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Handing out numbers for improbable win over Texans

Vaseline November 11, 2024

Houston — Richard Silva rates the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 26-23 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday.

Quarterback

The two hallmarks of Jared Goff’s production in 2024 were efficiency and ball security. It wasn’t all his fault — the offensive line turned in one of its worst performances of the season — but both strengths became weaknesses against Houston’s aggressive defense. Goff completed 50% of his passes and finished with five interceptions, setting a career high and more than doubling his season total of four in the game. Some of the INTs can be explained away — the first one was tipped, for example — but others, like a misfire against Jameson Williams in the third quarter, were for him. Goff made some plays late, but it’s a performance he wants to forget. Grade: D-

Running backs

Detroit has adopted a strategy this season: send bruising David Montgomery out early to set the tone before following him with speedy Jahmyr Gibbs for a change of pace. For some reason that wasn’t the case this time. Montgomery had just two carries in the first quarter and four in the first half, totaling six yards in the first two frames. It was a struggle for both of Detroit’s running backs through the first three quarters, with a combined 2.7 yards per carry leading up to the final 15 minutes. But in the fourth, Gibbs finally threw some big runs, racking up 40 yards on seven attempts. Montgomery also found the end zone for the eighth time this season. Grade: C+

Wide receivers/tight ends

The good news for tight end Sam LaPorta is that he had his most productive game of the season, carrying three balls for 66 yards and a touchdown. The bad news for him is that he suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter, which kept him out of action for the rest of the game. Other notable pass catchers include receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, who had 60 and 53 yards, respectively. St. Brown caught a TD and pulled within three points of delay, and Williams showed excellent grappling strength while hanging on for a pass-through contact two plays before St. Brown’s score. Grade: B+

Offensive line

It was uncharacteristically bad for Detroit’s offensive line, especially early on. Goff was never fired, but don’t be fooled. The Texans generated four quarterback hits in the first half, one of which led directly to Goff’s second interception. Right tackle Penei Sewell was beaten point-blank — a stunner — by defensive end Denico Autry, who collided with Goff as he threw him and forced the errant throw. The unit regressed a bit as the game went on, allowing just one QB hit in the second half, but Goff can’t take those kinds of hits week in and week out. Knowing the track record of this O-line, he won’t do that. Grade: C-

Defensive line

Reinforcements should arrive next week in the form of three-time Pro Bowler Za’Darius Smith, but lineman Alim McNeill once again gave the Lions some heat from within after applying seven pressures against the Packers. McNeill was active in both phases of the game, recording a sack in the third quarter to help thwart one of Houston’s drives and before that, he blew up a run play to limit the damage on a 41-yard pass interference call on cornerback Terrion Arnold. As a group, Detroit’s defensive front was excellent against the run, with Joe Mixon entering the day as one of only three RBs averaging over 100 yards per game, up to 1.8 yards per carry on 25 attempts. That’s incredible. Grade: A

Linebackers

There weren’t exactly a lot of splashy plays from Detroit’s linebacking corps, a unit without contributors Malcolm Rodriguez and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, but Jack Campbell remains a solid piece next to Alex Anzalone. The two starting linebackers combined for 12 tackles and each recorded a pass deflection. Anzalone’s came in a big snap late, as he got in the way of a throw intended for receiver Xavier Hutchinson, but the pass likely never would have reached its target because Arnold had Hutchinson downed. Grade: B+

Secondary

Arnold’s aforementioned 41-yard penalty hurt, and he probably should have been whistled for another one when he hit Hutchinson early. But two players shined in the secondary – cornerback Carlton Davis III, who picked up the first multi-interception game of his career, and safety Brian Branch – and they elevated the unit in a huge way. Branch was everywhere, finishing with a game-high 10 tackles and a key pass deflection, showing an impressive break on the ball. Both of Davis’ points were important, but the second was the most important: he took advantage of CJ Stroud’s late recognition of a wide-open Tank Dell and made a play with the ball. Grade: B+

Special teams

Jake Bates is just cold-blooded. The rookie kicker not only knocked down the game-winning 52-yarder as time expired, but he also connected on a 58-yarder five minutes earlier, tying the game at 23 apiece. Bates, a Tomball native, also did it in his home state, extending his perfect field goal streak to fourteen. The 25-year-old thought his football career was over less than two years ago. Instead, he’s taking hits against a team that once signed him and cut him. Grade: A+

Coaching

Finally, the bold head coach Dan Campbell always talks about pulled off an unlikely comeback. But there were certainly some questionable coaching decisions. The Lions showed a lack of aggression on offense to close out the first half, and they did so again in the third quarter when the staff elected to run the ball on third-and-7 before moving it toward midfield kicked. Grade: B-

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