Lions' Aidan Hutchinson after crushing loss: Rather beat Cowboys in playoffs

Arlington, Texas — Saturday night's primetime matchup between the Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium had a playoff atmosphere.

After the way things ended — a controversial penalty on a potential game-winning 2-point conversion to offensive tackle Taylor Decker — the Lions are thanking their lucky stars this was just a regular-season game.

But rest assured, Detroit is not shy about the chance to meet again in the postseason after battling to a 20-19 finish that favored the home team.

Asked about his mentality coming out of the crushing loss, defensive end Aidan Hutchinson said, "Screw it. I'd rather beat them in the playoffs anyway, so that's kind of my mentality."

Though the Lions could have improved their chance to grab the NFC's No. 1 seed — which is nearing 0%, barring an utter collapse from the 49ers — the team isn't sweating those implications.

"Guys are disappointed right now, but at the same time, we know there was a lot of good stuff on film, a lot of good stuff to build off of," linebacker Alex Anzalone said. "We won the North, we have at least a third seed…and we have a home playoff game.

"That's when these things really count and we just have a lot to look forward to."

The variety of scenarios that could play out through the end of the season make it unclear who the home team would be if the Lions and Cowboys did meet in the playoffs. Dallas is still angling for an NFC East title, while Detroit has its division crown locked up. Dallas remains the No. 5 seed after Saturday's win but can move into the No. 2 seed with a Philadelphia loss on Sunday.

Linebacker Derrick Barnes said he is "100%" looking forward to the possibility of playing the Cowboys again.

"I think we know the way to beat this team. It was a dogfight. I give them a lot of credit to how they played and came out," Barnes said.

"But we also know we had a chance to win."

nbianchi@detroitnews.com

@nolanbianchi