Live Commentary: Detroit Lions 20-24 Dallas Cowboys - as it happened

Well that's all from this game, but stick around to read out game report as well as reaction, and join us again next weekend to find out which four teams will make it to the conference finals. Until then, thanks for joining me tonight, goodbye!

So the Dallas Cowboys have booked their place in the divisional round of the playoffs, coming from behind to knock out the Detroit Lions. They will play the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field next weekend.

The Cowboys offense comes back out in victory formation, and Romo takes a couple a knees to run down the clock, securing the victory for the Cowboys.

SACK & FUMBLE! DeMarcus Lawrence has made amends for not keeping hold of the ball after the Stafford fumble as he gets to the quarterback again, forcing the ball out of his hands, and this time he keeps possession.

The Lions are looking rather messy as they desperately try to force a late touchdown. Crawford knocks a Stafford pass down at the line of scrimmage before Johnson gives away a penalty for a false start.

Theo Riddick gets the visitors into Dallas territory with a 15-yard gain, but he can't get to the sideline to stop the clock, so they have to burn a timeout.

Stafford picks out Ebron before Tate gets a first down, but a long pass intended for Johnson is too long for the wide receiver.

FUMBLES! Stafford is tackles, causing the ball to pop out of his hands, and it's recovered by DeMarcus Lawrence. The Dallas man gets greedy trying to return it though, and he loses control of it when tackled by the Detroit o-line, allowing them to get the ball back. It actually works out well for Detroit, as the change of possession means it's a fresh first down for them.

#FinishTheFight pic.twitter.com/aCadPL1lci — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 5, 2015

So having led all evening, the Detroit Lions now have just over two minutes on the clock to keep their season alive. The NFC North side have got history against the Cowboys though, with Stafford having led a late drive to clinch a narrow win in the meeting between the two sides during the 2013 regular season.

As with his earlier touchdown, Williams makes amends for giving away a penalty by scoring a touchdown on the next play. Romo takes his time to make the pass, but the offensive line protects him, allowing Williams to get free at the back of the end zone and make the catch. That gives Dallas the lead for the first time today!

The Cowboys are moved back five yards after a false start by Williams, which probably takes the option to run away from the home side.

Romo tries to connect with Williams on the right sideline inside the end zone, but Slay does just enough to put the wide receiver off the catch.

The Lions make a costly errors, as a defensive hold by Levy gives the Cowboys an automatic first down at the nine-yard line.

Bryant makes a three-yard reception to move the home side to the 13-yard line, but Romo mis-cues on the next play, missing a wide open Gavin Escobar just a couple of yard from the end zone.

They get the conversion to bring up a fresh set of down thanks to a well-run route from Jason Witten, who holds off a couple of tackles as long as possible to gain 21.

Dallas quickly end up facing fourth down, with incomplete passes to Witten and Murray, the latter being tipped by Ansah on the way to the running back. After a timeout, it looks like Dallas are leaving the offense on the field on fourth and six.

Murray quickly moves the chains for the home side as he collects a short past from Romo, but he can't get past the line of scrimmage on the next play.

Martin shanks the punt, kicking the ball just 10 yards down field to leave the Cowboys starting their drive at the Detroit 41. This is a fantastic chance for the Cowboys to take the lead in this game.

Stafford tries a similar play on third down again, this time looking for Pettigrew, but the tight end can't make the catch. The Lions leave their offense out on fourth and one, but they take a delay of game penalty, leaving the visitors to punt.

The Lions need eight yards on third down, but Stafford pulls out a deep pass to the left sideline for Calvin Johnson, who just keeps his feet in bounds for a 19-yard gain.

Stafford has to weave about to avoid a sack, but his pass in the direction of Riddick is batted back at his by Carter.

Bell goes nowhere with the first play of the drive, but Fuller has an impact, collecting a short pass from Stafford before sprinting for a 21-yard pickup.

Ross is back to return the kickoff, but Spillman tackles him at the five-yard line to leave the Lions starting their drive from a poor field position.

The last two sacks make it a trickier attempt for Bailey, as he has to kick from 51 yards out, but the reliable kicker makes it with ease to cut the Detroit advantage to just three points.

