Dallas Cowboys vs. Detroit Lions Ten In-Depth Observations

Jan 4, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo (9) celebrates with vice president of public relations Rich Dalrymple after defeating the Detroit Lions 24-20 in the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

10. The Cowboys victory will be overshadowed by the main talking point, a penalty, but I like to stick with football-related talking points. Anybody could have won this game, as most of the stats were about equal. Both teams had about even time of possession and the same number of first downs, though the Lions did average more yards per play (5.9 to 5.4).

Ultimately, the turnovers, especially the two Stafford fumbles, may have proven to be the difference, but the Cowboys deserve plenty of credit for running the ball well, staying poised despite the blitz, atoning for mistakes (Demarcus Lawrence deserves a mention here for a game-sealing strip sack after fumbling away an earlier recovered fumble), and making critical in-game adjustments. Both teams played well and gave us a real treat, but the Cowboys deserve to be praised despite the shadow that the call casts over their win.

I don’t like to overuse the word “clutch”, but that’s exactly what the looked like. The Lions know a thing or two about clutch, comeback victories, and that makes this win all the more impressive for Dallas, but they will have to play a much more complete game to beat the Green Bay Packers.

Next: Where do the Cowboys and Lions rank among the best franchises in history?