Detroit Lions Can’t Overcome Errors In Loss To Texans
Offense: Dropped passes, penalties and missed opportunities stifle scoring
The Lions’ offense could not get out of its own way, especially in the first half. Twice the Lions had the ball in Houston territory but did not score, once on a failed fourth down attempt and once on a missed 49-yard field goal attempt by Matt Prater.
Making matters worse were the unforced errors that continuously backed the Lions up. The Lions committed eight penalties, including six in the first half and five on offense, for a total of 75 yards and also dropped at least five passes, all of which contributed to a below-average offensive performance: 289 yards, 13 points and a 27% third-down conversion rate.
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Defense: Lions struggle against tight ends, rush defense holds up
Despite the fact that the Lions kept the Texans out of the endzone in the second half, they still had difficulty throughout the game in one area where they have struggled all season: defending tight ends. Three Houston tight ends combined for ten catches, 94 yards and a touchdown, as well as several key third-down conversions that led to points in the first half.
The good news for the Lions, however, is that they were able to keep the Texans’ receiving corps in check despite not having Darius Slay active. DeAndre Hopkins and Will Fuller combined for only five catches and 67 yards. Detroit’s ground defense was effective for the most part as well, conceding a total of 105 yards and giving up 3.4 yards per carry, but fell apart down the stretch as the Texans successfully ran the ball for first downs to salt the game away late in the fourth quarter.