SACK! It's Suh again, this time for a loss of 10 as the quarterback is forced backwards before being tackled as his receivers fail to get open.

SACK! After Murray goes nowhere with a carry, Romo weaves around behind his offensive line looking for a pass, but Ndamukong Suh catches him and brings him down for a loss of five.

Romo finds Beasley for a first down, but a high tackle from Whitehead floors the receiver, giving the home side a 13-yard penalty on top of the 12-yard gain. Beasley doesn't appear too shaken up by the hit though.

So with 15 minutes left on the gameclock, the Dallas Cowboys need a touchdown to take the lead for the first time, while the Lions need to rediscover their rhythm of offense after stalling on their last couple of drives.

Beasley tries to break free with the first play of the drive, and picks up 19 before being shoved out of points, before Murray is handed the ball for a five-yard run.

The Lions are held to a quick three-and-out as Bell and Bush both fail to pick up yards, while Eric Ebron adds just seven from a short Stafford pass, forcing Martin to punt the ball straight back to the home side.

D-Mo! #DETvsDAL pic.twitter.com/dyMQ75FYVH — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 4, 2015

After 10 plays and 80 yards, the Dallas Cowboys finally force their way into the end zone. Jason Garrett bravely kept the offense on the field on fourth down rather than taking a field goal, and the gamble paid of as DeMarco Murray found a gap to the left to sneak over from a yard out.

Beasley tries to sneak into the end zone with a slant route, but comes down two yards short. Witten looks to muscle his way over, but he can't make it either, whiel the Lions hold out Murray on third down. It's a resilient display by the Detroit defense.

NO TOUCHDOWN! DeMarco Murray thinks that he has forced his way over for the touchdown, but an offensive hold on Jason Witten wipes off the score, and moves the Cowboys back by 10 yards.

Dez Bryant comes up big, collecting a short pass from Romo before sprinting down the sideline, eventually being forced out of bounds at the seven-yard line after a 43-yard gain. The Cowboys will be confident of converting their field position into points from here.

Romo switches back to the passing game, attempting a long pass out wide to Beasley, but the pass seems to nosedive at the end, falling short of the receiver.

Murray has an immediate impact as the Cowboys try to get back into this game, taking three carries in a row to pick up two first down, moving the team to midfield. It looks like the home side have tightened up their offensive blocking since the first half.

With the drive stalling, the Lions send on their kicker again, and Prater comfortable makes the 37-yard attempt to increase the visitors' lead to 13 points.

Stafford tries a deep pass to Golden Tate, but Scandrick covers to receiver closely to make sure he doesn't haul in his second touchdown catch of the day.

Single-season receiving yards record holder Calvin Johnson takes the Lions deep into Dallas territory with a big gain down the sideline, running after the catch to reach the 26-yard line.

The Lions make a better start to their second drive of the half as Bell rushes for four before Brian Pettigrew battles for 11, shaking off a string of tackles to get to the Detroit 46.

MISSED FIELD GOAL! Dan Bailey is usually so reliable for the Cowboys, but the kicker manages to slice his 41-yard effort wide right.

SACK! Both defenses are making plays early in the second half as Romo keeps hold of the ball while looking for Bryant, but Ansah gets to the quarterback as sacks him for a loss of 13, forcing the Cowboys to send on the kicker.

INTERCEPTION! A wayward pass from Stafford is picked off by Kyle Wilber and returned to the Detroit 19, immediately bringing the home side back onto the field. That could be a costly error for the Lions.

KICKOFF! Dan Bailey gets the third quarter underway.

The Lions will be on the ball again at the start of the third quarter, after the Cowboys chose to receive in the first half.

The Cowboys offensive line has been pretty sloppy so far, letting the Detroit defense get the Tony Romo far too often, while also failing to protect Murray. They did make some superb blocks to set up the Terrance Williams touchdown though, which is what is keeping the home side in this game at the break.

At the break, the Lions have just 52 yard more in the passing game than their opponents, but it's on the ground that they've got the better of the NFC East champions. DeMarco Murray has 30 rushing yards for the hosts, but the visitors has 59 yards from Bell and Bush combined, including a touchdown.

So a couple of early touchdowns leave the Detroit Lions 10 points up at the break as they seek to progress to the divisional round of the playoffs at the expense of the Dallas Cowboys.

