A little pre-game recon on Thursday’s showdown with the Lions up in Detroit City. Dead Coach made a great post in yesterday’s daily thread so take a look at it if you haven’t already (good stuff!). And Mark Lane sits down with Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire to get some intel on Houston’s Turkey Bowl opponent.
Dead Coach Talks Turkey About The Lions
By Dead Coach, duh.
Excerpt: Who are the Detroit Lions?
Since the Texans hardly ever face the Lions, and they generally aren’t a playoff team, many Houston fans might be thinking about Megatron and Barry Sanders still when they think of the Lions. It’s been a while since those days. Let’s see what we can see about the Thanksgiving opponent.
First, a little Thanksgiving trivia. There have been Thanksgiving NFL games pretty much every year since the league started. There were 5 Thanksgiving Day games in 1920, the first year of the league. Most notable was the match between the Chicago Tigers and Decatur Staleys, which legend says was a “loser gets out of town” match, as both were competing for the same fan base. There isn’t much evidence to support that, but the Tigers folded in 1921, and the Staleys went on to become the Chicago bears.
Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing the Texans’ Week 12 game with Lions Wire
By Mark Lane, TexansWire
Excerpt:
TexansWire: Who are some underrated Lions that Texans fans need to pay attention to?
Jeff Risdon: Amani Oruwariye has solidified himself as the team’s best cornerback. He had an end zone INT in Week 11 and he’s consistently the top cover man. He’s an emerging standout in his second season.
Punter Jack Fox won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September, his first month on the job in the NFL. He’s been fantastic, albeit a little busier than anyone hoped for.
Center Frank Ragnow had a rotten Week 11, but in general he’s one of the NFL’s best at his position.
TW: What’s your prediction for the first Turkey Day game?
JR: The Lions have no answers for Deshaun Watson. None. The injuries on the offense for Detroit handicap their ability to try and outscore the damage Watson & Co. will do to the league’s slowest defense. Texans 33, Lions 24