NFL Thursday Night Football preview: Cowboys and Lions both need a win for their playoff hopes

About a month ago, scheduling Dallas Cowboys at Detroit Lions for Thursday night in Week 14 looked like a mistake by the NFL.

The Cowboys were 3-5-1 and coming off a loss to the Arizona Cardinals. They hadn't beat a decent team all season. The Lions were 6-3 and while not to the level of their 2024 season, they looked like a team capable of turning it on and making a playoff run.

A few weeks later, the matchup is one of the more compelling of the week's slate. The Cowboys have won three in a row, including back-to-back wins over the Eagles and Chiefs, and are getting in the NFC playoff discussion. The Lions have lost two of three, and the only win was a fortunate one in overtime at home against a 2-11 Giants team.

Thursday night's game now features two teams that would be out of the playoffs if the season ended before Week 14, but the matchup has become what amounts to an elimination game. With a loss, the Lions' chances to make the playoffs dip to 19%, according to NFL.com. The Cowboys' chances would go all the way down to 9% with a loss.

The Lions come into the game with worrisome injury issues. Their offensive line is banged up. Receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is questionable to play due to an ankle injury, and if he does play he'll likely be far less than 100%. Cornerback Terrion Arnold went on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, which is bad news for the Lions defense as it prepares to face George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb.

The Lions don't have time to feel sorry for themselves. They practically need to win on Thursday night. So do the Cowboys.

Jared Goff of the Detroit Lions throws the ball against the Cowboys in a game last season. The Lions won that one 47-9. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)Cooper Neill via Getty ImagesWho needs it more?

It's impossible to choose. The Cowboys have made a nice rally to get back in the playoff race, and all of that momentum would be undone with a loss, leaving them to need an unlikely series of events to get in the playoffs. The Lions came into the season with Super Bowl hopes, and a loss on Thursday makes them very unlikely to even be in the postseason bracket. Perhaps it can be argued that because the Lions had the far higher preseason expectations, they need this game more. Missing the playoffs altogether would be a crushing blow to a franchise that is coming off consecutive postseason disappointments and is still chasing its first Super Bowl appearance. But let's just say both of these teams need this game equally and leave it at that.

Key player: Lions WR Jameson Williams

Williams has run hot and cold this season, but he also was sharing targets with other fantastic players. But with tight end Sam LaPorta out and Amon-Ra St. Brown questionable for Thursday's game as well, Williams is the focal point of the passing game. In that situation against the Packers on Thanksgiving, Williams had seven catches for 144 yards. He's capable of huge games, and this week he gets to face a Cowboys defense that has allowed the third-most passing yards and most passing touchdowns in the NFL this season. The Lions are shorthanded in what comes close to a must-win game, and they desperately need Williams to show up with a big performance.

Betting market watch

The lookahead line for this game was Lions -6 at some sportsbooks, but re-opened Lions -3.5 after the Cowboys upset the Chiefs and the Lions lost to the Packers on Thanksgiving. Sharps took Cowboys +3.5, and the game is a flat -3 for Detroit at BetMGM. It's a must-win game for both teams, and betting is nearly 50-50 on the side. Can a banged-up Lions defense slow down a red-hot Cowboys offense? Shockingly, the Lions are only 3-3 ATS at home this season.. - Ben Fawkes

Check out more of Ben's work at the Yahoo Sports betting hub.

Fantasy football storylines

Fireworks are expected at Ford Field, with a 54.5 total set for the Lions and Cowboys. Here are three fantasy angles to keep in mind as you watch the game.

Will Dak Prescott keep cooking for the Cowboys? Dallas had a run-heavy tint in the red zone during the first half of the year, but Prescott has been steering the ship since the bye. Prescott charted as the QB3, QB3 and QB6 the last three weeks, with Dallas winning each game. The Lions just lost key CB Terrion Arnold, so the secondary can be had.

Is this another smash spot for Jameson Williams? Williams has been mostly boom but occasionally bust in recent games - he has four touchdowns in six starts, but went catchless in the other two games. Williams had his busiest day of the year on Thanksgiving (7-144-1), immediately prioritized after Amon-Ra St. Brown was injured. St. Brown will likely miss tonight's game.

How much is left for Jake Ferguson? The Dallas passing game is routed through CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, and that's held Ferguson back in recent weeks (he's the TE23 since Week 8). Fantasy managers probably view Ferguson as a touchdown-or-bust option, even in a matchup where points are expected. - Scott Pianowski

Check out more of Scott's work at the Yahoo Sports fantasy hub.