The Lions went 3-12-1 and finished fourth in the AFC North last season.
Head coach Matt Patricia enters year three with Detroit, and has a 9-22-1 record in his first two seasons.
This will be the second Thanksgiving Day contest with the Lions, as Houston came back to win, 34-31, in overtime in 2012. In 2004, Detroit won the very first meeting between the two franchises. The Lions lost the next three. The last game between the Texans and Lions was a 20-13 win by Houston at NRG Stadium in 2016.
Notable Lions: QB Matthew Stafford, WR Kenny Golladay, WR Danny Amendola, CB Jeff Okudah
Offensive lineman Oday Aboushi spent 2016 and 2017 with the Texans. Offensive lineman Dan Skipper was a Texan for part of 2019.
Defensive back C.J. Moore is the twin brother of Texans safety A.J. Moore.