The Detroit Lions rallied from a 16-point halftime deficit to earn their seventh straight victory and improve to 8-1 in the 2024 season.
After trailing for most of the game, the Lions scored 19 unanswered points in the second half to emerge victorious against a powerhouse Houston Texans team. Detroit won 26-23, thanks to a 52-yard field goal by Jake Bates as time expired.
Here are the grades for each position group based on performance in Sunday’s game:
Quarterback: D-
Jared Goff had a performance to forget in Sunday’s game, as he threw five interceptions in a game for the first time in his career. Coming into the game with only four players this season and having not started one since week three, it was an unusual performance for a player who was playing at an MVP level.
He threw three in the first half, including one on the first drive that was the result of a ball thrown in the air by cornerback Jalen Pitre. His second came when he was hit from behind and the ball was dropped, and the third was a Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the first half.
The struggles didn’t disappear in the third quarter, as he threw a pick near the goal line on the team’s first drive and then missed a deep ball that was recovered by Calen Bullock.
Still, Goff had some good moments, like touchdown passes to Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown. He also delivered a strike on a crucial third down against St. Brown that forced Houston to use its final timeout.
Running backs: B
For much of the first half, the Lions’ running game was nonexistent. This has forced them to become one-dimensional, which has been the cause of offensive struggles this season.
By the end of the match, however, it became clear that Jahmyr Gibbs was finding his rhythm. Although Gibbs was held to less than five yards per carry for the first time since the start of the season, he had several big runs late in the game.
Gibbs also contributed as a receiver with two catches for 37 yards, while David Montgomery also added a 24-yard catch. Montgomery finished with 12 carries for 32 yards, including a 3-yard score in the third quarter, but was stopped on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt.
Wide receivers: B+
Jameson Williams made a big impact early in the game with two critical third-down conversions on Detroit’s first touchdown. His first was a 23-yard catch that was tossed and secured, while the second was a 13-yard catch to move the chains.
Williams finished with three catches for 53 yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a touchdown for the seventh straight game and finished with six catches for 60 yards. One of those catches was a nifty flip pass on the first third of the game, and another was the one that essentially sealed the game on the final drive.
St. Brown also threw a nice block downfield on a 20-yard run from Gibbs in the fourth quarter. He and St. Brown were the only receivers to catch a pass, as Tim Patrick had only one target and no receptions.
Tight Ends: B+
Sam LaPorta had a season-high in receiving yards with 66 on three catches, including a 20-yard touchdown to get the Lions on the board in the second quarter. He also completed a 37-yard pass in the third quarter to set up Montgomery’s touchdown.
However, things took a turn for the worse when he injured his shoulder and did not return to the game. LaPorta’s injury is not expected to be serious, but Campbell indicated he could miss the Week 11 game against Jacksonville with what he considers a sprain.
Offensive line: C
Without Taylor Decker, the Lions opted to use Dan Skipper at left tackle and keep Penei Sewell on the right side. Early on, Detroit’s pass rush struggled to keep Houston at bay. Although Goff wasn’t sacked in Sunday’s game, many of his early attempts were rushed.
In the second half, the effort was much better. Sewell had several key blocks to initiate Gibbs’ runs, including a well-executed pull to the outside on a wide run and a pancake that allowed the running back to cut back for a nice gain.
The line certainly missed its starting left tackle. With Skipper gone, newly signed veteran Jamarco Jones was used as a tackle in giant packages.
Photo gallery from the Lions’ 26-23 win over Houston on Sunday Night Football
Defensive line: A-
Sunday marked the defensive line’s best performance since Aidan Hutchinson’s injury in Week 6. The unit produced four sacks, as Pat O’Connor, James Houston, Josh Paschal and Alim McNeill each reached CJ Stroud.
These were the best performances of the year for O’Connor and Houston. Although O’Connor only played spot-up, he made a tackle for loss on a reverse that was destroyed by fellow defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad. Houston, meanwhile, was sacked in the red zone after initially falling into coverage.
Paschal and McNeill also produced two tackles for loss, and the Texans were held to just 56 yards rushing. This was a performance more indicative of what the Lions had done earlier in the season.
Linebackers: B
Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell both had big moments. Campbell had a key pass breakup in the fourth quarter along with seven tackles, while Anzalone had five.
Trevor Nowaske settled into the third linebacker role with Malcolm Rodriguez once again sidelined, and he finished with two tackles. Tight end Dalton Schultz had two big receptions against the second level, but the group did a solid job adjusting to the run.
Takeaways as Jared Goff throws 5 INTs, Lions fight back to beat Texans, 26-23
Secondary: B+
It was an early struggle for the secondary, as Amik Robertson was out of position twice on the first drive and Terrion Arnold committed pass interference in the first quarter and was beaten for a touchdown against John Metchie III. However, a strong effort from Brian Branch stabilized the ship.
Branch produced a game-high 10 tackles, two passes defended and a quarterback hit. His second pass breakup came at a crucial time, leading to a punt followed by Detroit’s game-tying field goal. Carlton Davis also snagged two big interceptions, marking the first multi-interception game of his career.
Special teams: B+
Jake Bates once again played the role of hero for the Lions, scoring the game-winning goal from 52 yards out as time expired. Both of his field goals came from beyond 50 yards, including a 58-yard boot to tie the game. Each of the kicks slipped past the upright.
Jack Fox’s first punt traveled only 40 yards and scored 22 after an 18-yard return. Steven Sims averaged 14.3 yards per punt return for the Texans against a normally strong coverage unit.
For Detroit, Kalif Raymond had three punt return attempts for a total of 15 yards.
The cleats and misses from the Lions’ 26-23 win over the Texans
Framing: B
The first turnovers put the offense and defense at a disadvantage from the start. Even though the offense couldn’t find a rhythm, the defense was constantly put in difficult positions.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s game plan seemed more passing-oriented than usual on early downs, which may have contributed to some struggles in the running game. However, the offense found just enough to be effective when it needed it most.
Defensively, Aaron Glenn’s group folded a lot but forced three huge baskets in the first half, limiting the damage caused by turnovers. They blanked Houston’s potent offense in the second half in an inspired performance.
Overall, Dan Campbell’s band proved once again that it was exactly what they were hoping for from a cultural standpoint. The Lions were relentless in their comeback and snatched an impressive road victory from the jaws of defeat.
The sign of a great team is being able to win when things aren’t going well, and that’s exactly what Detroit did on Sunday.
This article was produced by Detroit Lions On SI staff. To learn more, visit si.com/nfl/lions
