Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys first half open thread

The Detroit Lions are out of the bye week, and they’re going to look like a different team. Improved? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves quite yet.

Against the New England Patriots, the Lions made several personnel changes on defense. Did it make a difference? Maybe, but it was the offense that failed the team on that day.

After having time during the bye week to rethink things strategically, the Lions have promised to look even more different against the Dallas Cowboys this week. And that has come with more personnel changes, too. The Lions have benched veteran defensive tackle and captain Michael Brockers, as rookie Josh Paschal is set to make his NFL debut and John Cominsky is returning from injury. Additionally, with Will Harris and Bobby Price out due to injury, the Lions will start someone new at cornerback. Will they go back to Amani Oruwariye or will Jerry Jacobs jump right back into the lineup after being activated from PUP this week?

Then there’s the offensive side of the ball, which will be missing DJ Chark (placed on IR) and D’Andre Swift (inactive with ankle/shoulder injuries). Going up against one of the best defenses in the league, it’s going to be another tough matchup for Detroit. But will two weeks of preparation help rising offensive coordinator Ben Johnson come up with a workable game plan?

Come hang out with us during the first half and see. We’ll have a separate thread for the second half during halftime.