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    • The Detroit Lions' goal against the Dallas Cowboys was clear: “Unload the clip”
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    The Detroit Lions' goal against the Dallas Cowboys was clear: “Unload the clip”

    Kathleen William Posted on

    Arlington, Texas -Whether it was an order from above or just a matter of everyone naturally agreeing, the Detroit Lions were in lockstep all week.

    Both players and coaches constantly denied the claim that this meant anything special. Regardless of how last season's game in Dallas ended, this year's rematch against the Cowboys was just another day at the office for a group trying to put together a full 60 minutes.

    The evidence on the field at AT&T Stadium during Detroit's 47-9 win on Sunday painted a much different picture.

    Swing tackle Dan Skipper, one of the parties at the center of the 2023 debacle, was moved and split into receiver late in the game; Left tackle Taylor Decker tried to sneak away from the line of scrimmage to catch a touchdown, a hilarious ode to last season's botched 2-point attempt; Right tackle Penei Sewell received a hook-and-lateral call that almost resulted in a score – the play is called the “Grenade Special” – although it was called back for a penalty.

    The Lions did a good job of providing the Cowboys with no bulletin board material all week. But as the game got going and started to get out of hand, it was clear that Detroit wanted to get in the Cowboys' face.

    “We knew we were going to come in here and we were going to release the clip because we wanted to make a statement and we wanted to have this,” Decker said. “…We don't want to accept any loss in our performance, especially after a bye. Because we worked towards a more complete performance, especially on offense. We played well against Seattle, and then I think we played even better this week.

    If it wasn't clear after the Seattle game – a contest in which the Lions dropped 42 points – this offense has gotten back on track after a slow start in the first three weeks. It's only the fifth time in franchise history that Detroit has scored 40 or more points in consecutive games, and it's the first time since 1962. Sunday's 47-point outburst was the most for the Lions in a game since 2011.

    Even in the second half and with multiple possession advantages, the Lions continued to attack the jugular. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown said the message at halftime was for the team to keep pushing.

    “He's really good at what he does,” St. Brown said of offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who designed Sunday's trick plays, which included a double-reverse flea flicker that led to a 52-yard Tight end Sam LaPorta led the touchdown. “He watches the whole movie. He's there day and night studying the tape and trying to get his people in the right position to make the plays. It showed up today.”

    “(We) made sure everyone played throughout the offense. When things go like this, you score more than 40 points. If we can keep that energy going, we’ll be fine.”

    Decker, who was previously 0-5 against the Cowboys in his career since being drafted in 2016, said this was probably the most complete victory he has ever been a part of. He cited his teammate's mentality of not being satisfied with one-possession wins.

    The Lions realized they had left some meat on the bone in recent games this season. But against the Cowboys, a team that did so much damage 9½ months ago, Detroit left no doubt.

    “I think we're bitter about what happened last year, but then there's the whole thing that this is a new year (and) the teams are different. But we wanted to come in here and make a statement,” Decker said. “The staff prepared us really well for everything. I think the guys were ready. Sometimes after a break you can take a little break. It was really nice to see everyone out there flying around, doing their jobs (and) playing hard. It was special.

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    Kathleen William
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