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Cowboys look to clinch NFC East

Dec 9, 2007 - 12:36 PM Dallas (11-1) at Detroit (6-6) 1:00 pm EST

DETROIT (Ticker) -- It has been nine years since the Dallas Cowboys won a division title. To Cowboys fans who remember the team's three Super Bowl victories in the 1990s, the drought might seem like 90 years.

The Cowboys look to clinch their first NFC East title since 1998 on Sunday when they visit the reeling Detroit Lions.

Dallas, which has not played since beating the Green Bay Packers, 37-27, on Thursday, has a three-game lead over the New York Giants. The Cowboys also own the tiebreaker edge based on a season sweep of the Giants.

The Cowboys could have clinched the division without playing, but they will have to wait as the Giants rallied for a 21-16 win over the Chicago Bears last week.

The victory over Green Bay clearly established Dallas as the team to beat in the NFC. The Cowboys, who have clinched a playoff spot, now have a one-game lead over the Packers to the battle for home-field advantage.

Tony Romo continued his stellar season with four touchdown passes, giving him a Cowboys' single-season record with 33. It marked the fourth time Romo has thrown at least four TDs in a game this season.

Dallas posted its sixth straight victory and improved to 11-1 for the first time in the franchise's illustrious history.

With a favorable schedule, Dallas has a chance to finish 15-1 for the first in the team's 48-year history. The combined record of the Cowboys' final four opponents is 20-24.

Dallas plays three of its last four games away from Texas Stadium, but the Cowboys are 5-0 on the road this season, winning by an average of 14.8 points per game.

A visit from the high-flying Cowboys is the last thing Detroit wants, as the Lions are in a freefall.

Detroit's second-half collapsed continued with last week's 42-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Adrian Peterson returned after missing two games with a knee injury and rushed for 116 yards and two TDs against the Lions.

At the start of the season, Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna promised 10 wins, and he seemed on the mark after the Lions reached the season's midpoint at 6-2.

But Detroit's once seemingly secure playoff spot is in danger of slipping away. The Lions enter the final four weeks of the season tied with the Chicago Bears and Arizona Cardinals for the NFC's second playoff spot.

During the losing streak, Detroit's running game has been virtually non-existent. The Lions rushed for meager 23 yards against the Vikings, the third time in the last four games they have been held under 25 yards.

To make matters worse, the Lions will be without leading Roy Williams, who could miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury suffered against the Vikings.

Still, Dallas won't be taking Detroit lightly. Last season, the Cowboys lost to the 2-13 Lions, 39-31, in the regular season finale.

Detroit quarterback Jon Kitna passed for 306 yards and four touchdowns in what was Bill Parcells' final regular-season game as Cowboys coach.