The Houston Texans defeated the Detroit Lions in Houston by a score of 30 to 23
The Houston Texans and Detroit Lions met in a competitive preseason contest during week two of the Lions preseason, with the Texans coming out on top on the scoreboard by a score of 30-23.
Overall though, unlike their week one contest against the Patriots, the Lions showed a lot of competitive spirit in tonight’s performance. There were quite a few standouts who made plays for the team. Multiple players came to the stadium ready to stand up to the Texans, and have increased their stock as a result.
Lions Preseason Week Two Stock Up
One player who’s stock soared once again after a great game during week two of the Lions preseason is Jaylen Reeves-Maybin. Reeves-Maybin made several nice plays against the Texans on defense, including both plays against the run in run support, and the pass in coverage. Reeves-Maybin looks like a surefire lock to make the roster barring injury and is carving out a role in year two under Matt Patricia.
Another player who performed well in the Lions preseason week two game was David Fales. While Fales still has a very difficult path to a roster spot, he showed drastic improvement this week, especially given his struggles in camp and the first preseason game. Fales made several impressive passes over the second half. Some of which were very good precision passes with quality accuracy.
Additionally, Will Harris was a standout performer in the Lions preseason matchup against Houston. While he struggled a bit in zone coverage, he made some very good plays in man coverage and run support. He also recovered a fumble and returned it for a touchdown in the second quarter.
The player who forced that fumble was Romeo Okwara, who was generating pressure on the edge against the Texans second team offensive line. Okwara made some nice plays in run support, but really showed off his motor by forcing a fumble during the second quarter Will Harris would return for a Lions touchdown.
Other performers who had positive days include Miles Killebrew, Jamar Summers, Jonathan Wynn, Mitchell Loewen, Mark Thompson and the Lions offensive line.
A Few Players Saw Their Value Fall
Still, the Lions lost to the Texans, and by default had some negative performances along the way. The Lions special teams unit had a particularly bad outing, and struggled in both punt and kick coverage, and the return units struggled mightily as well. Tom Kennedy bobbled a punt and the blocking for the returners was rough throughout the entirety of the game. There’s a lot of room to to improve on special teams for this Lions team. That unit carries a significant part of the burden for this loss. That Being said, Coach Matt Patricia has said that the special teams playbook has yet to be opened. Definitely more to see there.
Additionally, the Lions initial defensive line that opened the game could not generate any pressure on the first couple of drives. While the team was without Damon Harrison, Mike Daniels, Trey Flowers and Da’Shawn Hand amongst others, it was still a struggle point worth noting early in the game.
Another group that struggled was the pass catchers. Aside from Travis Fulgham who made an incredible sideline catch on a nice pass from David Fales, the Lions pass catchers under-performed and struggled with drops and poor routes throughout the course of the game. It is clear there is a stark drop off after the top three receivers of Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola currently on the roster.
Lions Preseason Continues Next Week
The Lions preseason will continue next Friday against the Buffalo Bills at 8 PM Eastern time, as a nationally televised game on CBS. Matthew Stafford has yet to appear this preseason, and is expected to get some snaps for the first time next week. Additionally, it seems quite likely that we will see more players participate in next weeks game.
No key players were injured tonight for the Detroit Lions, with only C.J. Moore being pulled by the referees to enter the tent after a low head tackle to check for a concussion.
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