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Stock Report Lions vs. Texans: 5 gainers, 2 fallers in comeback win
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Stock Report Lions vs. Texans: 5 gainers, 2 fallers in comeback win

This team, man. This. Team.

After an incredible come-from-behind victory for the Detroit Lions over the Houston Texans on “Sunday Night Football,” the boys in Honolulu Blue are 8-1 and in a great position as they move into the middle into November.

Let’s take a look at this week’s edition of the stock report and see how things looked during a wild win in Texas.

Stock to: Jake Bates, K

This young man continues to impress. Two for two on the night: one much-needed bomb from 58 yards, followed by a game winner from 52 yards. Kudos to the Lions who leaned into Bates early in camp and showed their confidence in him. It’s paying huge dividends now, in the middle of the regular season.

Stock to: Aaron Glenn, DC

Coaching in front of a host of family and friends in his home state of Texas, Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn delivered a game for the ages. Time and again the offense put the defense in tough situations, and each time the defense did what it had to do to keep the game within striking distance by holding Houston to field goals.

The Lions knew they would have to force some turnovers to complete the comeback, and they made it happen. Operating without star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson has certainly been a challenge for the entire defensive coaching staff, but credit is due to Glenn for making it work.

Enjoy the here and now, Lions fans. Because I think Glenn will have no shortage of options to become a head coach next year.

Stock to: Brian Branch, S

Simply put, Branch is quickly becoming one of the best defenders in the entire NFL. On Sunday, he had 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, two pass breakups and one quarterback hit. Branch was all over the field against the Texans and routinely came up with big plays in big moments for the Lions.

Whether it was stepping into the backfield to prevent the Texans from chasing Joe Mixon in his tracks or coming up with a clutch stop on third down – Branch showed up in a big way on Sunday night.

Stock to: Alim McNeill, DT

We don’t have the numbers on how much pressure or rushing McNeill applied against the Texans, but I imagine there were at least some that he will eventually be credited with. In terms of counting stats, McNeill had a night for himself: six total tackles, two for loss, one sack and one quarterback hit.

He consistently provided pressure up the middle against Houston’s interior offensive line, and on one sequence he forced a hold and a sack on consecutive snaps. Another great performance from one of Detroit’s premier defensemen.

Stock to: Carlton Davis III, CB

Davis made two of the biggest plays of the entire game when the Lions needed them most. Both of his interceptions on Sunday night came at the right time, but the one from halftime really seemed to set the tone for the Lions throughout the second half.

Here and there he is defeated. That’s just the world we live in, with how the rules lean towards offense in the NFL, and especially with as much man coverage as the Lions have. That said, Davis has played some really good football for most of the season, and I hope people start to realize that.

Stock Neutral: Jameson Williams, WR

It wasn’t a great night for Williams, but after his two-week suspension it was good to see him integrate himself back into the attack. He finished with three receptions for 53 yards, including a pair of clutch splints that moved the chains for the offense.

And while we’ll probably never know the true cause of the play, it didn’t seem like he and quarterback Jared Goff were on the same page as he tried Williams deep and ultimately threw another interception. Dan Campbell said at the post-match press conference that Williams’ route should have been more vertical.

Stock Neutral: Penei Sewell, RT

From my first watch, the only negative that can easily be identified is the sack Sewell gave up that led to one of the five turnovers for the Lions. Other than that rep, though, it looked like another dominant performance from the fourth-year pro.

It’s not often you hear about right tackles taking over games, but that’s exactly what happened in the second half of the Lions’ Week 10 win over Houston. The offense struggled to get into a rhythm most of the night, and when they did get going, they found themselves behind their All-Pro right tackle.

Sewell was integral to several big plays by the Lions, including the screen to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown that cut the Houston lead to three.

Stock Down: Ben Johnson, OC

Look, not everyone can be perfect. And as good as Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has been in recent years, everyone has their days off. And against Houston, it seemed for a while that both Johnson and Goff were unnerved by what Houston was doing defensively.

Whether it was an unblocked defender off the edge jumping into the throwing lanes, or the inability to get the run game going for most of the game – this wasn’t Johnson’s best day of play. But when you’re an elite team like the Lions, you can overcome just about anything.

Stock lower: Jared Goff, QB

Not all of the interceptions were on Goff, but as a quarterback, the blame usually falls on your shoulders. And although he made plays when the team needed them most, it was certainly not Goff’s best day of the season.

That said, I give him all the credit in the world for not getting discouraged and sticking with it for the full 60 minutes. I know this word is being thrown around like crazy around this city and this team, but what a gritty, historic win.