If there is one wide receiver in the NFL who can speak to what it’s like to face the Detroit Lions secondary, it’s Dallas Cowboys superstar CeeDee Lamb.
Lamb and his team have faced the Lions in the regular season each of the last 3 seasons, with Lamb leading his team in receiving yards each time:
In 2022, Lamb had 4 receptions for 70 yards in a 24-6 win in Week 7. In 2023, Lamb had one of the greatest games of his career in a thrilling, 20-19 win in Week 17 with 13 receptions for 227 yards and 1 touchdown.
Last season, the tables finally turned as the Lions walloped the Cowboys, 47-9, as Lamb had 7 receptions for 89 yards.
In 2025, headed into what’s going to essentially be a playoff atmosphere on Thursday Night Football in Detroit, Lamb has zero illusions about what he’ll be going up against.
“I find it fun; that’s what football is,” Lamb told reporters on Monday, December 1.” Sometimes the refs let you play, sometimes they won’t. We’ll see how it goes. But as far as the physicality of the game, I know what’s going to happen.”
Lions, Cowboys Both Have Seasons on the Line
While neither team could be mathematically eliminated with a loss on Thursday, it certainly feels like a win-or-go-home scenario for both teams.
The Lions (7-5 overall) are in third place in the NFC North and the Cowboys (6-5-1) overall are in second place in the NFC East. They’re also the first 2 teams out of the playoff picture if the season ended today.
The Lions went 15-2 in 2024 and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs. This year, they have watched their rival Chicago Bears become the toast of the division. The Cowboys have won 3 consecutive games and are one of the NFL’s hottest teams.
Detroit lost to another NFC North rival, the Green Bay Packers, on Thanksgiving Day. The Cowboys beat the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving.
According to NFL.com, the Lions currently have a 43 percent chance of making the playoffs. The Cowboys have a much slimmer margin of error with just a 17 percent chance of making the playoffs.
Lions Secondary Takes Massive Hit With Injured CB
If there’s an advantage to be had by the Cowboys against the Lions, it might come in the form of an injury to cornerback Terrion Arnold.
Arnold, the Lions’ first round pick (No. 24 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft, was placed on injured reserve on December 1 to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. He already missed time earlier this season with a shoulder injury in Week 5 and a concussion in Week 10.
“Lions fans keep saying the training staff is elite but this is the third rookie in two years who breaks down right when the games matter most,” Marcus Burelius wrote on his official X account. “Shoulder injuries do not just happen out of nowhere. Someone in that building is not doing their job on player durability and it is starting to cost Detroit wins.”
Facing 2 of the NFL’s best wide receivers in Lamb and George Pickens is probably not the week you want to break in a new starter at cornerback.
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