If an accurate quarterback is a comfortable quarterback, then the Texans' pass rush made Jared Goff play like he was wearing cleats filled with Christmas tree needles for most of Sunday's night contest against the Lions. A one-loss signal-caller who entered Houston on a record pace for completion percentage, who hadn't thrown a ball to the wrong-colored jerseys since Week 3, looked without warning like a Lions QB from the old days, completing a season-low 50 percent of his 30 passes while tossing an increasingly confounding five interceptions as his boys trailed by as much as 23-7 in the second half. Still, all was forgiven in the end, as some Texan mistakes, a refocused offense, and a couple of clutch kicks all combined to deliver Detroit an inspiring comeback—26-23, with a walk-off field goal for the win.
Most of what you need to know about Detroit's offense is this: In their one loss this season, Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay, Goff threw the ball 55 times. In all other games leading into their primetime clash against Houston, he'd maxed out at 28. The two prongs that allow this offense to plug into a power source are running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and their punishing runs behind a fearsome offensive line are what open up opportunities for Goff to find his receivers on play-action pass plays. But the Texans' pressure in the early going both suffocated the run and forced Goff into uncharacteristic errors. On the game's opening drive, an energetic deflection by Jalen Pitre created a Jimmie Ward interception, and with the Lions down 13-7 in the second, Denico Autry got his hand on Goff while he threw and sparked a tip frenzy that eventually led to another Texans field goal. Detroit proceeded to go three-and-out on each of the next two drives, as Houston's aggression disrupted Goff's rhythm and refused to give him clear looks at his targets.
From that point, it was clear Goff was trying too hard to force a breakthrough. There was no shame in his end-of-half Hail Mary pick, but in the third he gifted two balls to Houston on a pair of tosses that just flat out didn't work.
Luckily for Detroit, Houston couldn't turn either turnover into points for themselves, and their QB C.J. Stroud regifted a ball in the third on a potential scoring drive with a lazy end-zone toss sniffed out by Carlton Davis. Just as I was beginning to think that Goff was not the brilliant tactician I thought he was, the Lions attack started to look a little more familiar. Riding the wave of a more established run, and enjoying more time to survey the field while Houston's defense seemed to hedge its bets by spreading defenders out instead of aiming for pressures, Goff was able to send solid passes to trusted comrade Amon-Ra St. Brown in particular. The 30-year-old former first overall pick, who initially appeared a stopgap until the Lions found their QB solution in the draft, is a testament to the fact that people aren't finished products in their mid-20s, and surely his experience with adversity played a role in resetting the Lions for their comeback.
"Our defense really bailed us out," Goff said afterward. "They really did all day, and guys stuck with me on offense, and I was telling them, 'Hey man, I'm good. Just hang in there. I'm good. I'm going to have this thing figured out.'"
The Lions' late execution and the Texans' stall-out meant the game turned into a kicking contest in the tense final moments. While Kaʻimi Fairbairn had Lions leg man Jake Bates beat by a mile on NFL experience, it was the 25-year-old rookie from Tomball, Texas who stole all the glory. With the Lions down 23-20, he slipped a 58-yarder just past the right-hand upright, and after Fairbairn shanked a would-be go-ahead kick from the same distance, a couple of modest gains by the blue-and-silver offense primed Bates for heroism.
Everyone give a big round of applause to the Lions fans who shouted "Right! Right!" at the climactic field goal in flight. They earned this win, too.
With just the right mix of stomach-churning nail biters in tough matchups and easygoing blowouts against laughable opponents, the Lions are now 8-1 with the league's best point differential—set up for home-field advantage all the way to ... you know. A game in which the team wins despite five interceptions from its star QB doesn't necessarily bode well for the winter—it hadn't even been done since 2012 Matt Ryan. But winning this kind of game feels a hell of a lot better than losing it.
