Detroit Lions vs. Texans Winners and Losers: Aaron Glenn “Dialed In Out There”

HOUSTON – Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett highlights the best and worst performances from the Lions' 26-23 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday at NRG Stadium.

Play balls

KJake Bates

Bates' storybook season just keeps getting better.

Bates made his second game-winning field goal of the season on Sunday, this one from 52 yards with no time on the clock, to give the Lions their seventh straight victory. Bates is making 14 of 14 field goals this year, including 3 of 3 from beyond 50 yards. He also made a career-long 58-yarder on Sunday, and he said he could never have dreamed of a moment like that against the Texans – his hometown team.

“I mean, I think this almost feels like it's too scripted, like it's too good to be true,” Bates said. “I try not to get too caught up in the what-if scenarios, but just stay in the moment and stay calm as long as I can.”

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DC Aaron Glenn

The Texans scored at five of their six positions in the first half and took a 23-7 halftime lead, but it could have been much worse for the Lions. Houston started two possessions in Lions territory and another at midfield in the first 23 minutes.

After halftime, the Lions pitched a shutout, intercepted two passes and forced four punts before the Texans missed a long field goal on their final drive. The Lions had four sacks and held the Texans to 56 yards rushing, and Glenn had a masterful game, mixing his pressures to harass CJ Stroud and beat his old team.

“He tried to call it the perfect call every time, and he dialed it in out there,” Alim McNeill said. “So I’m happy for him, really happy for him, happy for him as a defender, but he’s always happy when we go out and execute and do what we need to do.”

CB Carlton Davis III

Davis exacted his own personal revenge on the Texans after a tough game last season in Houston while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Davis intercepted two passes from CJ Stroud in the second half, including one on Houston's first play of the third quarter when he got Stroud to throw an out route to Tank Dell.

Alex Anzalone said that takeaway reinforced the coaches' halftime message that the Lions were still in the game, and while Davis' second pick was a gift for a poorly thrown and late pass, it came in the end zone and kept the points at one Point away from the field crucial time in the game.

Goats

FIND A WAY TO WIN: Forget the 5 interceptions: Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff dared to go cold-blooded

QB Jared Goff

Goff has been so brilliant for the Lions this season that he is a legitimate MVP candidate. But he threw for a career-best 240 yards on Sunday as part of a difficult 15-for-30 day.

The ball losses were a team effort. The Lions struggled in pass defense, didn't run the ball well until the end of the game, and Campbell said two of Goff's picks came on plays where his receivers didn't run good routes.

Still, the Lions' success in recent weeks has been due in part to their ball security, and Goff's struggles with good defense nearly cost the Lions the game.

Texans LS Jon Weeks

The Texans had a chance to win – or at least take the game into overtime – on Sunday, but Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 58-yard field goal after a high snap from Weeks with 1:51 to play.

Shots this long aren't gimmicks, but Fairbairn hit a 56-yarder early in the game and made an impressive 11 of 13 field goals beyond 50 yards before his late miss.

Making matters worse, the miss gave the Lions the ball at their own 48-yard line to start their final drive. Three plays later they were within field goal range – and three plays after that the game was over.

Dave Birkett will be signing copies of his new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline,” at Our Lady of Victory in Northville on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Order your copy here. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions vs. Texans winners and losers: Aaron Glenn is 'dialed in out there'