The snap for the field goal is low, but the Lions kicker just managed to squeeze it inside the left upright from 39 yards out.

Stafford tries to find the end zone, with Johnson sprinting in from out wide, but Bruce Carter tips it away from the receiver, so Matt Prater will come on for the kick.

After looking at Tate's run again, the Lions are awarded the first down, and Bush moves them closer still with a nine yard rush.

Golden Tate tries to move the chains again for the Lions, but the receiver is ruled a little short. It looks like Detroit are preparing to send on their field goal unit, but the officials are checking the spot of the ball, as Tate was close to the first down marker.

Riddick gets the first down for the Lions, bringing in two catches for 20 yards before Calvin Johnson moves the NFc North side into Dallas territory with a 19-yard gain.

Ross takes a touchback on the kickoff return, so the Lions will start from their own 20 as they have just over 90 seconds of the gameclock to try and restore their 14-point advantage before the break.

The Cowboys have got themselves right back into this game just before half time as Terrance Williams sprinted from the halfway line after collecting a deep pass from Romo, out-running the entire Detroit defense to add a 76-yard touchdown to the hosts.

Let's go offense! #DETvsDAL pic.twitter.com/UBhlaf8qKs

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 4, 2015

Once again the Cowboys are starting from a poor field position after a holding penalty during the punt. Romo quickly moves them up to their own 34 though with a pass to Williams.

Back-to-back penalties leave the Lions just outside their own end zone, but a short pass to Reggie Bush moves them out, but Bell can't get the first down on the next play.

A bit of a skirmish breaks out after the Cowboys are forced to punt again. The home side are unhappy that there wasn't a flag for a late hit on Jones, while Ross muffs the catch, before eventually recovering it. The referee is forced to step up as players from both sides get involved in some shoving, but they're quickly calmed down.

SACK! Romo is brought down again, this time for a loss of eight, as Whitehead skips around the Dallas offensive line to sack the quarterback.

The Cowboys move the chains again, with Witten collecting a 12-yard pass. The tight end has had a quiet season by his standards, but is having quite an impact so far this evening.

The Cowboys start their drive at their own 14-yard line over a big punt from Martin, but they quickly move out as Murray breaks free from a couple of tackles to pick up an 18-yard gain.

SACK! After Calvin Johnson gets another Detroit first down, Stafford takes too long to get the ball away, and is brought down by Mincey for a loss of three, before throwing two long incompletions to bring on the punt team.

The Detroit offense is back on the field looking to extend their lead further. After a couple of short gains from Bell, Tate gets a first down after hauling in a 17-yard pass from Stafford.

Reggie Bush celebrates the touchdown with his teammates. #TogetherWeHunt https://t.co/C92Zhj6l7x

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 4, 2015

Romo tries to keep what had started as a promising-looking drive alive by looking for Williams, but the wide receiver can't hold on to the ball, leaving the home side to punt for a third time.

SACK! After an incomplete pass to Murray, Romo is under pressure again, and goes down when hit by James Ihedigbo for a loss of nine.

Romo recovers well from his slip-up, finding tight end Witten again for a 16-yard completion to move to ball to the Dallas 46 just before the end of the quarter.

FUMBLE! Romo looks down field for an open receiver, and he doesn't spot Ansah sneaking around the side to sack him. Tapp soon catches up, forcing the ball loose from the quarterback's hand , but Beasley ensured that it was recovered for the Cowboys.

Dallas's offense comes back on the field for their third drive of the game, trying to reduce the two-touchdown deficit. They make a good start, as Romo connects with Witten with a 13-yard gain.

The Dallas penalty on the punter has really cost the hosts as the Lions travel the length of the field to double their lead. Stafford hands the ball of to Reggie Bush, who benefits from a block by Golden Tate and weaves through the Dallas defense to squeeze into the corner of the end zone.

Stafford goes to Bell again, this time finding the running back with a screen pass before he runs for an 18-yard gain. Nine-yard and four-yard runs by the running back on the next two plays keep the chains moving, leaving them just 18 yards short of another score.

