Game day: How to watch and 3 things to watch for Lions vs. Texans
● When: Sunday, Nov. 10, 8:20 p.m.
● How to watch: NBC (Mike Tirico/Cris Collinsworth/Melissa Stark)
● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.
● Line: Lions -3.5
● Injury report: The Lions ruled out offensive tackle Taylor Decker after he suffered a mid-week shoulder injury. The team will also be shorthanded at linebacker, and the subsequent special teams groups where those guys contribute after Jalen Reeves-Maybin landed on injured reserve with a neck injury and Malcolm Rodriguez will miss his second straight with an ankle sprain.
● Officiating assignment: Bill Vinovich’s crew. A head referee since 2004, Vinovich officiated last year’s Divisional Round matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The crew is among the bottom half in flags thrown per game this year, averaging 13.4.
● Last meeting: The Texans came to Detroit for a Thanksgiving matchup in 2020. A six-point game midway through the third quarter, the visitors pulled away for a 41-25 victory, led by quarterback Deshaun Watson’s four touchdown passes, including two scoring tosses to speedy receiver Will Fuller, who finished with six catches for 171 yards.
The loss directly led to the firing of general manager Bob Quinn and coach Matt Patricia two days later.
Coverage from the week
● Three and Out: Goff running out of boxes to check and expectations for Za’Darius Smith
● Jameson Williams to be thrown into fire after suspension ends
● Lions finally score pass-rushing help, trading for Cleveland’s Smith
● Film review: Understanding Smith’s pass-rushing skill set
● Film review: What to make of team’s defensive performance in Green Bay
● Last matchup with Houston changed Detroit’s franchise trajectory
● Reinforcements on the way as Moseley, Melifonwu practice clocks started
● Branch apologizes for double bird, Williams talks post-suspension
● 5 Thoughts to End the Week: How healing pieces fit in Detroit’s secondary
● Mailbag: Za’Darius Smith beyond this season and where Sam LaPorta’s targets have gone
Three things worth watching
● Lions fans love to cheer No. 70 reporting as eligible, but the team will likely turn to Dan Skipper to play a much larger role against the Texans after Decker’s shoulder injury temporarily landed him on the shelf.
The Lions didn’t announce a replacement plan, but Skipper has been the No. 3 tackle on the depth chart since training camp, outperforming second-year lineman Colby Sorsdal throughout the offseason program to earn the backup job.
If the Lions approach things the way they’ve done in the past, Pro Bowler Penei Sewell will shift to the blindside with Skipper backfilling the right tackle spot. But if there was a week for the shuffling to happen, this is a good one since outstanding Texans edge rusher Will Anderson will also miss the contest due to injury.
That doesn’t mean things will be easy. Houston still has Danielle Hunter, the former Vikings edge who has terrorized Detroit for years. This season, his first in Houston, he’s primarily lined up across the opposing right tackle. There's good reason to expect the Texans to continue that approach to maximize a mismatch.
If Skipper gets the call on Sunday, it will be his first start along the offensive line since 2022, when he stepped in as an injury replacement at guard four times for Detroit.
● In the three games since Aidan Hutchinson was lost to a broken leg, the Lions have gotten only a single sack from their defensive line. Whether the debut comes this week or next, it’s why the addition of Za’Darius Smith at the trade deadline was so critical.
With or without Smith this Sunday, it would be troubling if the Lions can’t disrupt the pocket this week. The Texans offensive line has been among the worst in the NFL at protecting the passer, surrendering a hefty 106 hits, hurries and sacks in 2024.
Quarterback C.J. Stroud has been sacked the second most of any QB in 2024, and the 236 yards the team has lost on those sacks ranks 32nd.
A notable percentage of the pressure is coming through the heart of Houston’s line. The two guards and starting center have combined to allow 60 pressures and 12 sacks. That should be good news for Lions defensive tackle Alim McNeill, who has been the team’s most productive pass-pressure generator outside Hutchinson.
● Entering the season, Detroit’s run defense was the unit's calling card. But across the last three games, it’s been a liability. Against Minnesota, Tennessee and Green Bay, the Lions have allowed 435 rushing yards and an ugly 5.7 yards per carry.
Big plays have been a significant component of the problem. During the three-game stretch, the team has given up gains of 37, 34, 19, 17 and 17 yards on the ground.
Admittedly, the Lions have had a lot of moving pieces as injuries have mounted. In addition to Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Josh Paschal, Kyle Peko Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez have missed time, leaving the team to rely heavily on multiple practice squad promotions.
And once one guy gets out of position, causing a teammate to compensate, the entire operation erodes.
“It begins to trickle and you lose trust,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week. “We can’t have the trust crumblers. We have to eliminate that. …Everybody’s got a job to do. Do your job and do it violently. We were talking yesterday about one of our players, and I said, ‘Do you think if you told him his life depended on getting in this gap and playing this gap, he could do it?’ And you kind of have to think that way. You really kind of have to have that mentality.”
Houston’s Joe Mixon will test the trust Detroit’s defenders have in each other. In his first year with the Texans, the veteran back is having his best season, averaging 101.5 yards per game and 4.8 yards per carry.
More concerning for the Lions, Mixon has been among the league’s best at generating chunk gains. He ranks fifth in the NFL with 19 carries of 10 or more yards, and he's sixth with five carries of 20 or more yards. That's despite playing in just six games. The backs ahead of him on those lists each have at least two more appearances this season.
That Thanksgiving Day loss turns out to have been possibly the best loss in Lions history.
It looks like losing Hutch was the second worse loss other than if it was Goff. Somehow they keep winning or putting themselves into position to win. I don't expect Houston to be any tougher to beat than Green Bay or Minny. Having no turnovers is a must.