Detroit Lions vs Dallas Cowboys Match Player Stats (Oct 13, 2024)

Detroit walked into AT&T Stadium on October 13, 2024 and left the Cowboys humiliated 47 to 9. Jared Goff threw 3 touchdowns without an interception. David Montgomery rushed for 80 yards and 2 scores. Brian Branch grabbed 2 picks and forced a fumble.

The 38 point beatdown tied for the fifth worst loss in Cowboys history. Dallas hadn’t been embarrassed this badly at home since 1988.

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How Complete Was This Domination?

Detroit scored touchdowns on their first nine possessions. Didn’t punt once. Zero times.

Only two other teams since 2000 accomplished that.

This performance came five weeks after Detroit opened 2024 with an overtime victory against the Rams. Same weapons. Same efficiency. Montgomery and Jameson Williams picking up where Week 1 left off.

Goff’s Surgical Precision

Jared Goff: 18 of 25, 315 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 153.8 passer rating.

Back to back games with a passer rating above 150. Drew Brees in 2018 was the only other quarterback to accomplish that feat.

“Wasn’t his best ball, but he made some plays,” Dan Campbell said after the game.

Underselling it. Goff completed 72% against a Cowboys secondary missing multiple starters. Averaged 12.6 yards per attempt. Never forced anything. Pro Football Network’s charting credited him with zero turnover worthy throws.

The trick play touchdown to Sam LaPorta showed Ben Johnson’s creativity at its peak. Goff handed to Montgomery. Montgomery pitched to Amon-Ra St. Brown on the reverse. St. Brown gave it back to Goff. LaPorta ran free down the right sideline for 52 yards. Cowboys had no clue what hit them.

Backup Hendon Hooker finished the game: 1 of 2, 19 yards. Got some reps in garbage time.

Prescott’s Nightmare in Dallas

Contrast that with Dak Prescott’s afternoon.

17 of 33 for 178 yards. Zero touchdowns. Two interceptions. Four sacks. Passer rating of 42.2.

His worst performance? Only one other game in his career was worse.

Cooper Rush came in during the fourth quarter carnage. 8 of 11 for 46 yards and another pick. Same 42.2 rating as Prescott.

“I’m not a guy to hit the panic button,” Prescott said postgame. “You never prepare for that or think that can happen the way it did today, here at home, again.”

Again. That word carries weight. Three consecutive home blowouts now.

The interior pressure collapsed everything. Prescott had no time. No clean pockets. No answers. First quarter, first and goal from the 7 yard line, he tried forcing one to CeeDee Lamb in the back corner. Brian Branch read it, jumped the route, picked it off in the end zone.

Prevented at least a field goal. Might’ve saved seven. Changed the game’s trajectory completely.

Montgomery Breaks the Franchise Record

The ground game numbers explain why Dallas never had a chance.

Montgomery’s 16 yard touchdown in the first quarter gave Detroit a 7 to 3 lead. They never trailed again. That score also broke Billy Sims’ franchise record. Eight consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. The record stood for 40 years.

Gone.

Next Gen Stats credited Montgomery with forcing 10 missed tackles on just 12 carries. Dallas defenders couldn’t bring him down one on one. He consistently fell forward, turning three yard gains into six.

Together, Montgomery and Gibbs combined for 143 yards on 24 carries. Both averaged over 5 yards per attempt.

Dallas managed 53 total rushing yards on 17 attempts. Ezekiel Elliott gained 17 yards on 8 carries. A 2.1 average. Rico Dowdle had 25 yards on 5 attempts but Dallas abandoned the run by halftime anyway.

Down 27 to 6 at the break, throwing became mandatory. Detroit’s pass rush feasted on obvious passing downs.

Williams and the Receiving Attack

Three minutes into the second half, Williams caught a 37 yarder that pushed Detroit’s lead to 34 to 6. “Let’s go Lions” chants broke out at AT&T Stadium. Cowboys fans booed their own team.

That’s what happens when you get embarrassed at home.

Patrick’s 42 yard catch on Detroit’s opening drive set up Montgomery’s first touchdown. The veteran receiver has quietly become a reliable third option.

