The Detroit Lions made a dramatic comeback Sunday night, defeating the Houston Texans 26-23 with Jake Bates’ first field goal in 52 years as time expired.
The Lions won seven straight games overall and five straight on the road to improve to 8-1 for the first time since 1954.
Detroit led 23-7 at halftime after Jared Goff threw three interceptions in the first two quarters and two more picks in the third. Despite this, the Lions scored 16 straight points to tie the score with about five minutes left until Bates’ 58-yard field goal.
The Texans (6-4) had a chance to take the lead with just under two minutes left, but Kaimi Fairbairn’s 58-yard try missed left.
The Lions became the first team to throw five or more interceptions and win since Atlanta beat Arizona in 2012 when Matt Ryan was picked off five times.
David Montgomery ran for a 3-yard touchdown early in the third, but the run on the two-point conversion try was stopped and the Lions lost 23-13. A 9-yard TD reception by Amon-Ra St. Brown brought Detroit within 23-20 early in the fourth quarter.
Goff threw for 240 yards and two touchdowns, and Jahmil Gibbs ran for 71 yards. CJ Stroud threw for 232 yards and a touchdown, but had two interceptions in the second half, and the Texans were shut out after the break, losing for the third time in four games.
The 30-year-old’s five picks are the most by an NFL player since Tampa Bay’s Jameis Winston threw a five-on five against Carolina five years ago.
Goff hasn’t thrown an interception in his last five games and entered Sunday with just four games played all season. His previous career high was four losses against Chicago in 2019 when he was with the Rams. Rookie Kamari Lassiter led the Texans with two interceptions and set a franchise record for picks.
“We had some bad luck early on, but we’ve been through much worse,” Goff said.
“Mentally, I was at rock bottom. You don’t get thrown out of the game just because you had an unlucky play.”
leader in statistics
houston texans
- Pass: CJ Stroud, 19/33, 232 yards, 1TD 2INT
- in a hurry: Joe Mixon, 25 carries, 46 yards, 1 TD
- Receiving: John Metchie III, 5 catches, 74 yards, 1 TD
detroit lions
- Pass: Jared Goff, 15/30, 250 yards, 2TD, 5INT
- in a hurry: Jahmil Gibbs, 19 carries, 71 yards
- Receiving: Sam LaPorta, 3 catches, 66 yards, 1 TD
What’s next?
In Week 11, the Lions will take on the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, while the Texans will take on the Dallas Cowboys live on Monday Night Football. Sky Sports NFL.
NFL Week 10 concludes on Monday night with the Los Angeles Rams taking on the Miami Dolphins and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports NFL from 1:15am early Tuesday morning. Also streaming on NOW
