THANKSGIVING DAY FOOTBALL: HOUSTON TEXANS AT DETROIT LIONS

BY ADAM GREENE

You know, if there was ever a time for the NFL to step up and deliver a solid NFL slate it’s Thanksgiving, 2020, when most of us SHOULD be keeping to ourselves and not trying our resolute best to kill each other’s grandparents. Instead, we get this stinker to open our Turkey Day Football festivities as the Houston Texans travel to Motor City to take on the Detroit Lions in a game that Scott Hanson would apologize to for pulling up on NFL Redzone because every other game was in commercial break or at halftime.

HOUSTON TEXANS AT DETROIT LIONS (+2.5, O/U: 51.5)

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.

Kickoff: Nov. 26, 12:30 p.m. EST

Broadcast: CBS

THE HISTORY

The short of the history between these two teams is exactly that; short. They’ve played all of four times and the Texans lead the “series” 3-1. Their first match up was in Sept. 2004, Houston’s second year in the league. That also would mark the Detroit’s lone victory.

The last time they hooked up was in Oct. 2016 with the Texans claiming a 20-13 win at home. Brock Osweiler was under center for Houston and threw for 186 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Matthew Stafford QBed the Lions and he was good for 240 yards and a TD. There were no real stats of note in the game as, even on defense, no player recorded more than a single sack and there were a total of three in the entire game.

HOUSTON TEXANS (3-7)

We can pretend this was a season of promise for the Texans who, in spite of Bill O’Brien’s horrid general management, still had a playoff caliber roster. But since O’Brien was also the head coach, they did not have a playoff head coach. Worse than that, they didn’t have a competent coach on the entire staff. Which is why they’re heading for a Top 10 draft pick.

Houston did get a big win Sunday, beating the New England Patriots 27-20. Deshaun Watson was his superstar self, which really should make this an enticing job to a competent head coach prospect as he completed 28 of 37 passing for 344 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another.

DETROIT LIONS (4-6)

If there was preseason hope for the Texans, there was absolutely none for Detroit after team ownership decided to stick with Matt Patricia as head coach instead of driving him upstate to live on a farm.

They roll into this one off a humiliating 20-0 loss to the Carolina Panthers who were starting their back up quarterback P.J. Walker, who last took a snap in the defunct XFL.

Stafford was 18 of 33 for 178 in the game that all but waved the white flag on Detroit’s season and Patricia’s head coaching career. If he makes it to Christmas, it’ll just because the Ford family doesn’t fire guys before the final game.

THE PICK

Talent wise, there’s no comparison between these two teams. Coaching-wise, there’s plenty, but none of it’s good or worth writing about. Stafford is a still a good QB (who should sue Detroit for the head coaches with whom they keep sticking him) but it won’t be enough. Texans 31, Lions 16

Follow our BetOnline Twitter account for the latest sports news and betting odds, and stay tuned on the Instagram feed for more good information too.