Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys: 3 key matchups for Week 7

Coming off the bye week, these three matchups will be key for the Detroit Lions against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

After a bye week filled with questions needing to be answered, the Detroit Lions are ready to get back into the swing of things. They’ll head to Dallas having lost three straight, with hopes of regaining some momentum.

That will be no easy feat, as the Cowboys have been very good so far this season. Led by an elite defense that has shut down the likes of the Bengals, Giants, and Rams, while holding their own against the Eagles. Furthermore, the 4-2 Cowboys are getting healthier–which only furthers the threat they pose to Detroit.

Faced with an uphill struggle as an obvious underdog on Sunday, the Lions are hoping extra rest and better health of their own will push the tides in their favor.

Here are three key matchups to look out for on Sunday.

Detroit Lions at Dallas Cowboys: 3 key matchups

Matchup 1: Micah Parsons vs Penei Sewell

Heading into the Patriots game in Week 5, Sewell was the top-ranked right tackle in all of football. Sewell was not necessarily bad against New England, but he certainly didn’t have his best game. Now with an extra week to prepare, he will be matched up against the early favorite for defensive player of the year: Micah Parsons.

Through the first six weeks of the season, Parsons has been absolutely unbelievable for the Cowboys. In every game, he has made his presence felt both rushing the passer and in the run game.

In his second season, Parsons has been an unstoppable force. This matchup is easily the most difficult Sewell will encounter this season. It is inevitable that Parsons will get the better of him at times on Sunday. Some players are just too dominant to completely contain.

All Sewell needs to do is slow Parsons down so that the rest of the offense can function. Going back to the Patriots game, the Lions were given a harsh reminder how Jared Goff cannot operate  when he is under pressure. Parsons is the biggest threat to push Goff out of his comfort zone, so he will get the most attention. Similar to Jeff Okudah facing off against Justin Jefferson in Week 3, Sewell will have help. But you can’t have help on every rep, so Sewell will need to hold his own in his one-on-one reps against Parsons.

Matchup 2: Jeff Okudah vs CeeDee Lamb

The number one talking point coming out of Detroit over the last two weeks has been that changes are coming on defense. While those changes have yet to be revealed, the hope is that some schematic tweaks can help the Lions’ defense play more cohesively. That will start with individual players finding more success in their isolated assignments.

While Detroit has struggled to win individual matchups, the secondary has been bleeding yards. Jeff Okudah has been the Lions’ best corner, but that is a very low bar to clear. After a strong first three weeks, Okudah had back-to-back games that served as learning experiences. However, seeing as he has been the No. 1 corner for Detroit, Okudah will draw the Cowboys’ top wideout CeeDee Lamb regularly on Sunday.

Dallas has struggled offensively so far, but a lot of that can be attributed to the absence of Dak Prescott, who was injured in Week 1. With Prescott seemingly on track to make his return this week, the Cowboys as a whole will be in a better position to move the ball. Lamb is going to be arguably the biggest beneficiary of Prescott’s return. Through six weeks, Lamb is seventh in the NFL in targets (60), but he has not been in the upper echelon of receivers with  production to match that target share (33 catches for 409 yards, two touchdowns).

It’s interesting, however, that Lamb’s worst game of the season was Week 1 against Tampa Bay, when Prescott played (just two catches on 11 targets).

Because of the upgrade under center, more strain is going to be put on the Detroit secondary Sunday. With Lamb demanding such a large target share, Okudah will certainly be targeted several times in the game. The question is whether we see the Okudah from the first three weeks, or from the most recent two games.

Matchup 3: Charles Harris vs Tyler Smith 

As mentioned earlier, a lot of talk has been had over changes coming to the defense. The hope is  changes can ignite an aspect of the Lions’ defense that has laid dormant despite being heralded as a strength in the offseason: the pass rush. Aside from a glimmer of hope in Week 2 against the Commanders, it has been difficult for the Lions to generate pressure with a four-man rush.

It sounds like reinforcements are on the way, in the form of John Cominsky and Josh Paschal. Those two should provide some much-needed push from the interior, and free up Charles Harris to try and recapture some of the magic he had last season. In addition to the reinforcements Detroit will hopefully have, the Cowboys have struggled in pass protection this season. They literally have the worst pass block win rate in the league, via ESPN Analytics, and by a good margin at that.

Lining up opposite Harris will be rookie Tyler Smith, who was taken 24th overall in April’s draft. So far this season Smith has provided Dallas with steady play, but he’s been better as a run blocker than a pass protector. Opportunities will be available for Harris to make an impact, he just needs to step up and take advantage of them.