The stakes entering a “Thursday Night Football” matchup against the Detroit Lions are evident for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys.
With both teams in the heat of the NFC wild-card round, a Dallas win would propel the Cowboys’ playoff chances from 23% to 41%. A loss would crater the Cowboys’ postseason hopes to just 9%, according to The Athletic’s playoff simulator.
Prescott has his work cut out for him with Wednesday’s injury report signaling some serious concerns for Dallas on the road.
On Wednesday, Nov. 3, the Cowboys released their final injury report, ruling out starting left tackle Tyler Guyton with a high-ankle sprain. In Week 13 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Prescott faced a season-high 41% pressure rate with Guyton out of the starting lineup, per Pro Football Focus (PFF).
The Lions also have a formidable pass rush spearheaded by Aidan Hutchinson on Prescott’s blindside. Hutchinson leads the NFL with 71 pressures and has 10 sacks on the season.
But there is a silver lining for Dallas fans.
Prescott has performed well while facing pressure throughout the 2025 season. Through 12 games, he’s faced the fifth-most pressures (103) in the league, but managed to throw the most completions (303) and second-most receiving yards (3,261). He’s posted the second-best PFF grade (75.4) under pressure among qualifying quarterbacks.
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Backup Nathan Thomas will be tasked with filling Guyton’s spot and the daunting matchup against Hutchinson. Thomas fared well against the Chiefs, allowing just one hurry on 46 pass-blocking snaps.
However, Hutchinson is a different caliber of pass rusher that Thomas, a 2024 seventh-round pick, has yet to face in the NFL.
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The onus will be on Prescott to overcome pressure and make the right decisions in a game that has the makings of a shootout with the highest over-under of the week at 54.5 points.
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