There are 20 teams with a .500-or-better record entering Week 14, tying the NFL record this late. Two of those face off on Thursday Night Football for a potentially crucial NFC playoff tiebreaker as the surging Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1) visit the scuffling Detroit Lions (7-5). The loser is in major trouble, with the Lions listed as 3-point favorites and the highest total of the week at 54.5 for the 8:15 ET kick on Prime Video.
Thursday night games can often be rather ragged because both teams are on short weeks and perhaps missing injured guys with the quick turnaround. The one good thing about this week is both these clubs played on Thanksgiving per usual, so that shouldn't be the case.
Detroit sits eighth in the NFC, a half-game ahead of Dallas, and that Cowboys tie in Week 4 vs. Green Bay -- another NFC playoff contender -- could prove to be a good or bad thing. Conference records are an important tiebreaker as well with the Lions at 3-4-1 vs. the NFC and the Cowboys at 4-4.
For the first time all season, Dallas is above .500 overall after a huge Thanksgiving Day win over the Chiefs last Thursday. The SportsLine Projection Model forecasts the Cowboys for the ninth-most wins in the NFC at 9.0 wins and currently with a 24.5% shot (equates to +308) at the playoffs. That would jump to 40.1% with a win and plummet to 10.1% after a loss. DraftKings lists them at +300 for the postseason and -400 for No.
NFL teams don't usually get three-game homestands, but this concludes such a set for Detroit, which is lucky to not be 0-2 on it. The Lions needed a a 59-yard field goal to force overtime against the Giants two weeks ago and then survived, only to be largely dominated on Turkey Day by Green Bay to be swept in that season series and crush Detroit's chances of three-peating in the NFC North.
Maybe we should have seen moderate regression coming after offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left in the offseason to become the head coach in Chicago and DC Aaron Glenn left for the same with the New York Jets. Coach Dan Campbell's club is now +900 in the division and +115 for the playoffs with No at -140. The model gives the Lions a 37.8% playoff shot (equates to +165) that rises to 53.8% with a win and 18.9% with a loss. Detroit still has to visit the Rams, Lions and Bears so, yeah, Thursday's game means everything.
We'll take you through every aspect of the Cowboys vs. Lions game that you need to know before you lock in your bets, including SportsLine expert picks, props, trends, DFS, injury information and everything else that will help you know which plays are worth making for the primetime matchup.
Who wins Cowboys vs. Lions in the Week 14 Thursday night game, and what critical X-factor makes one side of the spread hit HARD? Join SportsLine right now to see everything you need to know to dominate your Thursday Night Football bets, plus get expert picks, model sims, prop bets, DFS lineups, and more!
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