Finally, there’s an exciting matchup again on a non-holiday Thursday Night Football game. It has been a few weeks since that was the case, but tonight the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions face off in a game that will all but eliminate the loser from playoff contention.
The Lions come into week 14 with a 7-5 record and in third place in the NFC North. Their loss to the Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving Day cost them dearly in their hopes for a playoff run, also pushing them 1.5 games behind the San Francisco 49ers for the last playoff spot in the NFC. Meanwhile, Dallas has surged in recent weeks, winning three straight games and keeping them within reach of the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East.
Accordingly, this is a huge game for both teams. Based on the numbers from Playoffstatus.com, the Cowboys’ playoff chances are currently about 24%, but they would drop in half to 12% with a loss tonight. A win, on the other hand, boosts those odds to 41%. Detroit is in a similar boat, though they are perhaps worse off due to having both the Packers and Bears ahead of them in the division. A loss plummets the Lions’ playoff odds to single digits at 9%, while a win pushes them up to just 34%.
Put more clearly, the losing team in tonight’s game may not be mathematically eliminated from contention, but it will be nearly impossible for them to make the playoffs and would require that team to both win out and get significant help from other teams ahead of them.
That should make tonight’s game a fun one! Tune in and join us in the comments to see which way this one goes.
Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1) vs. Detroit Lions (7-5)
Ford Field
Detroit, Michigan
Thursday, December 4, 2025
8:15 PM Eastern Time
TV/Streaming: Amazon Prime
Commentators: Al Michaels, Kirk Herbstreit
Point spread: Lions -3
Over/under total: 54.5
2024 Week 6: Lions 47, @Cowboys 9
Regular season: Cowboys lead 17-12-0
Postseason: Cowboys lead 2-1
Current win streak: Lions W1