This depiction is as 'real' as it gets, and nothing better defines the attitude the Detroit Lions will bring to Cowboys Stadium this weekend. Just one opinion, but of all the games on the 2011 slate, this one will be the barometer and measuring stick to know just what the Dallas Cowboys are and where they stand amongst the NFL muscle. The Cowboys get a 'white hot' Lions team riding high on the Matthew Stafford/Calvin Johnson dynamic duo and a Jim Schwartz defense that gets to add another puzzle piece, welcoming first-round Draft choice Nick Fairley to the weekend mix. This team has the Motor City clamoring louder and more passionately than any rebirth Chrysler provided. Taking nothing away from the auto manufacturer, but Lions' blue is no longer the Lions' Blues. There is new jazz in town, and when it's mixed with a little rock from The Kid and other Motown greats, it's sweet music to Detroit's long-time, hibernating ears. Dallas, the Lions are for real, so what'cha got to counter the uprising?
Make no bones about it, this is Dallas' stiffest test to date, and as mentioned above, could be the biggest challenge all year. This is not a one-faceted attack by any stretch. 
The Stafford/Johnson combo is a freak show all by itself, and they are worth the price of admission. The misnomer on Stafford is that he's an accident/injury waiting to happen. Nothing could be further from the truth. He was snake bit, not susceptible. There's a huge difference. These two will be attacking 'susceptible,' and that comes in the form of the hobbled Dallas secondary. There is no time like the present for the Dallas Cowboys' corners to pull it together and make a collective stand. Johnson will command constant attention and the occasional over-the-top help, but you can't send 'the house' and double #81 at the same time. Watching Rob Ryan work this week will be a class you don't want to cut. Make sure you are front and center and in your seat come High Noon on Sunday. And take good notes. This will be better than any Bobby Fisher vs. Boris Spassky square-off.
What can't happen is a repeat of Dallas' offensive woes on Monday night, most importantly, communication breakdowns. It doesn't matter if the Redskins were implementing illegal tactics or not, the situation has to be rectified by the weekend. No excuses. For if those woes continue, Suh, vu and you will pay. Big time. While Ndamukong is all the rage, it hardly stops there. 
Fairley makes a debut, and the likes of Williams, Avril, Vanden Bosch and Hill will make life most interesting for Tony Romo and his young and inexperienced offensive line. Folks, this defensive front is not one-dimensional by any stretch. Collectively, they push the front into the pocket, and they close/seal the edges. When you do both, #9 becomes contained like a caged animal. Romo is most dangerous when? During improvisation, correct. This week he takes on the additional responsibility of magician. Plain and simple, the ball has to come out QUICK!!
You combat defensive pressure by being able to effectively run the football and check-down pass trees. Everything has to happen at the speed of light. Say what you will about the late-game displays of Felix Jones, it's going to take an effort that reaches beyond the realms of just the 4th quarter to stabilize an offensive attack. 
The Cowboys' offensive line has to grow up and grow up fast. Mature effectively is more like it, and their Lead Dog, LT Doug Free must get it together, and get it together quickly. His performances thus far have been marginal at best, and that's just not going to cut it against the Lions with Romo operating as a wounded duck. Wherever that intestinal fortitude is mustered or comes from, it has to be resurrected here, or the Cowboys might need two, back-to-back 'bye' weeks to heal.
Make no mistake about it, there have been 'flashes' during all three of the opening tilts, but now an opponent arrives that plays all three facets of the game as prescribed. Flashes no longer cut it; this has to be an all-out, concerted effort by the home team. The Cowboys couldn't ask for a better test this early in the season. Each of these teams has clearly proven through 3 weeks that they won't quit and don't have any 'lay down' in them. That alone will make for a Battle Royale. The Lions came from 20 down at half, on the road, to move the Vikings to 0-3, while keeping their own record spotless. This IS NOT your Barry Sanders' Lions. They are multi-faceted and prolific. Like the Chrysler mantra, there is an uprising in Motown. "This is what they do."
This one has the football purists salivating. The Cowboys Stadium crowd should start preparing for this one as soon as the work whistle sounds late tomorrow afternoon. It's all hands on deck time. From Cheerleaders to parking lot attendants, this one has to come from the heels and up through the core. Sorry, the short-handed, which the Cowboys are, excuse doesn't apply here. Can't be used. You either have it, or you don't. The NFL doesn't operate on if's and but's, for the W-L columns just don't care. 
Coach Garrett is fond of the "next man in line" concept and philosophy, and it could not be more applicable come Sunday afternoon. Don't pass this one off as "Simply September." This one is must-see TV and a litmus test like no other. Phil Costa found Stephen Bowen and his prior Cowboys' knowledge troubling, but truth be told, his challenges Monday night will greatly pale in comparison to the task at hand this weekend. Forget (well, don't really) snap count, but an endless barrage of ending up in Tony Romo's lap, courtesy of Mr. Suh, is a sure-fire recipe for disaster. The MVP or Goat of this game has Hudson Houck and his troops written all over it. Will they be up to the test? Only time will tell.
Cue it up; this one has all the makings....
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