Cowboys legend warns Jared Goff's Lions on seeking revenge in playoffs: "Never a great motivating factor"
Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions suffered a heartbreaking Week 17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. They could have won with a successful two-point conversion, which they did, but were taken back due to an illegal touch penalty.
Despite the defeat, the Lions will still make the playoffs as NFC North winners. However, if they ever face the Cowboys in the playoffs, revenge might be the underlying factor in their minds. But a three-time Super Bowl champion refutes this mentality.
Cowboys legend thinks Jared Goff and Lions must pump the breaks in seeking retribution
Super Bowl champion and Pro Bowl tight end Daryl Johnston believes that the Detroit Lions must re-focus their energy for the playoffs beyond playing the revenge card against the Dallas Cowboys.
The 11-season NFL veteran and current Fox Sports NFL analyst shared with Colin Cowherd in a recent episode of "The Herd":
"So just be careful about that revenge factor as motivation. Understand why You didn't win the game against Dallas... You don't want to get too tilted towards that revenge component. Because that's never a great motivating factor. So that would be my one concern right now."
The recently-named Executive Vice President of Football Operations of the merged United Football League spoke from experience when he added:
"I think they have to be very careful this week, or not this week, but when they get into the playoffs, I read that quote from some of the guys you know, we can't wait to see Dallas in the playoffs.
"We did that back in 1991, against Detroit, they beat us up pretty good at Texas Stadium... And we were a little bit revenge-motivated. And they beat us. They beat us worse than they did during the course of the regular season."
The Lions hosted the Cowboys in Week 9 of the 1991 NFL season. Despite coming off their bye week, Dallas fell to Detroit, 34-10. Adding insult to injury, the Cowboys had a worse performance against the Lions in the Divisional Round, losing by 32 points.
Is a playoff meeting between Jared Goff’s Lions and Dak Prescott’s Cowboys inevitable?
The Detroit Lions were down by one point when they tried a two-point conversion. Jared Goff found offensive lineman Taylor Decker in the end zone but was taken back because game officials deemed him an ineligible receiver.
However, some video evidence might support Detroit’s case of Decker reporting as eligible. It’s still a contentious topic within Motor City that a billboard was used to display “Decker Reported.”
But with both teams already postseason-bound, they could play each other again as early as the Divisional Round. The Cowboys will remain the NFC’s No. 2 seed if they win in Week 18 against the Washington Commanders.
Meanwhile, Jared Goff and the Lions can retain the No. 3 spot by defeating the Minnesota Vikings at home. If those scenarios happen and they both win their Wild Card round matches at home, Detroit and Dallas will clash for the right to enter the NFC championship game.