Detroit Lions: Is the Dallas Cowboys game a must-win?

Coming off their first victory of the season, the Detroit Lions now head to Dallas to face the 1-2 Cowboys. But is this already a must-win game for Motown?

The Detroit Lions have had a rollercoaster of a season … and they’ve only played three games. From the low of losing to the New York Jets in a 48-17 blowout loss in their regular season and home opener in Ford Field to the high of defeating the New England Patriots in similarly lopsided fashion, 26-10.

Riding the high off their first victory, the Lions will now travel to Arlington, Texas to face off against the equally 1-2 Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. The Cowboys are coming off a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, 24-13, after posting their first win of the season the prior week against the New York Giants.

For the Lions, this game versus the Cowboys takes place just two weeks before their Week Six bye, with the Green Bay Packers scheduled to come to Ford Field on October 7th. But are these next two contests actually must-wins for the Motor City?

Here’s what George Stoia wrote for the Detroit Free Press about the importance of the Lions having a winning record heading into their bye …

"“In the NFL, the bye week can be a season-changing momentum swing. The Lions must have a winning record going into their Week 6 bye. In the past 10 seasons, the Lions have had a winning record going into the bye four times. Three of those four times (2016, 2014, 2011), the Lions made the playoffs.”"

While certainly, the Lions have felt a momentum swing in their first three weeks, it has only resulted in a 1-2 record. Detroit can bump that record up to 3-2 in winnable games against a struggling Cowboys team on the road this Sunday and hosting the Packers with home-field advantage the following weekend.

Following their Week Six bye, the Lions will face six teams who currently possess winning records (1-1-1 or better). Two of those teams are undefeated. Only one remains winless.

The Lions’ post-bye opponents are: @ 3-0 Miami Dolphins, 1-2 Seattle Seahawks, @ 1-2-1 Minnesota Vikings, @ 2-1 Chicago Bears, 2-1 Carolina Panthers, 2-1 Chicago Bears, 4-0 Los Angeles Rams, @ 0-3 Arizona Cardinals, @ 1-2 Buffalo Bills, 1-2-1 Minnesota Vikings, and @ 1-1-1 Green Bay Packers.

Let’s speculate that the Lions are able to defeat every team following their bye week who currently possess a losing record, but lose to the teams with a winning record; Detroit would have a 6-8 record, not including their Week 4 and Week 5 games against the Cowboys and Packers respectively. So are the next two game must-wins? It appears so.

If Detroit is unable to take a winning record into the bye week, they face a stiff uphill battle to earn themselves a playoff berth. Especially considering six of Detroit’s 11 remaining games will be on the road following their bye.

Coming off an improbable victory over the highly-regarded Patriots, everything now seems possible for the Detroit Lions. If their defense is starting to grasp and execute new head coach Matt Patricia’s multiple defense, this Detroit team could make some noise within an NFC North division that suddenly appears very winnable.