ARLINGTON, Texas – This wasn't the scene you'd expect after a 39-point win.

As spectators arrived at the visitor's locker room at AT&T Stadium late Sunday night, they were treated to a variety of sights and sounds. Left tackle Taylor Decker could be seen near the entrance talking about how the offense wanted to make a statement en route to a 47-point day.

Wait a few minutes and turn the corner and you'll see Detroit's starting secondary huddled at the back, reflecting on a five-turnover day against the Cowboys. For the Lions, this was the most complete game of the Dan Campbell era – an absolute dismantling and a 47-9 victory.

It was essentially three hours of video evidence that national pundits could use to crown the Lions arguably the best team in the NFL on Monday morning.

And yet you wouldn't know it if you silently watched Dan Campbell's postgame press conference or asked that team's players about the 6-foot-tall Michigan elephant who wasn't in the room.

“Let me start here: I hate it for Hutch,” Campbell said after the game, revealing that his star edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson had suffered a broken tibia. “This is hard. You know, it was tough and he's in good hands now. He is taken care of. He will stay here. Obviously he's going to be down for a while. And that's hard. It's hard to lose someone like him, but after that we know a lot more and of course we wish him all the best.”

There are few words players can use to describe a game like this and the consequences of it, but we'll try here. Bittersweet is a good place to start.

This was a revenge game of sorts for the Lions. Texas native Campbell grew up watching and later playing for the Cowboys franchise. Many of his coaching philosophies emerged during his time in this city. But before Sunday he had never beaten his home team as head coach – the score was 0-2 in his last two meetings. Both in Dallas.

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The Lions' Aidan Hutchinson was hospitalized after breaking his tibia against the Cowboys

Last year's competition in particular is still a sensitive issue in Detroit. The officials rejected a possible game-winning two-point conversion and referred the Lions to an illegal receiver penalty. Campbell insisted that his team reported properly and did everything right. Officials disagreed. Mostly a losing battle.

The Lions were angry. Frustrated. Cheated out of a win last December. Almost a year later, they wouldn't leave things to chance.

“Last year was as controversial as last year,” Hutchinson said Tuesday. “I think we have a lot of hope and are all ready to get here. We’re on a mission this year.”

These words are bittersweet knowing what would happen later. But they were true then and remained true on Sunday. These were two teams that were considered equal. What we know now is that they are at different levels in the NFL hierarchy.

Detroit looks like a team that is becoming a fully realized version of itself. Offensively, this is the best performance we've seen in the Campbell era.

Quarterback Jared Goff was 18 of 25 for 315 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. These three results went to the usual suspects. One for Amon-Ra St. Brown, one for Jameson Williams and one for Sam LaPorta – his first of the season, which comes on a bit of a flea flare.

The Lions are usually a pick-your-poison team when it comes to their three favorite receivers, but on Sunday they did all the damage. This result in particular gave them a commanding 17-3 lead at the start of the second quarter. And it was far from the last time.

Ben Johnson was in the lab 🧑‍🍳 #DETvsDAL | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/JCSzYrA9qb

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) October 13, 2024

It was a day where every time you touched the ball you had the feeling that the offense was going to score. And that almost happened. Aside from a kneel-down with eight seconds left in the first half, Detroit's starting offense scored a touchdown or field goal on all nine drives before Hendon Hooker and the reserves took over.

Stars like Jahmyr Gibbs and the newly minted David Montgomery (171 combined scrimmage yards and two touchdowns) as well as unsung heroes like Kalif Raymond (73 receiving yards) and Tim Patrick (68 receiving yards) contributed to this. Dan Skipper called himself eligible to play throughout the game and even targeted Decker in the end zone.

With less than a minute left in the third quarter, the Lions led 37-9 on a hook-and-ladder play to right tackle Penei Sewell. Yes, Sewell. They call it the “Grenade Special.” He almost scored had it not been for a penalty.

Doesn't matter. Before the day was over, they scored 10 more points. Ho hmm.

