5 things to watch: Lions at Texans

The Detroit Lions are on the road for a second straight week and again in front of a national audience as they take on the 6-3 Texans in Houston on Sunday Night Football. It’s a matchup of two playoff winners last year looking to make their mark on their respective conferences again in 2024.

Here are five things to watch out for in tonight’s matchup:

1. Can Detroit’s offense keep it rolling against a very good Houston defense?

The league’s No. 1 scoring offense (32.3 ppg) will have another big test on the road this week against a very formidable Houston defense.

“They’ve got talent all over the place right now and this scheme seems to elevate some guys up front for them,” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said this week. “I mean, they are just raging off the football.

“I think a testament to that would be 3rd & 7-10 this week, I’ve got, call it 27 clips on my cut up, only three conversions and eight sacks. I really haven’t seen anything quite like that, so they’re doing a phenomenal job, not just on third down, but really throughout. This is a team that thrives on creating negative plays, and it starts up front.”

The Texans rank second in total defense (281.7), third against the pass (167.4), first in yards per play allowed (4.92), second in tackles for loss (59), fourth in sacks (29.0) and second in passes defended (49).

The Lions’ offense is rolling with a quarterback in Jared Goff who is playing off the charts good right now. Can they keep it up against this defense?