In watching Sunday night’s amazing comeback win by the Lions in Houston, one of the things that stood out in real-time was how well the Detroit defense handled business on first downs. It sure felt that way in the second half, when Aaron Glenn’s defense pitched a shutout against C.J. Stroud and the Texans.
That led me to do a little research into if my real-time perception was accurate. I went back and looked at every 1st-and-10 play the Texans ran in the second half:
1- Carlton Davis INT on a short out route from Stroud
2- Joe Mixon inside run for 1 yard
3- Mixon inside run for 1 yard, same play as the last one
4- Mixon outside run for 6 yards (Davis snagged another INT on the next play)
5- Mixon outside left run for 5 yards, with Carlton Davis getting shaken up on the tackle
6- Mixon outside run for 4 yards, negated by a very obvious holding penalty (creating 1st-and-20)
7- Stroud incomplete pass deep right to TE Cade Stover, tight coverage by Jack Campbell
8- Stroud to TE Dalton Schultz for 17 yards over the middle, a busted zone coverage by the Lions LBs
9- Mixon outside run for no gain, hit in the backfield
10- Mixon inside run for 4 yards, though he was hit in the backfield on the play
11- Mixon off right tackle for 2 yards
12- Mixon inside run for 4 yards on a draw play
Tallying it all up, the Texans ran the ball on 1st-and-10 nine times in the second half. Those nine carries by Joe Mixon gained 27 yards, but the penalty on LG Juice Scruggs knocked the net down to 17 yards on those nine attempts. Stroud completed 1-of-3 passes for 17 yards, with another of those being picked off.
That’s 12 plays for Houston on 1st-and-10 netting a total of 34 yards and a takeaway by the Lions defense. If you’re looking for a reason why the Lions were able to come back, the impressive work on first downs against a predictable Texans offense after halftime is a big one.