Offensive line meeting #DETvsDAL pic.twitter.com/LU6IW12mHp

— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 4, 2015

Bush comes up just short of moving the chains again, sprinting for nine, before 11 yards from Bell leaves the Lion just short of midfield. Calvin Johnson gets his first reception of the day on the next play, moving the visitors into Dallas territory, but they'll have to wait to continue to drive as Swansea was injured during the play.

Bell and Tate gain just two yards between them, and it looks like the Cowboys are going to force another punt as Stafford is left holding the ball with no-one open to pass to, but the quarterback scrambles down the sideline to get the yardage for a first down.

The Lions get another chance as Dakota Watson clatters into Sam Martin as he lines up the punt for the visitors, resulting in a running into the kicker penalty and a first down for Stafford and the offense.

The punt is pinned back inside the one-yard line by the Cowboys, while an unnecessary roughness penalty leaves the just inches outside their own end zone. Bell manages to rush it clear, but Reggie Bush can't make the catch on third down, resulting in a quick three-and-out for Detroit.

Another incomplete pass forces the the home side to punt again. In more worrying news for the NFC East champions, DeMarco Murray is on the sideline having his elbow looked at, and he's got blood down his jersey. The running back is just a few weeks removed from surgery to repair a broken bone in his hand.

Romo tries to match Stafford with a deep pass, looking for Terrance Williams. However, the tight end has Darius Slay for company, and the cornerback batted the ball clear.

Romo tries to responds with pass through the middle for Witten, but the tight end can't hold on. The home side do make some progress though as Cole Beasley collects a 17-yard pass out wide on the next play

Here's that Detroit drive in numbers courtesy of the team's Twitter feed:

WR @ShowtimeTate's 51-yard TD catch is a career postseason long for him. #TogetherWeHunt pic.twitter.com/wKsBcyfaVu — Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 4, 2015

A huge pass from Matthew Stafford find Golden Tate to give the Lions the early advantage. After recovering from a Reggie Bush fumble, Detroit turned to Joique Bell, but he couldn't pick up any yards. With Dallas seemingly having the run covered, Stafford went deep to the wide receiver, who gathered the ball on a slant pattern before sprinting to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown.

The Dallas drive comes to nothing, and the home side are forced to punt. Golden Tate is back as the returning for Detroit, and he somehow manages to hold on to the ball despite a heavy hit from Spillman.

FUMBLE! Dez Bryant gets the ball from Romo for a five-yard gain, but fubmled as he's tackled. Luckily for the wide receiver, he managed to gather it himself before the Lions could force the turnover.

KICKOFF! Sam Martin gets the game underway.

Dallas won the pre-game coin toss and chose to receive the opening kickoff.

The players are out on the field for the coin toss and national anthem ahead of kickoff.

Headed into the locker room for the last time before kickoff. #TogetherWeHunt https://t.co/aYUQjKXAOt — Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 4, 2015

The Cowboys are in the playoffs as division winners, finishing at the top of the NFC East with a 12-4 record. The Detroit Lions led their division for much of the year, but ultimately finished second in the NFC North, giving them a wildcard spot.

Almost GO TIME! #DETvsDAL pic.twitter.com/T0zkycezMF — Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) January 4, 2015

The winner of this game will determine the NFC divisional round fixtures for next weekend. The lowest seed still in contention after this game will face the Seattle Seahawks, which will be the Lions if they win, or the Carolina Panthers following their win over the Arizona Cardinals last night. If the Cowboys win, they face the Green Bay Packers.

One player who will feature tonight is controversial defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Lions man was initially suspended after stepping on Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers last week, but he had the punishment reduced to a fine on appeal.

Larry Warford's absence for the Lions could put added pressure on quarterback Matthew Stafford, as he'll have rookie Travis Swanson at right guard. Nick Fairley also misses out after practising for the first time in two months, but Detroit expect that he will play next week if the Lions progress.

LIONS INACTIVES: Fairley, Warford, Moore, Broyles, Webster, Thomas, Reid

COWBOYS INACTIVES: Vaughan, Hamilton, Smith, Anderson, Free, Hawkins, Boatright

Good evening! The final game of the wildcard round of the NFL playoffs gets underway in less than half an hour, with the Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions going head to head for the final place in next week's divisional games. Let's start with a look at the inactives.