When the schedule was announced, this game was THE one I circled as the measuring stick game.
How good are the Texans?
Well, nothing like taking on the consensus best team in the league in your building in Primetime, huh?
It's time to protect your kneecaps and face the 7-1 Detroit Lions.
This Lions team has won six straight after starting the season 1-1. A week two loss to Tampa Bay at home was a head scratcher, in a sense, because the expectations were sky high. Then, a narrow win over Arizona on the road didn't instill a ton of confidence at that point. But, on a Monday night at home against Seattle, the Lions became THE LIONS, and it was ON.
42 points v. Seattle
47 points at Dallas
31 points at Minnesota
52 points at Tennessee
24 points in just two & ½ quarters at Green Bay in a DRIVING rain storm.
The Lions have averaged 39.2 points per game in their last five games and it's not been just the offense putting points on the board. Over that 5-game span, the Lions defense got a key Pick-6 right before the half against Green Bay. DC Aaron Glenn's unit turned over the Titans about 1,000 times, leading to short field drives for touchdowns. And when the Lions get close, they put the damn ball in the end zone.
33 times the Lions have been in the red zone, scoring a TD 63.6% of the time.
So BUCKLE UP and let's get to know the Texans' Week 10 Sunday Night Football opponent.
2024 Detroit Lions Schedule (7-1)
Week 1 - W Los Angeles Rams 26-20 OT
Week 2 - L Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20-16
Week 3 - W @ Arizona Cardinals 20-13
Week 4 - W Seattle Seahawks 42-29
Week 5 - BYE
Week 6 - W @ Dallas Cowboys 47-9
Week 7 - W @ Minnesota Vikings 31-29
Week 8 - W Tennessee Titans 52-14
Week 9 - W @ Green Bay Packers 24-14
Week 10 - @ Houston Texans
Week 11 - Jacksonville Jaguars
Week 12 - @ Indianapolis Colts
Week 13 - Chicago Bears
Week 14 - Green Bay Packers
Week 15 - Buffalo Bills
Week 16 - @ Chicago Bears
Week 17 - @ San Francisco 49ers
Week 18 - Minnesota Vikings
Lions (in 2024 regular season)
Rushing Yards Per game - 152.6 ypg (6th in the NFL)
Passing Yards Per game - 217.0 ypg (15th)
Total offense per game - 369.6 ypg (7th)
Turnovers lost - 5 (4 INT, 1 Fumble lost)
Expected Lions starting offense for Week 10
QB - Jared Goff
RB - David Montgomery/Jahmyr Gibbs
WR - Amon-Ra St. Brown
WR - Jameson Williams
WR - TIM PATRICK
TE - Sam LaPorta
LT - Taylor Decker
LG - Graham Glasgow
C - Frank Ragnow
RG - KEVIN ZEITLER
RT - Penei Sewell
Other Key Offensive pieces
TE - Brock Wright
WR - Kalif Raymond
WR - ALLEN ROBINSON
OT - Dan Skipper
Italics - Rookie
ALL CAPS - New to team in 2024
Keys to winning v. the Lions Offense
- The Throw-In Turned MVP - In 2021, the Rams and Lions made a trade that would have sweeping ramifications for each franchise. The Rams acquired former Lions Pro Bowl QB Matt Stafford and he immediately led the Rams to a Super Bowl Championship in 2021. The Lions acquired QB Jared Goff AND two future first round picks and more. The common thought for many across the league was that Goff was thrown into the deal to get the salary off the books and he was destined to be a bridge QB for a future starter in Detroit. Well, the future starter in Detroit was, is and will be Goff, who has become a sort of folk hero in the Motor City and now he's playing the most efficient and most brilliant football of his career. Since the loss to Tampa Bay, he's completed 72.0% of his passes in every game. He's completed 80.0% of his passes in the last three games. He was a perfect 18 of 18 against the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. He hasn't thrown an interception since week freaking three! In that time, he's thrown 11 TD as well. This Detroit team is MEGA talented, but it's Goff who has become its most valuable asset. Yes, the guy thrown into the deal that turned around the Detroit franchise.
- Dynamic Duo- In 2020, the Texans went up to Chicago to face the Chicago Bears on a cold December day in lonely, desolate Soldier Field. All geared up and ready to go, the Texans defense lined up for play…number…one. RB David Montgomery split a seam on the left side and housed a run 80 yards for a TD. He left an impression on me, and many other Texans, to say the least. Now he's starring in Detroit and he's got a partner in Jahmyr Gibbs. The hard charging, physical Montgomery and the lightning quick, explosive Gibbs put TONS of pressure on any run defense. Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans called them the best 1-2 combination in the league. They tick every single box from a running back standpoint too. Yards after contact/breaking tackles? Yes. Explosive home run hitting ability? No doubt. Pass catching success? Bet. Pass protection? Excellent. Fresh all game long? One of my biggest worries against these two backs. Because of the presence of these two, Detroit OC Ben Johnson can allow the game to develop however it does and then go with the hot hand. Bruising, interior running game? Montgomery. Need to create explosives? Gibbs. Passing game needed? Either. These two provide all the answers the Lions want on defense, so the tackling, in particular, needs to be at premium.
