Detroit Lions defeat Cowboys on TNF behind strong defense, balanced offense to keep playoff push alive

DETROIT – The Detroit Lions took down the Dallas Cowboys 44-30 on Thursday Night Football to keep their playoff hopes alive.

In the game on Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, Detroit improved to 8-5 on the season, led by its defense, which recorded two interceptions and five sacks, while Jahmyr Gibbs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, David Montgomery, and Jared Goff put on a show.

The Lions led 20-9 at the half, and they didn’t let up as they went on to outscore the Cowboys 24-21 in the second half to pull away with the double-digit victory.

The victory also kept their streak alive as the Lions have yet to lose consecutive games since weeks 3-8 in the 2022 season.

Detroit started the season at 4-1 and had dropped four of their last seven games ahead of the Dallas Cowboys matchup on Thursday Night Football.

With a 7-5 record ahead of the game on Dec. 4, 2025, Detroit got some great news as All-Pro wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was removed from the injury report and activated for the pivotal game.

St. Brown got a low-ankle sprain during the Lions’ loss on Thanksgiving Day to the Green Bay Packers and was listed as questionable before the game.

Although quarterback Jared Goff got one of his star players back, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said he was feeling pretty confident about his team heading into the game.

According to NFL Network reporter Jane Slater, Prescott told her that the team remembers what it was like when they played in Detroit a few years ago and how they lit up the Lions’ secondary for a lot of passing yards.

Prescott also said that with his new crew of weaponry, the Cowboys are about to do it again.

That last game at Ford Field was in November 2019, when Prescott threw for 444 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-27 win.

That performance remains one of Prescott’s best games of his career.

However, the Lions have changed since then, finishing that season 3-12-1, but they have weaponry of their own for the high-profile matchup.

1st quarter

The Cowboys won the toss and deferred, giving the Lions the ball first in front of their home fans.

On the first play of the game, Goff found St. Brown for a catch-and-run of seven yards.

With second and three on the sticks, Goff tried to throw a screen, but the play got blown up.

Facing third down and three, Goff threw a swing route to Jahmyr Gibbs for a catch and run of 19 yards.

The play was called a rushing attempt as the ball was thrown behind the line of scrimmage.

Gibbs got his first reception of the game for a gain of 26, moving the ball into the red zone of the Cowboys on the opening drive.

Goff found tight end Ross Dwelley for a four-yard catch.

On second and six, Gibbs got stopped in the backfield for a loss of two yards.

Facing a third-and-8, Goff was sacked by James Houston, setting up a 38-yard opening-drive field goal by kicker Jake Bates, which was good, giving the Cowboys a 3-0 lead.

Bates kicked the ball off to Dallas, who returned the ball for 27 yards, behind KaVontae Turpin.

Running back Javonte Williams gained six yards on his first carry of the game, setting up a second and four.

On second down, Prescott found George Pickens for 11 yards, but safety Thomas Harper, who lowered his head and got hit in the head, suffering an injury.

Prescott found Williams in the backfield for a loss of five yards.

On second and 15, Prescott found tight end Jake Ferguson for a catch and run of 15 yards.

Prescott threw an incomplete pass on first down, setting up a one-yard run off the handoff by Williams to set up a third and nine.

Pickens got aligator arms on third and nine as the Lions nearly got an interception on the play.

Kicker Brandon Aubrey drained a 57-yard field goal to tie the game at 3-3.

Fan favorite, Tom Kennedy, returned the kickoff for 40 yards to set up the Lions with good field position.

Running back David Montgomery took his first handoff of the game for two yards, setting up second and eight.

Goff threw the ball in the dirt as he was eluding the pass rush of the Cowboys on second down.

St. Brown lost his footing, nearly costing Goff an early interception before the ball fell incomplete.

Dallas punted to Turpin, but it was called for holding and an invalid fair catch.

Backed up on their own five-yard line, Prescott handed the ball off to Williams, who gained two yards on the play.

