The Detroit Lions are 8-1 and alone in first place atop the entire NFC. For about 58 minutes of Sunday night’s game against the Texans in Houston, it sure looked like the Lions were headed for a second loss.
Not this team. Not Dan Campbell’s gritty Lions.
Despite five interceptions from Jared Goff, some really shaky offensive line play much of the night and falling into a 23-7 halftime hole, the Lions pulled off a comeback for the ages. First-year kicker Jake Bates squeezed a 52-yard field goal about six inches inside the left upright as time expired to lift the Lions to a 26-23 win.
The Lions overcame so much in this one, with many of those obstacles being self-imposed. Goff was uncharacteristically off all night, not just on the interceptions. The run game did nothing for the first three quarters, a combination of poor blocking and designs that the Texans defense was more than ready to defend. There were costly penalties on both sides of the ball.
Aaron Glenn’s undermanned defense played strong enough to keep the struggling offense within striking distance. Carlton Davis intercepted C.J. Stroud twice in the second half, the second one in the end zone with an incredible effort that prevented a sure-fire touchdown.
Detroit’s defense shut out Houston in the second half. The Lions offense got one last chance to win after Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn missed badly from 58 yards. Bates had just made a close-shave inside the right upright from 56 to tie it up. Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown picked up enough yards to get Bates in range, and the Houston-area native delivered.
It was a thrilling comeback for the Lions, one that left the NBC broadcast crew stunned. The grit to pull this one off, on the road against the AFC South-leading Texans in prime time, is the sort of victory that will earn these Lions more “team of destiny” type of talk.