Detroit Lions hoping for playoff rematch with Cowboys: 'Rather beat them in the playoffs'

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Detroit Lions want a rematch, and they might get their wish.

Talking to reporters after his team’s 20-19 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday, Lions coach Dan Campbell complimented his team’s effort but said it made too many “critical errors” that left the outcome to chance.

“But credit to them,” Campbell said. “They played hard. We knew they would, they’d give us their best shot and they play well at home. They did again, and we’ll see them in a couple weeks. It’ll be good.”

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The Lions fell to 11-5 with the loss and likely cemented their spot as the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs.

That means they’ll host at least one playoff game for the first time since 1993 — which will be the first-ever Lions playoff game at Ford Field and the first Lions playoff game within Detroit city limits since 1957 — and it could set up an interesting rematch with the Cowboys in the divisional round.

The San Francisco 49ers clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC, with a first-round bye and homefield throughout, with their win over the Washington Commanders on Sunday.

The winner of the NFC East — the Cowboys (11-5) or Philadelphia Eagles (11-4) — likely will be the No. 2 seed and would host the Lions in a divisional round game if both teams win their playoff opener.

The Eagles can clinch the East and the No. 2 seed with a win next week vs. the N.Y. Giants and a loss by the Cowboys to the N.Y. Giants; if the Cowboys beat the Giants, they'll grab the East, and Dallas holds the tiebreaker over the Lions by virtue of their head-to-head win.

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Linebacker Derrick Barnes said he “100%” hopes to see the Cowboys again in the postseason.

“I think we know the way to beat this team and it was a dogfight and I give them a lot of credit, that’s how they played and came out,” Barnes said. “But we also know that we had a chance to win.”

The Cowboys finished the regular season undefeated at home and averaged 37.4 points in their eight home games. Dak Prescott threw for 345 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, and CeeDee Lamb set career-highs with 13 catches and 227 yards receiving.

But the Lions held the Cowboys to their fewest points at AT&T Stadium since 2022's Week 2 and walked away feeling good about their defensive performance.

“My mentality is screw it, I’d rather beat them in the playoffs anyway,” Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said. “So that’s kind of my mentality, and have a short memory with this one but just keep in mind that let’s try to beat them when it counts.”

The Lions still have an outside chance to earn the NFC's No. 2 seed, but need both the Cowboys and Eagles to lose again. If the Lions and Eagles both win their divisions with 12-5 records, the No. 2 seed would be decided on the strength of victory tiebreaker, which won’t be final until after next week’s games.

“We’re pushing forward man,” Barnes said. “We focus on Minnesota and the playoffs. Obviously, you want that (two seed) but it didn’t happen so we’re just pressing forward and that’s what we do as a team and an organization. We don’t worry about the past, we worry about the future.”

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions hoping for playoff rematch with Dallas Cowboys