Ndamukong Suh will, in fact, play against the Cowboys. (FOX)
Ndamukong Suh will, in fact, play against the Cowboys. (FOX)

Turns out, Ndamukong Suh hasn't played his last game for the Lions. In the final year of his rookie deal, one of the league's most disruptive players, was suspended earlier this week for stepping -- not stomping -- twice on Aaron Rodgers' leg during Sunday's regular-season finale. On Tuesday, the suspension was overturned and instead he has been fined $70,000.

And here's another angle:

And here's our take on the suspension, courtesy of the Eye on Football Podcast:

While skeptics were quick to point out that Suh's history suggested that he was guilty, he did have supporters.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reported on Monday that the league's one-game suspension wasn't based on Suh's extensive prior record of stomping, kicking and slamming opponents, which made the punishment all the harder to understand.

Apparently, Ted Cottrell, who heard Suh's appeal, agreed.

So what does this mean for the Lions in the near term? For starters, Detroit now has a shot against Dallas. Without Suh they technically had a chance, too, but the reality is that the Lions were going to be without one of their three best players -- and their best defensive player -- against one of the NFL's most potent offenses.

Put another way: Over the last month, the Cowboys have won four times, scoring 41, 38, 42 and 44 points in the process. The Lions, meanwhile, rank third in the league in total defense -- eighth against the pass and first against the run -- according to Football Outsiders' metrics. And Suh was a big part of that.

In fact, ProFootballFocus.com grades Suh as the No. 3 defensive tackle after Aaron Donald and Gerald McCoy. So, yeah, he's important to what the Lions do, and on Sunday that will mean not only containing the league's top runner, DeMarco Murray, but also making life difficult for Tony Romo, who rates second in total QB value after only Rodgers.

In case you're wondering, there is a precedent for this; back in 2012, Cotrell also overturned Ed Reed's one-game suspension stemming from repeated late hits.