The Texans got creative on offense and gluttonous on defense on their way to a 41-25 feast of the Detroit Lions.
The defense racked up three takeaways including a J.J. Watt pick six that put the Texans on the board when they were trailing 7-0. To see Watt scoring for the first time in six years was like having turkey and brisket on Thanksgiving.
Houston got another TD after a fumble, cashing in on a short field and showing the Lions that they were going to be rude guests on this national holiday.
Deshaun Watson threw for four TD passes and passed Matt Schaub for most games with three or more in franchise history at 13. He followed up his AFC Offensive Player of the Week effort against New England with an even better afternoon, hitting Will Fuller for a couple of scores along the way, including one on a trick play.
Offensive Coordinator Tim Kelly and his crew got creative with a handoff to Jordan Akins on a third and short and shovel pass to Keke Coutee on a two point conversion. The Lions hadn't seen this type of fare previously on the Texans menu.
The pass rush was effective, thanks to the Texans slowing down the running game. Sure, Detroit got a couple of TDs out of the ageless Adrian Peterson. And the Lions did have one particularly productive drive on the ground. But other than that, the Texans put up a nice wall.
When it was time to get after the quarterback, Whitney Mercilus and Justin Reid had sacks. Reid's was his second in as many games. Nate Hall, who's from nearby Toledo, had his first two career sacks late in the game. Tyrell Adams was once again outstanding with two forced fumbles and 17 tackles, tying a team record.
It was an exemplary all-around display in front of the whole nation. Yes, the record still says the Texans are three games below .500. But they're not playing like it. Indy is up next and we're still very much in a one-game-at-a-time mode.
Enjoy the win and the holiday weekend.