Facing a second and eight, Prescott found Pickens for three yards.

With third down and five in front of them, Prescott got sacked by Jack Campbell and Aidan Hutchinson for a sack and safety, which was under review.

The play was overturned as Dallas punter Bryan Anger blasted the ball out of his own endzone for 62 yards, which was returned by Kennedy for 21 yards to Detroit’s 37-yard line.

Goff connected with Gibbs for a four-yard catch, setting up a second and six.

Tight end Anthony Firkser got his first catch of the game, getting the first down after a seven-yard gain.

Offensive lineman Dan Skipper reported eligible, but Detroit got called for an illegal shift on the play.

On first and 15, Goff found Gibbs for a two-yard gain.

Facing a second and 13, Goff found St. Brown for his second catch of the game for a gain of 27 yards.

With the ball on the seven-yard line of the Cowboys, Goff handed the ball off to wide receiver Jameson Williams, who stepped out of bounds at the one-yard line, setting up a Gibbs one-yard touchdown.

Bates drilled the extra point to go up 10-3 with 2:14 to play in the first quarter.

Turpin returned a Bates kickoff for 24 yards.

Williams gained seven yards on first down before gaining two yards on second down.

Facing a third down and one, Prescott found wide receiver Ryan Flournoy for his first reception of the game for four yards.

With a new set of downs, Williams gained three yards to end the quarter.

2nd quarter

Flournoy got his second pass of the game for one yard, setting up a third and six.

Prescott connected with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb for his first catch of the game for 16 yards.

Turpin took a handoff for four yards, setting up a second and six.

Prescott handed the ball off to Williams for a three-yard gain.

Williams gained four yards following a tough run on third down and three.

Prescott found tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford for his first catch of the game, gaining eight yards on the play.

Malik Davis gained one yard on second down before Prescott ran a quarterback sneak to move the sticks.

With a new set of downs, Prescott threw an incomplete pass in the direction of Flournoy out the back of the endzone.

Facing a second and 10, Prescott threw incomplete to Williams.

With third and 10 in the red zone, Prescott got sacked by Al-Quadin Muhammad, setting up an Aubrey 42-yard field goal as Detroit led 10-6.

Jacob Saylors returned the kickoff for 27 yards to the 29-yard line of Detroit.

Goff threw incomplete on first down in the direction of St. Brown.

Detroit got called for a false start after Miles Frazier jumped on the play.

Goff hit Gibbs for 13 yards, setting up a third and two.

It was his fourth catch of the half for 45 yards.

Goff threw incomplete on fourth and two, but no flags came down after it looked like the defensive line jumped early.

Prescott hit Lamb for 37 yards to open the drive.

Ferguson picked up a backwards pass by Prescott, ruled a fumble before fining Lamb for a five-yard gain.

Prescott found Ferguson for a three-yard catch and run before Brian Branch punched the ball out for a fumble.

After the recovery, Skipper got called for offensive holding, moving the ball back 10 yards.

Tate Ratledge was called for a false start, moving the ball back five more yards.

On first down and 25, Goff hit Isaac TeSlaa for his first grab of the game, gaining eight yards on the play.

Williams got his first catch of the game for 25 yards.

Goff tried to go to Williams again, but the ball fell incomplete between two defenders.

Montgomery broke through the hole for a 35-yard touchdown to take a 17-6 lead following a Bates extra point.

Prescott hit Williams to open the drive for a five-yard catch and run.

Lamb gained 21 yards on his fourth catch of the game, moving the ball to the 46-yard line.

Williams gained three yards on first down, setting up a second and seven.

After offsetting penalties, facing second and seven, Prescott handed the ball off to Davis to set up a third and four at the two-minute warning.

Prescott hit Turpin for his first reception of the game, gaining five yards to move the chains.

Lamb had a step on the play, but Prescott threw the ball out of bounds instead of downfield for the incompletion.

Pickens got called for offensive pass interference, drawing a 15-yard penalty.

