11 takeaways from the Detroit Lions' dominant win over the Cowboys

DETROIT – We learned a lot about the Detroit Lions during their commanding victory over the Cowboys in Dallas.

This 47-9 loss was over from the start, as the Lions scored on each of their first nine drives (except for a kneel-down before halftime). The Cowboys never found the end zone on offense.

Here are my findings:

Aidan Hutchinson injury

Let's address the elephant in the room: Aidan Hutchinson is a huge, devastating loss for the Lions.

Hutchinson was a one-man attack team for the Lions' defense this season, leading the NFL with 7.5 sacks in five games.

But he suffered a serious leg injury in the third quarter and the Lions will be without their best defensive player for the rest of the season.

The team confirmed Monday that Hutchinson had successful surgery for a broken tibia and fibula. He is expected to make a full recovery.

Without Hutchinson, the Lions could have difficulty pressuring the quarterback. And without pressure, the revamped secondary will face even more stress.

The Lions are still good enough to compete with anyone, but losing Hutchinson is a major blow to their Super Bowl hopes.

The Lions are among the best in the NFL

Even without Hutchinson, the Lions reiterated on Sunday that they are one of the best teams in the NFL.

At 4-1, they trail only the Minnesota Vikings (5-0) in the NFC, and now that the offense is getting going, the Lions are looking like a wrecking ball.

We all thought the Lions would be a Super Bowl favorite heading into the season. With their initial offensive woes behind them, there is no reason to change this stance.

The Lions remembered last season

Last year's controversial loss in Dallas was a hot topic among fans before Sunday, but it's clear the Lions were still angry, too.

In the midst of the crunch, the Lions attempted passes to the offensive linemen three times, just to remind the Cowboys of what happened last season.

Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell were both close to scoring touchdowns, and even Dan Skipper got in on the action.

Click here to read the full breakdown of what the Lions tried and why.

Jared Goff vs. Dak Prescott

Remember when NFL players voted on the league's top 100 players this offseason? By far the most unusual placement for me was Dak Prescott in 16th place.

Prescott was ranked ahead of the likes of CJ Stroud, Justin Jefferson and his teammate Micah Parsons – possibly the best defensive player in the league.

He was also ranked higher than Sewell, Hutchinson, Amon-Ra St. Brown and fellow quarterback Jared Goff, who ranked 48th.

Maybe it's time to reconsider.

The only time Prescott reached the end zone on Sunday was when he threw a popup into Brian Branch's arms for his first of two interceptions. Prescott finished the game with 17 completions on 33 attempts for 178 yards.

Goff, meanwhile, threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns on 18 of 25 passes.

Makes you think!

Tim Patrick shows up

The Lions struggled early in the season to replace the very specific role that Josh Reynolds had played the previous two seasons. But now it feels like they've found their man.

Tim Patrick caught all three of his targets for 68 yards on Sunday, including a 42-yard bomb. The Lions have so many weapons on offense, but the veteran big man was missing.

No longer.

Caliph Raymond intervenes

It's been a strange start to the season for Kalif Raymond, who was targeted just five times in the team's first four games. He caught four of those targets for a total of 36 yards.

Ben Johnson made it a point to get Raymond more involved Sunday as Goff targeted him six times. Raymond caught four of those passes for 73 yards.

Raymond is best known for his ability as a returner, but he can also be a weapon on offense. It was nice to see him back in the game.

David Montgomery is on another level

David Montgomery was really good for the Lions last year, his first in Detroit. But he's on a whole new level this season.

His run against the Seahawks before the bye was iconic, and he repeated it a few times with the Cowboys – once for a 16-yard touchdown and again for a 19-yard gain in the third quarter.

You just can't fight this man.

He runs with an unmatched level of physicality, and the Lions have the luxury of keeping him fresh without missing a beat if they bring in Jahmyr Gibbs.

Montgomery was one of the most underrated players on the team at the start of the season, but I think now people are starting to notice.

Maybe Josh Paschal will be next

No one on the Lions roster is in a position to replace Hutchinson, but perhaps Josh Paschal is someone who can help in his absence.

Due to injuries, Paschal didn't have a real chance to show his potential. But he had some nice moments Sunday, getting into the backfield for a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.

The Lions will need several guys to help fill the void left by Hutchinson, and Paschal seems like an obvious candidate.

Jameson Williams is recovering

We all know that Jameson Williams is an electric talent. The question was whether he could avoid mistakes and find some consistency.

On Sunday, Williams had his first really huge crash of the season. It looked like he started spinning up before he really got possession of the ball, because he had a path to the end zone.

How did he react? By catching a pass on the very next play for a 15-yard gain. He didn't trot to the sideline or compound the mistake by falling again. He immediately got back on track.

Williams is obviously a deep threat, but he's much more than just that. He's a reliable target for Goff and currently leads the team with 365 yards rushing. It's that consistency that could take him to the next level.

He is also tied for the team lead in touchdown catches with St. Brown and is second behind St. Brown with 16 receptions.

Jake Bates perfection

Before Sunday's game, the Lions had not asked Jake Bates to attempt a single field goal longer than 35 yards. Sure, he was a perfect 5-on-5 this season, but they were all chip shots.

That changed in Dallas when Bates hit field goals of 40 and 48 yards as part of a 4-on-4 game. He also scored an extra point from 48 yards after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

Aside from one missed extra point, Bates was perfect this season, making all nine field goals and 16 of 17 extra points.

I'll just come out and say it

The Lions won't say it publicly, so I'll do it for them: It felt really good to see them do that to the Cowboys.

It seems like every time the Lions travel to Dallas they leave under infuriating circumstances, be it complete defeat or some sort of controversy.

Well, the Lions made sure there was no controversy on Sunday. They destroyed the Cowboys from start to finish, and if you could get an honest answer from them, this dose of revenge would definitely taste extra sweet.