I’ve been impressed with Lions head coach Dan Campbell in the past, but I have to admit that the way he handled Sunday’s game bothered me. Trick plays with a big lead? A tackle on the receiver while the game is well under control? Campbell didn’t just want to beat the Cowboys, he wanted to embarrass them. My belief (hope) is that what goes around comes around and the favor will be returned one day. Your thoughts? – Michael Ryan/Philadelphia, PA

Mickey: Well, if you believe in karma, the word has already gotten around. They came into the game as one of the NFL’s healthiest teams. Their injury report was brief and indicated that starting center Frank Ragnow was ready to return. But then in the game the Lions lost DT Kyle Peko to a pectoral muscle injury and then the devastating injury to Aiden Hutchinson, who is now out for the rest of the season because he has two broken bones in his leg, one a compound fracture and one Plate needed interested. Now no problem with the double reserve, throw back to QB Jared Goff, who threw the 52-yard TD pass to TE Sam LaPorta. That was at the start of the second quarter, when the game was still only 10-3. But get this, the game was already 37-9 and there were 37 minutes left in the third quarter when the Lions attempted the hook-and-lateral play on OT Penei Sewell. That was a bit much. But perhaps they thought they had to practice this play in a game since Ragnow was considered an ineligible downfield player. You have to be careful. People keep score.

Tommy: Absolutely. When Dan Campbell’s first move on offense was to declare Dan Skipper eligible to play after he failed to do so last year, causing the Lions to lose a potential win over Dallas, it showed how their mindset came into play. And to be honest, I can’t blame them at all. It was hard to lose, and if the Lions had won that game, they would have gone into the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Knowing Campbell and the type of energy and aggressiveness he brings to his team, you had to expect them to have this game circled on the calendar to make a statement in 2024, and that’s exactly what they did. I completely understand that I’m bothered by the trick plays and trying to get an offensive lineman to score a touchdown, and the Cowboys should be bothered by that too. Detroit earned the right to do whatever it wanted by scoring 47 points on offense and keeping the Cowboys out of the end zone all night. If anything, one would hope that a loss like this would awaken the same hunger in Dallas that the Lions had after that loss a season ago, and that they would come out of the break week energized and wanting to make their own statement to get the season on track hold .