With second and 25 in front of them, Prescott found Lamb for 10 yards with 1:13 to play as Detroit called a timeout.

On third and 15, Prescott found Ferguson for an 11-yard catch and run to set up a 55-yard field goal attempt from Aubrey, which was successful.

Leading 17-9 with 50 seconds remaining in the half, the Lions returned the following kickoff 26 yards to their own 26-yard line.

With one timeout remaining, Goff found St. Brown for a catch-and-run for five yards.

On second and six, Goff found Gibbs for an 18-yard catch and run.

St. Brown gained nine yards to set up a second and one with 17 seconds to play in the half.

Goff threw the ball out of bounds on second and one.

With one timeout and one yard to go to gain a first down, St. Brown drew a pass interference with 10 seconds to go, and an automatic first down.

With the ball on the 29-yard line of Dallas, Goff threw the ball in the direction of TeSlaa, who was wide open as the defender fell down on the ground.

Bates capped off a six-play 45-yard drive with a 47-yard field goal to take a 20-9 lead into halftime.

3rd quarter

Prescott threw an interception to Derrick Barnes to open the half.

Goff found Williams for a two-yard catch and run.

TeSlaa grabbed his second reception of the game with a 12-yard touchdown, followed by Bates, who knocked in the extra point as the Lions extended the lead 27-9.

Williams toted the rock for a three-yard gain as the route was on by the Lions.

Facing a second and seven, Lamb brought in a 32-yard catch as he was interfered with by D.J. Reed on the play.

Williams gained 11 yards on the next play to extend the drive.

Prescott threw the first down past out of bounds, but Detroit got called for holding by Reed, helping the Cowboys gain a free five yards before Lamb got injured while trying to make a touchdown play as he hit his head on the ground.

Flournoy gained five yards on the next play, setting up a third and five where Prescott threw incomplete.

Facing a fourth and five, Prescott hit Pickens, who moved the sticks but fumbled.

On first down and two, Williams rushed the ball for one yard.

Williams gained one yard and got a touchdown, followed by an Aubrey made extra point as they trailed 27-17 with 10:41 to go.

Williams toted the rock for a three-yard gain as the route was on by the Lions.

Facing a second and seven, Lamb brought in a 32-yard catch as he was interfered with by D.J. Reed on the play.

Williams gained 11 yards on the next play to extend the drive.

Prescott threw the first down past out of bounds, but Detroit got called for holding by Reed, helping the Cowboys gain a free five yards before Lamb got injured while trying to make a touchdown play as he hit his head on the ground.

Flournoy gained five yards on the next play, setting up a third and five where Prescott threw incomplete.

Facing a fourth and five, Prescott hit Pickens, who moved the sticks but fumbled.

On first down and two, Williams rushed the ball for one yard.

Williams gained one yard and got a touchdown, followed by an Aubrey made extra point as they trailed 27-17 with 10:41 to go.

After the kickoff, Gibbs lost five yards on the run.

Goff hit Williams for a seven-yard catch and run.

On third and eight, Gibbs shook the defender and gained 10 yards on his sixth catch of the game.

Malik Cunningham entered the game and gained one yard on the rushing play before Williams snagged his fourth reception for 16 yards, racking up 50 yards in the game.

Gibbs rushed the ball to the Cowboys’ 38-yard line for a one-yard gain.

He caught his seventh pass of the game for a four-yard gain.

Gibbs had seven catches for 77 yards at that point in the game.

Facing a third and five, Goff threw incomplete to St. Brown and Williams as they were both in the area.

Bates had his field goal attempt blocked as Dallas defender Sam Williams got his arm on the ball.

Montgomery picked up nine yards on first down to set the pace for the drive.

He gained four yards on second down to keep the drive moving.

With a new set of downs, Goff threw incomplete, but they got called for an illegal formation, losing five yards on the play.

On first and 15, Goff hit Williams for a 13-yard catch.

