Sports

Detroit Lions complete epic comeback beating Houston Texans 26-23

APTOPIX Lions Texans Football
Posted
and last updated

The Detroit Lions overcame five turnovers and had a great second half to come back and beat the Houston Texans 26-23 on Sunday night.

Jake Bates had two key field goals in the fourth quarter the gave the Lions the win.

It was a bad first half for the Lions that saw Jared Goff throw three interceptions and the Lions only put up seven points.

Detroit's first drive of the game ended on the fifth play with an interception, and then Houston took it 33 yards on eight plays for a touchdown.

Houston added another field goal after a Lions 3-and-out, but Detroit then responded with a great drive, going 70 yards on 11 plays and Goff finding Sam LaPorta for a 20-yard touchdown pass to cut the lead to 10-7.

The Texans added another field goal, and then Goff threw his second interception that eventually led to a third field goal for Texans to go up 16-3.

Detroit had two straight three-and-outs and then Houston drove down the field for 66 yards near the end of the second half to go up 23-7, and it stayed that way at the half.

Lions CB Carlton Davis III picked off CJ Stroud on the first play of the second half, shortly after head coach Dan Campbell said the team needed turnovers during an interview on the broadcast.

However, three plays later, Goff threw his fourth interception of the game, but Houston went 3-and-out and had to punt.

The Lions then went 44 yards on three plays, thanks to a 37-yard pass from Goff to LaPorta, that set up a David Montgomery three-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 23-13.

Detroit and Houston traded interceptions and then both teams punted on the way to the end of the third quarter, and it stayed 23-13 at the end of the third.

Starting off the fourth quarter, the Lions started looking like the team we've seen all year. They drove down the field on seven plays for 64 yards, capped off by a 9-yard touchdown pass from Goff to Amon-Ra St. Brown. That drive also had an incredible catch from Jameson Williams and a 24-yard screen pass from Goff to Montgomery. Detroit cut the lead to 23-20 early in the fourth.

Detroit's defense continued to stand strong against the Texans' offense, sacking Stroud for a fourth time and forcing another punt from Houston. Jahmyr Gibbs had two big runs that put the Lions into Texans territory.

The Lions couldn't move forward, but Jake Bates was able to kick a 58-yard field goal to tie the game at 23 with just five minutes left in the game. That field goal was the third-longest in Lions history.

The Lions' defense once again stopped the Texans and then they missed a 58-yard field goal wide left and the Lions took over with just under 2 minutes remaining.

Detroit kept moving the ball and converted a key third down on a pass from Goff to St. Brown that put the Lions into field goal range. A timeout was called with four seconds left and then Bates kicked a 52-yard field goal to give the Lions a 26-23 win.

The Lions improve to 8-1 on the season and host the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday at Ford Field.