of CeeDee Lamb. As such, opposing defenses are focusing on taking Lamb out of the game without having much fear of being beaten by other receivers. The Lions should follow that blueprint in this game, particularly in the second half — as Lamb has just 4 catches for 25 yards all season after the half. On the defensive side of the ball, Aidan Hutchinson should play a huge role in this game against a Dallas offensive line that is one of the worst units in football in pass-blocking this season. Hutchinson is the favorite for Defensive Player of the Year, and he already has 40 pressures in just 4 games. His impact should be felt early and often in this game, making a massive difference. If Detroit can run the ball and control the clock, this game should end in the mid-to-upper 40s.

Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys prediction: Under 52.5 (-110) available at time of publishing. Playable at that number.

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