With four games to go, the Detroit Lions knew the margin for error had just about disappeared. If they were going to keep their hopes of a third straight NFC North crown alive, they had to start stacking wins. They answered that urgency by hanging 44 points on the Dallas Cowboys. And when it was over, quarterback Jared Goff found himself making a promise he probably didn’t expect to make.

As the players walked off, fans started chanting for Goff to peel his shirt off. Reporter Charissa Thompson brought it up during the postgame, asking if there was any scenario where he’d give the people what they wanted. Goff didn’t hesitate.

“If we win the Super Bowl, I promise you I’ll take it off,” he said.

He picked a pretty good night to say something like that. The Lions are still breathing. According to The Athletic, a loss would’ve cratered their playoff odds from 30 percent down to 12, with Dallas leapfrogging them in the standings. Instead, Detroit sits at 8-5, firmly in the mix and very much alive.

The Athletic’s simulator now gives them a 45 percent chance to get in. Three wins in these last four would probably be enough. The problem? They’re staring at one of the roughest finishing stretches on any contender’s schedule.

They need at least three wins, and three of their remaining opponents are the Rams, Steelers, and Bears – all playoff-caliber teams. Snagging even one will take everything they’ve got.

Such is life in the NFC North, a division that rarely offers clean air or easy weekends. Surviving the Bears and Packers just to earn a postseason shot is no small thing. But if Detroit plays with the same urgency and punch they showed today, they’ve got every bit of what it takes to get in.

The Lions fired on all cylinders vs the Cowboys

Detroit took some early punches from the officiating crew, but once the Lions settled in and grabbed a 10–6 lead, they never really surrendered control. They went into halftime up 20–9, and every time Dallas tried to claw its way back, Detroit had an answer waiting. The Cowboys kept swinging, but the Lions never blinked.

The offense carried most of the load, dropping 44 points on a defense that has looked revitalized since the trade deadline. The defense did its part too, getting home five times and forcing three turnovers. It wasn’t flawless football, but it was the kind of steady, timely performance a team needs in December.

And Detroit has now hung 91 points on the Cowboys in their last two meetings. That’s an impressive number for any offense, especially against a unit that had started to find its footing. Jahmyr Gibbs was the engine again. He caught seven passes for 77 yards and added three rushing touchdowns on 12 carries. He gave them answers all night long.

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Now comes the hard part: stacking it. Detroit’s margin for error is thin, and the schedule isn’t offering much relief. In Week 15, the Lions head west to face the current No. 1 seed Rams. Then it’s back home for the Steelers, followed by a two-game finish against Minnesota and Chicago.

Still, when the Lions play to this level, the path is there. They move to 8–5, with work to do, and with the sense that if they can survive nights like this, the season won’t end after week 17.