Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice and NFL writer Charles McDonald discuss whether the Texans defense can stop the explosive Lions offense to pull an upset in Week 10. Hear the full conversation on “Football 301” – and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or wherever you listen.
Video Transcript
When the Lions have the ball with their beefy offense, probably either one or two in every single category you look at going get a feisty Texans defense.
What are you checking out in this game?
I kind of think the only way that they have a chance to win this game defensively is if they can win the game, like between the twenties before you get to the red zone.
I because outside, because that’s really like the, the, the Texas defense, big flaw, like the big red alert area for them in this game.
I looked it up before we came on and they are uh 30th in reds and defense in terms of drives and in a touchdown at about 70% of drives that reached the end zone ending and a touchdown.
Uh Lions offense is obviously like top 10, top five in that same category because, you know, they, they maul uh but when you start looking into just like overall, like you don’t split it into anything.
Uh This looks like a big on big matchup if you just go by success rate, uh overall Lions offense, second Texas defense, first, uh drop backs lines are third t defense, second rushing lines, first t third.
Uh So that seems like a, uh, you know, maybe kind of forces colliding and you might see a draw.
But, uh the one, the one area outside of red zones that I think is concerning for the Texans is they do give up explosive plays which the Lions also get at will pretty much.
So if you’re in the spot where you’re like, you’re playing well, you know, maybe you can get them to a couple second longs, but then they get chunk plays.
Next thing, you know, you’re in the red zone.
Like that’s where the danger pill is for the Texas.
So like down to down, they can probably compete.
But if you give up those chunk plays that let them just do what they wanna do and put their heads down and just grind you into a pulp.
That seems like that’s the spot where this game could get away because I know, you know, I feel like we watch his defense and they have good players and they put up good numbers, but it just feels a little gettable.
They’re gettable.
They’re still gettable.
Right.
And I think that the Lions just like they have with everyone can really exploit that.