Montgomery finished the quarter with a two-yard gain.

4th quarter

Frazier got called for a false start to open the quarter.

Dallas got called for offsides, but Detroit declined the play as Montgomery got his first reception for 13 yards, setting up a second and two.

Montgomery gained eight yards on his sixth carry, gaining 60 yards to lead the Lions in rushing yards.

Goff hit TeSlaa in the corner of the end zone, which took him out of bounds for an incomplete pass, but Rarledge got called for holding, moving them back 10 yards.

Gibbs got the ball and lost two yards on first down.

Facing a second and 22, Goff hit St. Brown for a nine-yard catch.

St. Brown had five catches for 55 yards before Williams gained four yards on the next play for his sixth reception for 67 yards.

Bates drilled a 46-yard field goal to extend the lead to 31019 with 11:50 to play.

Prescott ran the ball for 12 yards, followed by Williams, who picked up 11 yards rushing for back-to-back first downs.

Prescott hit Flournoy for a five-yard gain, before finding him again for a wide-open touchdown for 42 yards.

Prescott and the offense went for two, finding Ferguson for the two-point conversion to trail 30-27.

Kennedy returned the ball 38 yards during the kickoff before Gibbs ran the ball for two yards on back-to-back plays, setting up a third and six as Goff found Williams for a huge catch and run of 30 yards.

Dallas was called for roughing the passer by James Houston, putting the ball on the 11-yard line.

Gibbs rushed the ball for three yards as the game clock ticked under eight minutes.

He rushed the ball up the gut for 10 yards to get a touchdown on the play, extending the lead to 37-27 after Bates made the extra point.

Prescott got sacked on first down, losing five yards, before hitting Flournoy, who gained 20 yards on a catch.

Pickens caught an eight-yard catch before Williams gained five yards to move the sticks.

Prescott hit Luke Schoonmaker for 12 yards before Williams gained two yards on the next play.

After an incompletion, Prescott hit Flournoy for 10 yards before finding Pickens for seven yards.

Prescott threw an incomplete pass on second down and three before Detroit called a timeout.

Facing a third down and three, Ferguson got called for a pass interference at the goal line with 3:45 to play.

Branch got injured on the play.

Aubrey came in for the field goal attempt, making a 29-yard field goal to trail 37-30.

Kennedy gained 42 yards on the return. He had three returns for 120 yards in the game.

With the ball on the Detroit 49-yard line, Gibbs rushed the ball for one yard on first down as the clock ticked under three minutes.

On second and nine, Goff found St. Brown for a 37-yard catch and run before getting tackled in bounds at the Dallas 13-yard line.

Dallas challenged the play but lost a timeout as St. Brown was tackled in bounds.

Up 37-30 with 2:25 to play, Goff handed the ball off to Gibbs for a walk-in touchdown, taking a 45-30 lead with 2:19 to play.

After the return, Prescott threw incomplete on first and second down as the clock was stopped with 1:59 to play for the two-minute warning.

Prescott threw another incomplete pass, setting up a fourth and 10 with 1:55 to play.

Prescott found Flournoy beyond the yard to gain to keep the drive alive.

Flournoy had nine catches for 115 yards.

Prescott found Turpin for a 21-yard catch and run before going out of bounds.

Prescott hit Ferguson for a 15-yard gain to move the sticks.

Muhammad sacked Prescott for his third of the game, causing Dallas to call a timeout, their second of the half.

On second 16, Prescott threw his second interception of the game, finishing with 376 yards passing, two interceptions, and one touchdown.

Detroit sacked him five times while Goff finished with 309 yards and one touchdown.

Montgomery led the team in rushing with 60 yards and a touchdown.

Williams led the team in receiving yards, catching seven passes for 96 yards.

St. Brown followed suit, catching six receptions for 92 yards, while the star of the show, Gibbs, had 12 carries for 43 yards and three touchdowns.

He also caught seven passes for 77 yards in the victory.