Cowboys hold off Lions’ comeback in wild finish

ARLINGTON, Texas — A late penalty on a 2-point conversion and a Donovan Wilson interception helped the Dallas Cowboys keep their NFC East hopes alive with a 20-19 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday.

On a night when wide receiver CeeDee Lamb broke the franchise's single-season records for receptions and receiving yards, Dallas kept the pressure on the Philadelphia Eagles, who will play their Week 17 game Sunday against the Philadelphia Cardinals. Arizona, moving a half-game behind them in the standings. .

The Lions could have put pressure on the Eagles and San Francisco 49ers for the NFC's No. 1 seed with a win, but they'll need help now after falling a half-game behind both to home-court advantage throughout the playoffs. .

Here is how the evening goes for each team:

Dallas Cowboys (11-5)

Coach Mike McCarthy called the three-game stretch against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins before hosting the Lions “playoff games with no playoff consequences.”

By beating the Lions, the Cowboys showed they had a chance to win playoff games with consequences. Maybe not enough to end the franchise's Super Bowl drought, but they have time to figure it out.

The Cowboys stay alive in the NFC East race, forcing Philadelphia to keep winning. They ended a two-game losing streak that raised questions about their viability and finished 8-0 at AT&T Stadium this season.

Quarterback Dak Prescott and Lamb were nearly unstoppable (13 catches, 227 yards), and receiver Brandin Cooks was decisive in the fourth quarter. On defense, cornerback Jourdan Lewis and safety Donovan Wilson intercepted Jared Goff in the second half, covering a run defense that still showed some leaks.

The defense nearly imploded late, allowing a touchdown with 23 seconds left, but survived thanks to an illegal contact penalty that erased a 2-point conversion before a Micah Parsons offside penalty cancels an interception. On the third attempt, the Lions came away with an incompletion.

Why was the victory important? The Cowboys have never had a three-game losing streak and reached a Super Bowl.

Describe the game in two words: You don't need two, just one: Wild. There was a 92-yard touchdown after a near safety, a fake Detroit punt for a first down, a fourth down and score for the Dallas defense, with Lamb tying the team mark for catches in one season on the aforementioned touch and setting. later, but fumbling in the Detroit end zone.

Disturbing trend: It may not be a trend anymore, but the Cowboys run defense continues to have issues. It was better last week against Miami (91 yards) after giving up 266 yards on the ground to Buffalo. But the Lions were able to establish the line of scrimmage, especially to open the third quarter. The Lions ran it nine times with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery finished the drive with a touchdown and the Lions totaled 118 yards on 27 carries. This is the 10th time the Cowboys have allowed at least 100 rushing yards in a game this season.

Mind-blowing statistic: Prescott — who was 26 of 38 for 345 yards, two touchdowns and an interception — took 5.57 seconds to throw his touchdown pass to Lamb in the first quarter that covered 92 yards. Of course, he needed a lot of time because he should have been sacked by Derrick Barnes. But he was able to recover and connect with Lamb for the third-longest offensive play in team history. The only ones longer are Tony Dorsett's 99-yard touchdown run in 1983 and Bob Hayes' 95-yard touchdown run in 1966. -Todd Archer

Next game: among Washington's commanders

Detroit Lions (11-5)

Coach Dan Campbell's aggression and gritty style were on full display as the Lions took on Dallas on a prime-time stage.

However, the Lions lost their sixth straight game to the Cowboys after Goff nearly drove a game-winning drive in the final seconds before offensive lineman Taylor Decker's 2-point conversion reception was negated by a contact penalty illegal.

The Lions are guaranteed a top-three playoff finish, but a win could have gone a long way toward home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

Describe the game in two words: Video game. This game had many Madden-like elements with touchdowns, explosive plays, and fourth-down gambles. The match was not marked by high scores, but there was no shortage of excitement.

QB breakdown: It wasn't the best passing day for Goff, but he still handled the game, going 19 of 34 for 271 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Goff entered Dallas with 162 passing yards to surpass the 30,000 career passing yard mark, making him the 53rd player to do so. The milestone came with a 63-yard bomb to Jameson Williams early in the fourth quarter to set up a field goal that put Detroit up 13-10.

Promising trend: Aidan Hutchinson's three bags. The Lions rusher had gone two straight games without a sack, but managed to get to Prescott three times. Hutchinson certainly hadn't lost his confidence, but he was hungry for more sacks, and as one of the leaders of the defense, that's a good sign heading into the regular season finale and playoffs. — Eric Woodyard

Next game: against the Minnesota Vikings