The Lions have largely avoided turnovers in their six-game winning streak. But they committed one on their opening possession, allowing the Texans to take an early 7-0 lead.
Running back Joe Mixon took the ball to the paint for his seventh rushing touchdown of the season.
Quarterback Jared Goff threw his first interception since Week 3 to end Detroit’s first possession. On second-and-11 from the Lions’ 41, Goff was trying to hit Jahmyr Gibbs in the backfield but the pass was batted up by safety Jalen Pitre. Fellow safety Jimmie Ward came down with the ball, giving Houston an extra possession starting at Detroit’s 35.
The Texans needed a couple of third-down conversions to do it, but they fully capitalized on the opportunity. C.J. Stroud hit Tank Dell for a 13-yard gain on third-and-10. Then on third-and-16, he ran up to the line of scrimmage before finding John Metchie for a 16-yard completion to move the chains.
A play later, Mixon took a jet-sweep handoff to the left and got in the end zone for an 8-yard score.
