The Detroit Lions (4-4) were defeated by the Houston Texans (5-3) by a score of 20-13 Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Texans scored on consecutive drives to take a 14-0 lead with 7:04 left in the half. Houston led 14-3 at the half after the Lions scored on a Matt Prater 47-yard field goal two seconds before halftime.
Matthew Stafford played well as he threw for 240 yards and a touchdown. Houston boasts one of the better defenses in the NFL, so Stafford’s ability to find open receivers is promising for the future. The Lions offense wasn’t as explosive as a whole today and that resulted in them losing the game.
Detroit didn’t run the ball effectively in this game as they rushed for just 58 total yards. Theo Riddick led all backs with 56 yards on 11 carries. This marked Riddick’s first game back after missing two games due to an ankle injury.
Lions receivers were led by tight end Eric Ebron who finished the game with seven catches for 79 yards. Riddick was the next highest receiver with eight catches for 77 yards and a touchdown. Riddick had a nice day catching the ball out of the backfield and that was a bright spot for the Lions on what was a lackluster offensive day.
Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler came into this game struggling to live up to the hype of his $72 million dollar contract, and that continued in this game. Osweiler threw for just 186 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Osweiler’s only touchdown came in the second quarter to tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz.
The Texans ran the ball well in this game, especially late in the game. Houston running backs were finding big holes in the talented Lions front seven. Houston star running back Lamar Miller finished the game with 17 carries, 56 yards and a touchdown. Backup running back Alfred Blue had nine carries for 41 yards.
Texans receivers had a tough day as a result of Osweiler’s poor day. DeAndre Hopkins led all receivers with four catches for 44 yards. Fiedorowicz had five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. Detroit’s secondary held the Texans’ young playmakers in check in this game and that is a positive sign going forward.
Detroit will stay on the road as they travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings next Sunday at 1 p.m. on Fox.
