Almost everything has changed for both teams since Texans sealed fate of last Lions regime in 2020

The Texans added some big names, like running back Joe Mixon, to a team that won 10 games, their division and a postseason matchup in 2023. (Getty Images)

Allen Park — Like the Tennessee Titans a couple of weeks back, it’s been four years since the Detroit Lions have squared off against the Houston Texans. In a way, the Lions owe this week’s opponent a Texas-sized thank-you card.

That 41-26 loss on Thanksgiving in 2020 is notable because it accelerated the inevitable. Two days after the defeat, the Lions fired general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia. Then, a little more than two weeks later, the team hired franchise legend Chris Spielman to serve as a special assistant to ownership in the search for new leadership.

That sequence has led us to present day, where general manager Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell have built one of the deepest, most talented, and toughest rosters in the NFL — a 7-1 squad that holds pole position in the NFC and is the favorite to represent the conference in this year’s Super Bowl.