Goff’s receivers generated 167 yards after catch on 19 receptions. An average of 8.8 per grab. Raymond caught a slant and turned it into 20 yards. Williams took a quick screen and outran two defenders for 15 more. The receivers made plays in space.

Lamb Gets Doubled, Nobody Else Steps Up

CeeDee Lamb saw 14 targets. Caught half of them for 89 yards.

Detroit’s defensive gameplan was straightforward. Put Branch or Kerby Joseph over the top on every Lamb route. Make someone else beat you. Nobody could.

“A loss is a loss,” Lamb said. “Obviously at home is terrible. Us not scoring and them almost putting up 50 is even worse.”

Prescott kept forcing throws to Lamb into tight coverage. When he looked elsewhere, the efficiency tanked. Tolbert caught 4 for 43 yards but on five targets. Ferguson managed just 11 yards on 3 catches. Dowdle caught five checkdowns for 30 yards, all underneath.

Dallas’ passing attack lived and died with Lamb. Detroit knew it. Took him away. Game over.

Branch’s Historic Performance

Branch finished with 6 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, and 2 pass deflections. Only one other player in Lions franchise history recorded 2 interceptions and a forced fumble in the same game.

His first interception in the end zone killed Dallas’ best scoring chance of the opening half. First and goal from the 7. Prescott rolled right. Lamb cut toward the back corner. Branch read it, broke on the ball, and hauled it in at the goal line. Cowboys got nothing.

“He’s a guy who’s part of the heartbeat of this team, he’s a leader, does everything right,” Goff said about Branch.

The fourth quarter is when Branch completely took over.

Prescott dropped back from his own territory. Threw toward Jalen Brooks on the right sideline. Branch broke on it instantly. Picked it off at the Dallas 49. Returned it 47 yards. Two plays later, St. Brown scored to make it 47 to 9.

Earlier in the third quarter, Ryan Flournoy caught his first NFL pass. Twelve yards. Branch immediately punched the ball out. Terrion Arnold recovered at the Detroit 33.

Another possession wasted for Dallas.

Joseph added another interception in the fourth. Cooper Rush threw into coverage toward KaVontae Turpin in the end zone. Joseph stepped in front. Easy pick.

Five turnovers. Zero for Detroit.

Pro Football Reference’s breakdown shows Detroit recorded 4 sacks, 5 tackles for loss, and 10 pass deflections while holding Dallas to 3.9 yards per play.

McNeill Destroys Martin

Alim McNeill versus Zack Martin wasn’t even fair.

The defensive tackle beat the future Hall of Famer inside. Beat him outside. Beat him with power. Beat him with quickness. Two sacks. Two tackles for loss. Pro Football Focus graded McNeill at 83.5.

Career worst day for Martin. His PFF grade included a zero pass blocking grade. Never seen that before from an All-Pro who’s dominated for over a decade.

The interior pressure forced Prescott into rushed throws, happy feet, and poor decisions. When pressure comes from the guards collapsing the pocket, quarterbacks have nowhere to step. Can’t climb. Can’t escape sideways. Trapped.

DJ Reader clogged running lanes at nose tackle. Elliott and Dowdle had nowhere to go. Dallas averaged 3.1 yards per carry. By halftime, they’d given up trying to run.

Aidan Hutchinson added a sack before his injury. Got to Prescott in the third quarter for his final play of the season. Broken left tibia. Surgery required. Season over.

Before the injury, Hutchinson graded out at 95.1 per PFF. Highest of any player in the game. His loss will test Detroit’s defensive depth the rest of the season.

Perfect Day for Bates

Jake Bates went 4 for 4 on field goals. Hit from 40, 48, 33, and 33 yards. Made all five extra points.

Perfect day.

Brandon Aubrey hit all three field goals for Dallas. Their only points. No touchdowns. No hope.

Turpin ripped off a 79 yard kickoff return late in the second quarter. Set up a Cowboys field goal. Their most explosive play all afternoon. He fumbled on a later return after Malcolm Rodriguez stripped it. Part of Dallas’ five total turnovers.

Detroit didn’t punt. Not once.

Every possession with Goff under center resulted in points. Just the third time since 2000 a team scored on nine consecutive possessions.

