Lions vs. Cowboys 2016 live scores, highlights, news, and more

Final score: Cowboys 42, Lions 21

Third quarter: Cowboys 35, Lions 21

Halftime: Cowboys 21, Lions 21

First quarter: Cowboys 14, Lions 7

Dallas punter Chris Jones crushed returner Andre Roberts with a big-time hit.

A Lions defender got a curious unnecessary roughness penalty for tackling Ezekiel Elliott.

Dez Bryant was at it again with this stunning one-handed touchdown catch.

Who is Zach Zenner? The Detroit halfback ran circles around the Cowboys’ defense in the first half.

Matthew Stafford battled through the scrum for a rugby-like TD at the goal line.

Elliott capped a 55-yard touchdown run with a grand leap into the end zone.

Two of the NFC’s top teams will duke it out in primetime when the Cowboys welcome the Lions to Texas in a Monday Night Football showdown.

A pair of MVP candidates will try to lead dynamic offenses to a resume-building victory in Week 16. Matthew Stafford has to prove a torn ligament in his throwing hand won’t slow down the best season of his seven-year career to lead the Lions to a spot among the NFL’s elite. On the opposite sideline, Dak Prescott is eager to keep playing like a veteran despite being fewer than four months into his professional career.

The Lions will be playing with purpose Monday. Detroit shot out to a two-game lead in the NFC North, but a brutal schedule backloaded its December with games against the league’s toughest opponents. A loss in Dallas would turn next week’s home showdown with the Packers into a “win and get in” game. It will already be a de facto division championship game. While Detroit would likely be favored, nutty things happened the last time Green Bay came to town -- and it didn’t end well for Stafford’s team.

Though Stafford has played well, the Lions don’t look like a playoff team when you parse through the team’s statistics. Detroit ranks 25th in yards allowed per play this fall and 28th in opponent third-down percentage, revealing a defense prone to spending long stretches on the field. A lackluster rushing attack — the team’s backs have averaged only 3.7 yards per carry — has been a drain on a solid passing attack as well.

Those are weaknesses the Cowboys will look to exploit on Monday night. Ezekiel Elliott will have the opportunity to boost his MVP credentials against Detroit’s solid, but unspectacular run defense. The first-year tailback exploded for 159 yards last week against the Buccaneers and is just two strong games away from breaking Eric Dickerson’s NFL record for most rushing yards by a rookie.

He’s just one face of a three-headed monster that also features Prescott and former All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant. The trio has combined for 39 touchdowns so far in 2016. The Cowboys have already clinched an NFC East title and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, so this game doesn’t mean too much to them beyond pride. However, a win for Detroit would guarantee the Lions a spot in the postseason.

David Irving came out of nowhere to become a destructive pass-rushing force the Cowboys didn’t even know they had (SB Nation)

The Cowboys will have a little extra help this week, thanks to new “Motivation Coach” and WWE Hall of Famer Sting (SB Nation)

A look back at the Cowboys’ draft history explains how they built a championship-caliber roster in 2016 (Blogging the Boys)

Matt Stafford was always more of an MVP candidate than a Pro Bowl selection (Pride of Detroit)

A win over Dallas would prove just how ‘legit’ the Lions are (Pride of Detroit)