Lions host Texans in matchup of coaches hoping to keep jobs
HOUSTON (3-7) at DETROIT (4-6)
Thursday, 12:30 p.m. ET, CBS
OPENING LINE - Lions by 2
RECORD VS. SPREAD - Texans 3-7; Lions 3-6-1
SERIES RECORD - Texans lead 3-1
LAST MEETING - Lions beat Texans 20-13 on Oct. 30, 2016, in Houston
LAST WEEK - Texans beat Patriots 27-20; Lions lost to Panthers 20-0
AP PRO32 RANKING - Texans No. 23; Lions No. 29
TEXANS OFFENSE - OVERALL (17), RUSH (31), PASS (8).
TEXANS DEFENSE - OVERALL (31), RUSH (32), PASS (22).
LIONS OFFENSE - OVERALL (25), RUSH (29), PASS (15).
LIONS DEFENSE - OVERALL (27), RUSH (30), PASS (25).
STREAKS, STATS AND NOTES — Houston beat Detroit 34-31 in overtime on Thanksgiving in 2012 after then-Lions coach Jim Schwartz challenged a Texans touchdown in the third quarter, negating the automatic review and drawing a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct. ... Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel and Lions coach Matt Patricia worked together on Bill Belichick's staff in New England for one season in 2004. ...Houston DB A.J. Moore and Detroit DB C.J. Moore, identical twins, are playing against each other for the first time. ... The Texans had just two wins this season over Jacksonville before beating New England. ... Crennel is 3-3 as interim coach since Bill O'Brien was fired. ... QB Deshaun Watson threw for 344 yards and two TDs without an INT and ran for a score in the win over New England. ... The Texans gave up just 86 yards rushing to the Patriots after allowing 346 yards rushing combined in their previous two games. ... DE J.J. Watt became the first lineman in NFL history to defend four passes and have a tackle for a loss in the same game against the Patriots. ... The Lions have played on Thanksgiving since 1934 and are 37-41-2 on the holiday. ... QB Matthew Stafford has an NFL-high 2,705 yards passing on Thanksgiving and with 17 TD passes on the holiday, he trails only former Dallas quarterback Tony Romo by one on the league's all-time list. ... Patricia is 13-28-1 in two-plus seasons. ... Detroit was shut out last week for the first time since 2009. The Lions had just 10 first downs, 185 total yards and gave up five sacks against Carolina. ... Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson combined for 35 yards rushing on 13 carries against the Panthers while D'Andre Swift was out with a concussion. ... Fantasy tip: Watson is worth a start. He has thrown for two-plus TDs in seven of his last eight games and is going against a shaky secondary giving up an average of 258.4 yards passing per game.
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