Quarter by Quarter Collapse

Detroit led 27 to 6 at halftime.

Dallas trailed by 14 or more points at halftime in their fourth consecutive home game. No team since at least 2000 had experienced that streak according to NFL Research.

The Cowboys won 16 straight home games across 2022 and 2023. Now they’ve dropped three straight at AT&T Stadium by a combined 167 to 35.

Why Detroit Averaged 7.5 Yards Per Play

Efficiency separated these teams more than anything.

Detroit gained 7.5 yards per play. Dallas managed 3.9. More than double the production. The Lions consistently generated chunk plays through both run and pass.

Detroit converted 40% of third downs. Dallas converted just 23%. That difference meant Detroit sustained drives while Dallas went three and out on multiple possessions. More Detroit possessions. More scoring opportunities. More points.

Goff’s receivers averaged 8.8 yards after catch per reception. Raymond caught passes underneath and turned them upfield. Williams caught passes in space and outran defenders. Patrick secured contested catches and fell forward.

The Cowboys pressured Goff on 24.1% of his dropbacks. He completed passes on several pressured throws anyway. Never panicked. Detroit pressured Dallas quarterbacks on 50% of dropbacks. McNeill and Reader pushing the pocket into Prescott’s face created havoc.

Interior pressure is the worst kind. Can’t step up. Can’t escape sideways. Nowhere to go.

Historical Beatdown

This ranks among Detroit’s most dominant road victories ever.

Only two other road wins exceeded this margin: 40 to 0 at Green Bay in 1970 and 41 to 0 at Baltimore in 1954.

For Dallas, their worst home loss since Minnesota crushed them 43 to 3 on November 13, 1988. Jerry Jones’ 82nd birthday got ruined.

The 47 to 9 final marked scorigami. First time in NFL history a game ended with that exact score.

The Revenge Factor

Detroit didn’t forget last December.

The controversial 20 to 19 loss in Dallas still stung. The disputed two point conversion. Officials penalizing a potential winning play. It cost the Lions a shot at the top seed in the NFC. They lost the conference championship in San Francisco.

Dan Skipper reported as eligible on Detroit’s first offensive play. The same tackle officials said reported eligible during that December controversy. Campbell making a statement immediately.

“Yeah, we were joking we might throw two to two tackles,” Goff said postgame.

Detroit tried throwing to Taylor Decker in the end zone from the 2 yard line in the third quarter. Didn’t work, but they made their point.

47 to 9 erases any controversy from nine months earlier.

What This Means Going Forward

Detroit improved to 4 and 1 and seized control of the NFC North. The road win against an NFC opponent provided crucial tiebreaker advantages.

Legitimate Super Bowl contender. Goff’s back to back 150+ passer ratings showed elite quarterback play. The Montgomery and Gibbs combination gives them scheme versatility. The defense creates turnovers despite losing Marcus Davenport earlier in the season.

This team wins multiple ways.

Dallas fell to 3 and 3, dropping into last place in the NFC East.

Three consecutive home blowouts. Prescott struggled under pressure and in clean pockets. The defense can’t generate stops without turnovers. Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence would return from injury after the bye week to help, but the offensive line struggles required more comprehensive solutions.

Head coach Mike McCarthy faced serious scrutiny over game management and play calling decisions.

Individual Milestones

Montgomery set a franchise record with eight consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. Branch became only the second Lion ever with 2 interceptions and 1 forced fumble in the same game. Goff joined Drew Brees as the only quarterbacks with back to back 150+ passer ratings.

For Dallas, nothing positive emerged.

Five turnovers. Zero touchdowns. Booed at home.

The Numbers That Decided Everything

5 to 0: Turnover differential. Game over right there.

7.5 vs 3.9: Yards per play. Efficiency gap was massive.

153.8 vs 42.2: Passer rating. Goff surgical. Prescott disastrous.

0: Detroit punts. Perfect offensive execution.

These four numbers explain how a competitive NFC matchup became a historic blowout that will be referenced for years.

Detroit didn’t just beat Dallas. They humiliated them at home, forced five turnovers, scored on nine straight possessions, and sent a message to the entire NFC.