Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions out-tough Cowboys 44-30 to boost playoff odds

The Detroit Lions boosted their NFL playoff hopes with a 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season Thursday, Dec. 4, at Ford Field.

Jahmyr Gibbs ran for three touchdowns, the beleaguered Lions defense forced three turnovers, Al-Quadin Muhammad sacked Dak Prescott three times and held off a furious Cowboys rally despite Dallas losing No. 1 receiver CeeDee Lamb in the third quarter to injury.

The Lions (8-5) now have a 55% chance to make the NFL playoffs, according to the NFL's Next Gen Stats. The Cowboys (6-6-1) have a 9% chance to sneak into the playoffs.

The Lions are eighth in the NFC playoff standings, the first team out with five games remaining, behind seventh-place San Francisco 49ers (9-4).

Jared Goff played turnover-free ball and connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown six times for 92 yards, including a catch-and-run of 37 yards late in the fourth quarter. St. Brown did not practice all week after suffering an ankle injury on Thanksgiving.

Jameson Williams had seven catches for 96 yards and rookie Isaac TeSlaa caught a touchdown.

Gibbs tied Barry Sanders with 47 touchdowns, the most in NFL history before turning 24 years old. Gibbs turns 24 in March.

Derrick Barnes' interception to start the third quarter off a deflected pass set up Goff's 12-yard toss to TeSlaa at 14:14 of the third quarter for a 27-9 lead.

The Cowboys crept within 30-27 with 9:52 remaining on a touchdown and 2-point conversion, but the Lions quickly answered with a five-play, 59-yard drive capped by Gibbs' 10-yard score.

This story will be updated.

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Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions out-tough Cowboys 44-30 to boost NFL playoff odds