This historic season has seen the Detroit Lions win some of their biggest games away from home. Moreover, with the Dallas Cowboys and the prime-time AT&T Stadium experience approaching, they may be facing their most difficult assignment yet.
Since the Cowboys’ season-opening defeat to the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, they have not lost in Dallas. They have won every game they have played at home this season, including victories over the Philadelphia Eagles, Los Angeles Rams, and Seattle Seahawks.
Additionally, the Lions defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium to start the season, and they later defeated the Green Bay Packers again in prime time at Lambeau Stadium. They also won the division title against boisterous Minneapolis and defeated the Chargers in a shootout in Los Angeles.
Regarding the Cowboys at home, Lions head coach Dan Campbell stated, “I think just — I think the comfort, the comfort of being there and to be able to perform, particularly offensively, without the crowd noise.” There are other things kids can do, and I believe that this expands their options because some of the vocal activities are no longer limited to silent cadence. Simply put, I believe kids make the most of living at home and do it admirably.
“They start off strong, and then it snowballs, making it impossible to recover from any mistakes you may have made early in the game.”
The Cowboys’ owner, Jerry Jones, expressed his admiration for the team’s home run earlier in the season, stating, “That is inordinate for the NFL.” It conveys, in my opinion, the essence of the enthusiasm we experience from fans and all that comes with playing at home.
But in my opinion, it really shows that we don’t take anything away from this team’s ability to play at a level that may result in those kinds of scores, according to Jones. “They’re performing at a level that can do that at home. That merely offers us a great deal of hope. I don’t want to dim the enthusiasm that our fans have for this team.
It is important to keep in mind that last year, Campbell and this youthful Lions team traveled to AT&T, even though it was not in front of a global football audience. After having a bye, the Lions fell to the Cowboys 24-6, committing five turnovers in a humiliating defeat.
Having thrown two interceptions and lost two fumbles against these Cowboys the previous season, Jared Goff is well aware of the situation and the potential of the Micah Parsons-led unit.
From Allen Park, Goff stated on Tuesday, “It’s going to get noisy.” They seem to be really at ease there, but it will get noisy like other locations, don’t you think? That appears to be the case; therefore, we need to figure out how to get there comfortably and come out on top. They also make a fantastic team. We’ll have our work cut out for us because, as you indicated, they’re incredibly good at home.
“We now need to take action. I had a nice Christmas and enjoyed that for the whole day. being able to take in the excitement of winning the division, but that is now behind us. We can move on from that now, and we have another game to win in Dallas.
Dan Campbell and his team are certainly motivated for this game as well. During his three seasons as a player for the Dallas Cowboys, Campbell worked under famed head coach Bill Parcells, which he still frequently cites as a formative experience.
Having grown up during the Cowboys’ reign of terror over the NFL under Tom Landry and Jimmy Johnson, Campbell is a native Texan who played basketball at Texas A&M. Johnson has previously acknowledged his admiration for Landry and his attraction, but he will be actively participating in the discussion this weekend.
The Cowboys are set to induct Johnson into their ring of honor, and Campbell is ecstatic about the chance to win at home on a memorable night in front of the football community. He further dismissed the notion that the Cowboys’ choice of this particular date and the Lions as their opponent for this iconic moment away from the action had offended the team.
“I believe that was intended for us. Jimmy Johnson is someone I adore,” Campbell remarked. “Obviously, he grew up in Texas when he had the triplets, going on to win Super Bowls and accomplish all he set his mind to, and I’ve always been captivated by him as someone I’ve studied from a distance. His approach, his coaching philosophy, the way he assembled that team, the way they performed—I simply believe that he is unique. He seems like one of these unique, uncommon coaches.
Therefore, I simply believe that it’s—to me, it feels like an honor that we get to walk outside—because that’s what comes to mind. Of course, our squad has the opportunity to win, but also to accomplish something of which he would be proud. He could say, “I like that style,” after seeing us play. That’s okay, in my opinion. Thus, I find it to be very awesome.
