The Lions came out swinging in the opening quarter, and while a would-be safety was taken off the board after a replay review, Detroit still made the most of the opportunity. With the Cowboys forced to punt from deep in their own territory, the Lions capitalized on prime field position and turned it into points.
Tom Kennedy gave Detroit a spark with a 21-yard punt return, setting up shop at the Dallas 42-yard line. From there, the Lions offense wasted no time.
Jared Goff found his rhythm quickly, and the drive’s highlight came on a pinpoint 26-yard strike to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who took it down to the Cowboys’ 8-yard line.
That connection was vintage Goff-to-St. Brown - precise, timely, and tough to defend.
The Lions went to the ground after that, with Jameson Williams nearly punching it in on a 7-yard run to the 1. On the next play, it was Jahmyr Gibbs finishing the job.
The rookie back followed a key block from offensive lineman Tate Ratledge, who cleared out Sam Williams, giving Gibbs a clear path to the end zone. Just like that, Detroit took a 10-3 lead.
Through one quarter, the Lions are controlling the tempo and the stat sheet. They’ve outgained the Cowboys 93 to 41, and it’s showing on the scoreboard.
Goff has been efficient and composed, completing 7 of 10 passes for 76 yards. Gibbs, meanwhile, is showing off his versatility early - three carries for 18 yards and three receptions for 32 more.
He’s becoming a matchup nightmare out of the backfield.
On the other side, Dak Prescott has been solid but limited, going 5-of-7 for 33 yards. The Cowboys offense hasn’t found its groove yet, and with Detroit’s defense holding strong and flipping field position, Dallas is going to need to adjust quickly.
One injury note: the Lions have ruled out safety Thomas Harper after he took an accidental shot to the head from George Pickens’ thigh. Tough break for a secondary that’s already been tested this season.
So far, it’s been all Lions - efficient offense, opportunistic defense, and a special teams unit that’s already made an impact. If they keep dictating the pace like this, they’ll put serious pressure on Dallas to respond.