- Penei for your thought- The major reason for why these two backs succeed sits up front with one of the best OLs in the NFL. Kansas City's is good. Philadelphia's is still good after all these years. But this Detroit OL can snatch your defensive soul with how it leads the way in the run game, in particular. It takes its cue from the youngster at right tackle Penei Sewell. Back in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Bengals had pick number five and a decision - take Sewell to protect QB Joe Burrow or take former LSU teammate WR Ja'Marr Chase. They took Chase, which has been great for them, but the Lions WANTED Sewell and they sprinted the card to the podium. He signed a massive deal this offseason and for good reason. He eliminates defenders on the right side of the formation in the run game. GAPING holes open up when Sewell gets on track and mows down defenders on down blocks or in base block, 1-on-1 situations. But Sewell gives the OFFENSE its identity. Watch him step into the pregame huddle and intensely give the message to the team before the game. Then, watch as every single Lions player eyes their young leader. It's impressive and as a result, facing Sewell and company presents a massive challenge for the Texans defense this weekend.
Lions DEFENSE (in 2024 regular season)
Rushing Yards Allowed Per game - 106.4 ypg (7th in the NFL)
Passing Yards Allowed Per game - 250.8 ypg (29th)
Total offense Allowed per game - 357.1 ypg (22nd)
Turnovers generated - 16 (11 INT, 5 Fumble recoveries - Lions are +11 in TO margin)
Expected Lions starting defense for Week 10
DE - ZA'DARIUS SMITH - recently traded from the Browns
DT - Alim McNeill
DT - D.J. READER
DE - Josh Paschal
LB - Alex Anzalone
LB - Jack Campbell
Nickel - AMIK ROBERTSON
CB - CARLTON DAVIS
S - Kerby Joseph
S - Brian Branch
CB - TERRION ARNOLD
Other Key Defensive pieces
DT - Levi Onwuzurike
DE - ISAIAH THOMAS
DE - AL-QUADIN MUHAMMAD - PS callup last week, but has always played well v. Texans
LB - Trevor Nowaske
DT - Pat O'Connor
CB - Kindle Vildor
S - Brandon Joseph
Italics - Rookie
ALL CAPS - New to team in 2024
Keys to winning v. the Lions' Defense
- Missing Hutch- Back in 2014, Texans star DE J.J. Watt made looking at the postgame box score one of my favorite things in the world. Watt put a crooked number in nearly every single column, every single week. NO ONE was doing that as regularly as he was and it was why he should've been MVP of the league that year. Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson was doing that to start the 2024 season as well. In fact, I had not seen a defender do it quite like that since Watt in 2014. He had 4.5 sacks against the Bucs in Week 2. His pressure rate in the Rams game in the opener was something like "every time Matt Stafford went back to pass" high. But in the Lions 47-9 win over the Cowboys, Hutchinson was lost to an injury and the defense has felt the impact. The Lions edge rushers on the roster currently have a combined 1.0 sack in the team's eight games. Enter Za'Darius Smith. The former Packer/Viking/Brown was acquired in a trade this week and should step right into a starting edge spot on the defensive line. The Texans have other issues on the interior, but they need to continue to shut down a Hutchinson-less edge rushing group on Sunday night.
- Dynamic Duo- The Packers' offense moved the ball against the Lions well in the first half of last week's contest in Green Bay. They only had one field goal to show for their efforts through the first 29 minutes of the contest but trailed just 10-3, with a chance to go down and put more points on the board at the end of the half. When Packers QB Jordan Love went back to pass, he tried to avoid pressure and hit RB Josh Jacobs on a screen. But Lions S Kerby Joseph somehow snatched the pass and ran it back to the house for a backbreaking TD with seconds left for a 17-3 lead. Game. Over. That's what Joseph has been doing for years in Detroit and he has a partner, as well, in Brian Branch. These two are ballhawks, who can tackle and always find the ball. Between the two of them, they have a combined TEN interceptions in just eight games - Joseph with six and Branch with four. Love made the mistake of floating a ball in the area of Joseph and he paid a price. QB C.J. Stroud can't afford to do any such thing with these two in the secondary.
- Time…we need it - Speaking of C.J. Stroud, this key is mostly about the Texans and it's the ONE key that must work in the favor of the Texans for them to have a shot to win. Simply put, the Texans pass protection, in particular on the interior, must be MARKEDLY better. Jets DT Quinnen Williams is one of the best in the league and he nearly single-handedly ruined the Texans passing game in the Texans loss to the Jets. But, the Lions have DT Alim McNeill who can do the exact same thing in a game; it's just that no one gives him his just due. He's more powerful than Williams, but not as quick up the field. However, the Texans interior couldn't handle either of those aspects last Thursday night. So, I don't know what the OL makeup will be from guard to guard, but if they don't strap up and slow down McNeill and his bull rush, the Texans passing game will suffer the consequences in a big way. Give Stroud time and he can pick apart this secondary that is 29th in the league in yielding passing yardage. Get C.J. hit repeatedly and the Texans and their fans will leave the building with an L for the first time all year.
