The Texans (6-3) return home for a Sunday-nighter against the Lions (7-1). This matchup of division leaders is the first meeting between these two teams since Houston shredded Detroit on the road during a Thanksgiving matinee in 2020. Here are five things to watch when the Texans and Lions kick off inside NRG Stadium on Sunday evening at 7:20 p.m. CT.
1) Protect, protect, protect – Although they've won six games and sit atop the AFC South, the Texans have struggled to protect quarterback C.J. Stroud lately. He was sacked a season-worst eight times in last week's loss at the Jets, and according to NFL Research, he's been pressured on 41.4 percent of his dropbacks this season. Only four other signal-callers in the league have been pressured more.
Could the offensive line do a better job of blocking? Sure. But it's not just them, according to Head Coach DeMeco Ryans.
"Every position, we all have to play better," Ryans said. "It is not one position, everybody has to play better for us to win games going forward is just everybody playing better."
Despite the battering he took, Stroud was able to find a way to speak positively about the unpleasant experience.
"Sometimes it takes getting hit in the mouth, maybe getting hit in the mouth multiple times to wake up," Stroud said. "I believe that this is a wakeup call for us to get things fixed and understand that if we give ourselves a shot and stay in the green, we move the ball really well, we just have to finish."
The Detroit pass rush is 25th in the NFL with a 31.2 percent pressure rate. They've been without Pro Bowl defensive end Aidan Hutchinson for a few weeks, but added Za'Darius Smith earlier this week in a trade with Cleveland.
"He'll add something to that team that they're missing with Aidan not being there and they added a quality pass rusher," Ryans said.
2) Captain Run – Joe Mixon was named a captain on Friday morning, and with good reason. He's averaging 4.8 yards per carry, he's cracked the 100-yard mark in every game he's started and finished this season, and he's a vocal leader. Offensive Coordinator Bobby Slowik loves what Mixon's done on the field this season, and described how leads in other ways as well.
"Anytime Joe talks, everybody listens," Slowik said. "He has a track record, you can see it in how he plays, you can see how much he cares, you can see the relationship he has with his fellow teammates. He has been to the big dance before, so his words are really needed for everybody."
The veteran back is third in the NFL in both rushing yards per game (101.2) and scrimmage yards per game (127.2), and he's scored seven times this year. He's also broken loose for a run of 21 yards or more in each of the last four contests.
3) Comeback kids – Several players practiced this week who hadn't done so in the previous weeks. Wide receiver Nico Collins was on the field Friday inside NRG Stadium, while captains in linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair and safety Jimmie Ward were in the mix on a limited basis this week, too.
Defensive end Jerry Hughes and cornerback Jeff Okudah put pads on and worked with their teammates this week as well.
Collins was leading the NFL in receiving yards at the time of his injury a month ago, and he still holds the highest average receiving yards per game in the NFL with 113.4.
Al-Shaair has played in six games, but is still third on the Texans with 40 tackles. He's also contributed four tackles for loss and a sack in addition to his leadership.
We'll see how many of those players are active on Sunday, but getting one, two or more back for game action adds quality and depth to the roster.
4) It can only be Jared – Lions quarterback Jared Goff has been sterling this season through eight games. He's tossed 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and he's completing 80 percent of his passes on the road this season. He and the Lions are 4-0 away from Ford Field.
On the other hand, the Texans defense has been outstanding in four wins inside NRG Stadium. With an average of 3.5 sacks per contest, the defense has also held opponents to just a 45 percent completion rate. Goff respects what he'll face on Sunday night.
"They're really good," Goff said. "They're really well-coached. They remind me of San Francisco, no surprise – back when I was in L.A. in the division, San Francisco, when DeMeco was there, it was similar. Very good defense and good up front, good at the linebacker position, good at the defensive backs. Really well-coached, sound, they do a good job."
Goff and the Lions are averaging an NFL-best 32.3 points per game this year.
5) Dynamic Duo – One major reason Goff and the offense have rolled, has been the running back tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. In 20 games together over the last two seasons, Montgomery's scored 19 touchdowns, while Gibbs has found the end zone 17 times.
This year, they each have scored seven times.
Gibbs, in fact, is leading the NFL in yards per touch this year with 6.7.
"It's a really good run game, just from a personnel and structural standpoint," Defensive Coordinator Matt Burke said. "It's the starting point for everything that they do in my opinion. They want to run the ball and both of those [running] backs are good in slightly different ways, but really good."
