If the Lions are going to keep their playoff push alive on Thursday night, they’ll have to do it the hard way — with star power on the sideline, a secondary in shambles and their offensive anchors taped together.
The Detroit Lions enter Thursday night’s showdown with the Dallas Cowboys battered, thin at multiple positions and facing a game that could shape the trajectory of their season. With the NFC playoff picture tightening and both offenses ranking among the league’s best, Detroit’s ability to weather a long injury list may determine whether it can keep pace in a critical prime-time matchup.
The biggest blow came early in the week when second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold elected to undergo season-ending surgery on the same shoulder he injured earlier this year. Arnold, one of Detroit’s most promising young defenders, had been attempting to play through the issue but will now be sidelined until 2026.
The Lions also could be without their offensive centerpiece. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is officially a game-time decision but has not practiced all week. Detroit has not ruled him out, though league sources believe the team may be holding back information in an attempt to keep Dallas guessing. St. Brown’s absence would remove the Lions’ most reliable chain-mover from an offense averaging 29.2 points per game, third best in the NFL.
Safety Kerby Joseph will miss his seventh straight game due to a knee injury, though he did return to practice Monday in a limited capacity while wearing a brace. The Lions expect him to return this season. Tight end Brock Wright (trachea) and wide receiver Kalif Raymond (ankle) have been ruled out, further thinning the rotation. Tight end Shane Zylstra had his 21-day activation window opened but will not play.
Along the offensive line, Detroit is monitoring several starters. Right tackle Penei Sewell, dealing with a shoulder injury, sat out Tuesday’s practice before returning in a limited role Wednesday and is listed as questionable. Lineman Kayode Awosika (foot), left tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder/rest), center Graham Glasgow (knee), defensive back Brian Branch (toe) and safety Sione Vaki (thumb) are all questionable. The team remains without rookie guard Christian Mahogany, who is still on injured reserve but targeting a late-December return.
Despite the attrition, Detroit’s offense has remained among the league’s most efficient. The Lions average 376.3 yards per game (third most), rank fourth in rushing at 138.1 yards per game and sit seventh in passing at 238.2 yards per game. Their red-zone efficiency (65.2 percent) is also seventh in the league. But sustaining that production against the NFL’s top-ranked Cowboys offense becomes far more difficult without St. Brown or a healthy offensive line.
Dallas, averaging 29.3 points and a league-high 393.1 yards per game, brings its own injury concerns, though fewer than Detroit’s. Cornerback Trevon Diggs and rookie tackle Tyler Guyton have been ruled out. Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney, who did not practice Monday or Tuesday due to a hamstring issue, returned in a limited capacity Wednesday and is questionable. Safety Malik Hooker is also questionable after being limited all week.
The Cowboys will otherwise enter the game close to full strength. Wide receiver George Pickens, cornerback DaRon Bland, edge rusher Dante Fowler, former Lion James Houston, receiver KaVontae Turpin, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, and safety Donovan Wilson have all been removed from the injury report and are expected to play.
The matchup is particularly significant given how both defenses have struggled. Detroit allows 22.8 points per game (tied for 15th) and has surrendered 316.2 yards per game, though its run defense ranks seventh. Dallas allows an NFL-worst 28.5 points per game and ranks near the bottom in total, rushing and passing defense.
For the Lions, the path to victory may hinge on defensive disruption. They are 6–2 when recording two or more sacks and 6–1 when forcing at least one turnover. Disrupting Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, and keeping pace with the Cowboys’ explosive offense could prove decisive.
With the Lions fighting to stay in NFC contention and Dallas riding an 8–1 record in its last nine Thursday night games, the stakes could not be clearer. Detroit needs this win — and it needs contributions from whoever is left standing.