DETROIT, Mich. — It was must-win times two on Thursday night when the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys got together at Ford Field in downtown Detroit. Both teams are on the outside looking in right now in the NFC playoff picture, and a loss might very well be the death knell for one of these two offensive juggnauts.

It was that big, and the stakes were that high. And has often happens in the NFL on the national stage, the game delivered with big-time entertainment. It lived up to the hype on prime-time TV.

The Lions won 44-30, with running back Jahmyr Gibbs stealing the show. He rushed for just 43 yards but had three touchdowns. His backfield mate David Montgomery had 60 yards and a score of his own.

Gibbs had another 77 yards receiving, but what might have been most impressive is that he and Montgomery — plus head coach Dan Campbell — had people reaching for the record books all night long.

Chasing legends.

“They don’t get panicked,” Detroit coach Dan Campbell said when asked about approaching must-win games. “We played our best game that we played all year. (Gibbs) is unique, he's special.” 

Lions are now 8-0 in prime-time games under Dan Campbell. They also have won 15 straight games following a loss, including 5-0 in 2025, dating back to Oct. 30, 2022. That's an NFL record, tying the Baltimore Ravens (2009-12) and Denver Broncos (1994-98).

Here's the game story from Lions Roundtable running back Adam Stark.

Gibbs Scores Three, Lions Overwhelm Cowboys on TNF On a night Detroit desperately needed a statement, the Lions delivered their loudest one yet, dismantling the Cowboys 44–30 in a performance fueled by stars on both sides of the ball.

Gibbs was so good on Thursday night that people were talking about him in the same breath with Hall of Famers Barry Sanders, Gale Sayers, Eric Dickerson and Emmitt Smith. He was that good on Monday night — and has been that great during his first three years in the NFL. Lions teammate Aidan Hutchinson  called them ''the best duo in the NFL.''

He's not wrong. Here are the lofty levels he reached Monday night

• Gibbs tied Lions legend Barry Sanders for the most touchdowns before turning 24 years old with 47.

• That 47-TD total also ties Eric Dickerson and Gale Sayers for the second-most touchdowns through a player’s first three seasons in league history.
• Gibbs also became just the seventh player in NFL history to post multiple campaigns of at least 1,500 scrimmage yards and 15 touchdowns within his first three years.

• Gibbs has scored three TDs in the past five weeks, and it's the fourth time he's done it in his NFL career. That trails only Sanders (7) and Clyde Box (5).
• Gibbs and Montgomery have now each scored a touchdown in 15 games, which passes Dallas Cowboys Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston (14) for the most games with a score by a running back duo.

With the win, the Lions are now 8-5, but still in third place in the NFC North behind the Chicago Bears (9-3) and Green Bay Packers (8-3-1). Those two teams play each other on Sunday in a Week 14 schedule loaded with huge games — and then meet again on Saturday night, Dec. 20.

The Lions are one game behind the San Francisco 49ers (9-4) for the final wild-card spot with four games to go.

The Lions knew the magnitude of Monday's game, believing the playoffs have already started for them. They know that one more loss will likely end their season.

"This was so big, really we saw it as a playoff game. We know the situation we are in and we took advantage of it,'' Hutchinson said. "I'm really happy with what we did in all three phases, and we'll use this momentum to keep on doing it.''

Dallas (6-6-1) had won three straight games, including high-profile national TV showdowns against the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs — the two teams that played in a Super Bowl 10 months ago. Quarterback Dak Prescott did throw for 376 yards, but the Lions defense did force three turnovers and sacked Prescott five times.

"They are so dangerous, and our emphasis was really on cutting our D-Line loose tonight,'' Hutchinson said. "I think it was paying dividends all across the board.  Obviously we'd like to have some plays back and stuff we want to do, but it's a win none the less, and we're moving on to the next one.''

The Lions lost a huge game to Green Bay on Thanksgiving Day — their second loss to their hated NFC North rival this season — so this was huge to win this Thursday night game a week later. That's what the Lions do — they bounce back. They've been great in three-plus years under Campbell, never once losing back-to-back games in 15 tries.

"I think it is a kind of culmination of who we are. I don't think that happens on accident," said Lions quarterback Jared Goff, who went 25-for-34 with 309 passing yards and a touchdown. "It's who we are, it's what we believe in.

"I think when those losses happen, they suck, but we do as good a job as any team of learning from that and coming back the next week and putting our head down."

What also can't be overlooked in the Lions' win was the play — and heart — of veteran wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. He was knocked out of the Packers' game a week ago with a serious ankle injury, and couldn't practice all week. But there he was Thursday night, lining up to play again. He had six catches for 92 yards, including a huge fourth-quarter catch to seal the win.

His teammates and coaches really appreciated all he did to get on the field despite the injury, and for all the big plays he made all night.

"No matter what our record was, whether we were undefeated right now or didn't have a win, I was going to do everything to be out there," St. Brown told reporters after the game. "Just to be out there for my guys.

"I feel like availability is your best ability at the end of the day, so my job is to go out there and make plays and be on that field. It's what they pay me to do, so I was going to do whatever it takes to be out there."

Here's what the Lions have done so far

SEPTEMBER RESULTS
Sept. 7 (Sun.) — Green Bay Packers defeated Detroit Lions 27-13 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. Record: 0-1.
Sept. 14 (Sun.) — Detroit Lions defeated Chicago Bears 52-21 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Record: 1-1.
Sep. 22 (Mon.) — Detroit Lions defeated Baltimore Ravens 38-30 at M&T Bank in Baltimore, Md. Record: 2-1.
Sept. 28 (Sun.) — Detroit Lions defeated Cleveland Browns 34-10 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Record: 3-1. 

OCTOBER RESULTS
Oct. 5 (Sun.) — Detroit Lions defeated Cincinnati Bengals 37-24 at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. Record: 4-1. 
Oct. 12 (Sun.) — Kansas City Chiefs defeated Detroit Lions 30-17 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. Record: 4-2.
Oct. 20 (Mon.) — Detroit Lions defeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-9 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Record: 5-2.
Oct. 26 — Bye week.

NOVEMBER RESULTS
Nov. 2 (Sun.) — Minnesota Vikings defeated Detroit Lions 37-24 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Record: 5-3.
Nov. 9 (Sun.) — Detroit Lions defeated Washington Commanders 44-22 at Northwest Field in Landover, Md. Record: 6-3.
Nov. 16 (Sun.) — Philadelphia Eagles defeated Detroit Lions 16-9 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. Record: 6-4.
Nov. 23 (Sun.) — Detroit Lions defeated New York Giants 34-27 in overtime at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Record: 7-4.
Nov. 27 (Thurs.) — Green Bay Packers defeated Detroit Lions 31-24 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Record: 7-5.

DECEMBER RESULTS
Dec. 4 (Thurs.) — Detroit Lions defeated Dallas Cowboys 44-30 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. Record: 8-5.

Here's what the Lions have left

Dec. 14 (Sun.) — Detroit Lions at Los Angeles Rams, 4:25 p.m. ET. TV: FOX
Dec. 21 (Sun.) — Pittsburgh Steelers at Detroit Lions, 4:25 p.m. ET. TV: CBS
Dec. 25 (Thurs.) — Detroit Lions at Minnesota Vikings, 4:30 p.m. ET. Streaming: Netflix
Jan. 3/4 (Flex) — Detroit Lions at Chicago Bears, time and TV, TBA

Tom Brew is the National Editor-in-Chief at Roundtable Sports. You can follow him in Twitter (X) @tombrewsports

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