Overall, the Lions recorded 47 points, 184 rushing yards, 308 net passing yards, 492 yards of offense and zero turnovers. When the offense wasn't looking to hit the ball, it relied on Jake Bates, who was a perfect 4-of-4 with 48 yards on field goal attempts and 5-for-5. Winning PATs was.

As clean and balanced a game as you'll see from this team, and a concerted effort across the board to show a national audience what a time the Lions are having this year.

This felt intentional. This felt…personal.

“We knew we were going to come in here and release the clip,” Decker said. “We want to set an example and get this victory.”

Brian Branch intercepts a pass in the end zone. Detroit's defense only allowed nine points against the Cowboys. (Sam Hodde/Getty Images)

You know things are going your way when you can have a legitimate argument about which unit performed better after one of the league's best offenses scored 47 points. Make your choice. But before you do that, a case for the defense.

If there were any concerns about this defense after the poor performance against the Seahawks two weeks ago, Aaron Glenn's unit did its best to calm them. This Detroit defense allowed just nine points, 251 yards and 3.9 yards per play. Five turnovers were recorded. It forced two fumbles – one by DB Brian Branch and another by LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Dallas rushed for 53 yards on 17 attempts (3.1 yards per rush). Dak Prescott, widely considered a top-10 quarterback, managed just 178 yards on 17 of 33 attempts. The Lions sacked him four times, subbed him twice and, for good measure, subbed him another from backup Cooper Rush.

Complete and utter dominion.

“We knew going into this game it was going to be a statement game,” Alex Anzalone said, echoing Decker’s comments. “I think it's one of the crucial games of your season. You can prove a point. You know, 3:25 Central, 4:25 Eastern game that a lot of people in Dallas are watching. I think it was an opportunity that we were able to take advantage of.”

“I thought we really played the most complete game we've played here in a long time,” Campbell said. “If not, it’s the most since we’ve been here. I just thought all the phases would speed up.”

In virtually any other scenario, this would be the game that you, as a player, coach or fan of this franchise, point to and puff out your chest. It was a reminder of what this year should look like as the offseason began and officials strategized on how to improve this team. The offense once again appears to be one of the best in the league. The secondary was great in this game and the defense as a whole flew to the football and made Dallas work for what little it had.

But in several conversations after arguably the Lions' best game under Campbell, the tone quickly changed when asked about the loss of Hutchinson. Perhaps the best example of how bittersweet that day was for the Lions was when Hutchinson sacked Prescott and had to be carried off the field after breaking his tibia. Players knelt around him, feeling the heaviness in real time. There was a smile in the locker and then a sudden blank stare when Hutchinson's name was mentioned.

He will remain in Dallas for now and undergo immediate surgery. The Lions are waiting for more news, but this injury effectively ends Hutchinson's season while he enters the 2024 season as the Defensive Player of the Year. A brutal, brutal blow to an otherwise ideal journey.

“Obviously it’s tough, man,” Lions defensive tackle DJ Reader said of Hutchinson’s injury. “That’s our guy. He is our man through and through. So it's hard. It sucks.”

“When you see a man like that every day, willing and wanting to be great, and we all know that this game brings injuries, but still all the hard work is easy – that's why I'm sad the most Sewell said. “Just because I know what kind of player he is and how much work he puts in and the sacrifices he makes.”

The Lions will do their best to keep their momentum going, even without one of their best players. That starts next week with a contest against the 5-0 Vikings in Minnesota. Three of their next four games are on the road, including trips to Green Bay (4-2) and Houston (5-1). In many ways, it will be the ultimate test to see if they are equipped to handle the loss of one of their decision makers.

And so the Lions' flight home will likely resemble the scene after Sunday's game. A few pats on the back for a job well done mixed with a sobering reality that awaits them the rest of the way. You will return to a city where things are the same.

How the front office, coaching staff and locker room react tells us a lot about these Lions and how far they can go.

(Top photo: Cooper Neill / Getty Images)