Detroit Lions Practice Report Week 16 Detroit (9-5) takes on Dallas (12-2) on Monday Night Football

The Lions fell to the New York Giants 17-6 in Week 15, while Dallas is coming off of a 26-20 win over Tampa Bay. Monday’s meeting marks the 24th all-time regular season matchup between the Lions and Cowboys, with Dallas holding the edge in the series, 12-11-0. Detroit has emerged victorious in the teams’ last two regular season meetings (2011, 2013), while Dallas won the most recent matchup in the NFC Wild Card game (1/4/15) 24-20 following the 2014 season.

PRACTICE REPORT

• The following players have been listed on the Detroit Lions Practice Report: RB Theo Riddick (wrist), C Travis Swanson (concussion), CB Darius Slay (hamstring) and DT Khyri Thornton (illness) did not practice; DE Ezekiel Ansah (shoulder), S Rafael Bush (back), LB DeAndre Levy (knee) and DT Haloti Ngata (quad) were limited in practice; QB Matthew Stafford (right finger) participated in full practice.
• The following players have been listed on the Dallas Cowboys Practice Report: CB Morris Claiborne (groin), DL Tyrone Crawford (shoulder/hamstring), LB Justin Durant (elbow), DE DeMarcus Lawrence (back), T Tyron Smith (back/knee) and DT Cedric Thornton (ankle) did not participate in practice; DE Jack Crawford (foot) and LB Sean Lee (knee) were limited in practice; WR Dez Bryant (back), S Barry Church (forearm), G Ronald Leary (back) and S J.J. Wilcox (thigh) participated in full practice.

LIONS HEAD COACH JIM CALDWELL
On if the Cowboys offensive line is head and shoulders above every other offensive line in the NFL: “Yeah, you don’t see many better than that. They are collectively strong, physical, athletic, you name it. Run game, pass game, they can do it all. Really fine group.”

On what it says about the Cowboys’ ability to run the football even when opposing teams know it’s coming: “Yeah, I mean it tells you how good they are. I mean, you know, they’ve certainly been playing together extremely well. Then you couple that with a great back, not a good back, you know, not an OK back, a great back, and that makes a tremendous difference. So they don’t have to hold those blocks too long and they’re good at it anyway, you know. He’s into the secondary quite often.”

On why his team has been so good at taking away opponents’ strengths: “We are a fundamental and technique team is basically what we try to do and we play those and play with some effort and hope that works out for us, but it’s served us well. This game will put us to a real test because this is as good a running game as you’re going to see.”

On what makes Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott so special: “Perhaps it’s because he possesses all of the qualities that a great back possesses. He has speed, you know, sometimes you’ll find guys that are real quick that don’t have top-end speed, this guy has top-end speed and he’s quick and he has power and he can jump over you. You know, he’s athletic and there’s not anything really that he can’t do, that’s what makes him so unusual. Pretty special talent.”

On if he’s ever seen a rookie be able to do what Elliott is doing: “Not very often, not very often. There’s been some guys that have come into the league that have churned up a lot of yards, but this guy’s pretty special.”

On if there is anything more valuable to a young quarterback than having a great running back: “Yeah, I don’t think there is anything more beneficial to a quarterback, period. Not just a young quarterback, but a running game is a quarterback’s best friend and with him in particular, not having to necessarily rely on his arm to carry them, you know, it makes up a huge difference. They don’t have to put the entire load on his shoulder, although obviously he’s proven that he can also carry a pretty good load as well.”

On if Cowboys QB Dak Prescott’s performance last week against Tampa Bay silenced his critics: “Yeah, I think the people that have had actually had an opportunity to play against him probably could see it. You look at film and evaluate him and you could certainly see that he’s much more than that. He’s not one of those guys that you’re trying to hide behind a running game. I mean, this guy has talent and he can do it a number of ways. He can throw from the pocket. He can follow through his progressions, get the ball out on time quickly if he wants and he can also do some damage outside the pocket. Pretty well-rounded guy for a young guy.”

On if he leans on the counsel of his players such as T Taylor Decker and CB Darius Slay, who were college teammates with Elliott and Prescott, when scouting the Cowboys: “No, I think all of that really kind of goes out the window a little bit, you know. They’re in a different setting, different set of circumstances. I’m not certain that idiosyncrasies and nuances show up in a ballgame that you can take advantage of within that setting. It all changes. The context changes, it’s just different. He’s (Dak Prescott) an excellent player, hardly any weaknesses.”

On what having no players selected to the Pro Bowl says about this team: “Yeah, you know, voting and those kinds of things – First of all, our guys have a lot more things on their mind than that aspect of it. The voting, I don’t think we’re going to have any sort of recount, but nevertheless, our guys are really focused on trying to win games and all the things that come beyond that are just a kind of icing on the cake, if you will. That’s kind of always been their focus. What we’re concerned about is how well they play for us. Our guys have been playing well together as a team.”

On if it speaks volumes that the Lions coaching staff has put the team in this position so far without any Pro Bowl players on the roster: “No, I just think that we’ve got a job to do. Mrs. Ford and Rod Wood and Bob Quinn and the rest of those guys have given us a mission to get done, and it’s our job to try and get that mission done. We’re not there yet, so we’ve still got a lot of work to do.”

On how much QB Matthew Stafford’s intangibles make him who he is as a player: “I think you actually said it, I do think that he’s an unusual guy. He’s extremely tough and I think that also is a trickle-down effect to our team. Not only that, in situations where things are a little tight and tough, and we’ve got to make a play or come from behind, or whatever it is, he’s got poise, he’s got focus. They believe in him and when you’ve done it time and time again it helps. But I think also, he would tell you too, that the rest of the team plays well together. Just think about, the offense would not have an opportunity to take it down the field and score to win the game if the defense hadn’t done their job, or the kicking game hadn’t done their job just in terms of putting them back in position where the defense gets a chance to get them stopped. We play well together as a team. What’s highlighted oftentimes is just the fact that the offense scores, but you have to look at the other portions of that as well. Also, number of our games have ended, Eagles, etc., with interceptions at the end of the game with run-backs in position to kick a field goal to win it as well. So both sides of the ball have been a huge, all three phases of the ball have been a huge part of those comebacks as well. But I do think that, I think you’ve always known and understand that he can make every throw. He’s got an ability to deliver it in a number of different positions and he can also obviously do some damage outside of the pocket. I think all of those things contribute to how well he’s been playing.”

On approaching games with or without a ‘big picture’ meaning: “Yeah, everything is a little different I think as time goes on and you see what’s happening. Kind of what we’ve always done, what’s always been our focus is that we just look at the next game. We’re going to go out and play it regardless of what the situation might be, and play it as hard as we possibly can and try to win the game. That’s going to be our focus and that’s going to be our approach.”

On if he would be more conservative to play injured players if the Dallas game was a less-important game: “Much like we do on every other situation that we lean on our medical staff to make a determination on whether or not a guy can go or not go. If he can go, he’s playing. If he can’t go then obviously that’s a little different story, then he won’t be playing that game. We’re trying to win every single game that we participate in.”