Detroit Lions vs Houston Texans live score updates, highlights, news

No matter what happens Sunday night, the Detroit Lions will be atop the NFC for another week. Even a loss to the Houston Texans would drop them to 7-2, where they hold the tiebreaker at 7-2 against the Vikings (by head-to-head win) and the Eagles (conference record).

That being said, the Lions don't want to take first place in either the tiebreaker or technical questions. They're desperate to earn it, and they would if they could beat the Texans on Sunday Night Football in Houston.

Detroit is the away favorite by 3.5 points, but it won't be a walk in the park against the 6-3 Texans. CJ Stroud is one of the most electrifying quarterbacks in football and Houston's defense is one of the best in the NFL.

The Lions have faced some of the best defenses in football lately and have beaten them all. However, they have a pretty big hurdle to overcome this week: left tackle Taylor Decker is out with a shoulder injury. Since the Texans have one of the best pass rushes – although they will be missing Will Anderson Jr. – Detroit's front five will have their hands full.

Of course, let's not forget that the Lions' offense also gets Jameson Williams back this week, adding another dimension to Detroit's dynamic attack. Will that be enough to bring the season to 8-1?

Follow live here as we provide live score updates, drive-by-drive analysis, highlights and any injury news that may be released during the game. Refresh the page after the game starts at 8:20 p.m. ET for the latest information.

First quarter

The Lions won the toss and wanted the ball first. The Lions started Dan Skipper at left tackle, filling in for the injured Taylor Decker. They managed an early third down conversion with a clever shovel pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown. But they quickly turned it around after a pass from Jared Goff was deflected into the air and cleared by the Texans' Jimmie Ward.

The Lions quickly got the Texans to a third-and-10 thanks to a strong run defense, but then CJ Stroud hit Tank Dell for 13 yards to convert and get into the red zone. Again, the Lions' run defense showed up and forced a third-and-16 – but again, the Lions' pass defense was too soft and Stroud found John Metchie III for the conversion. Two plays later, Joe Mixon completed a sweep for an 8-yard touchdown. 7:0 Lions.

The Lions' offense couldn't get anything going on the second drive. After a Jameson Williams attempt from deep and a delayed game penalty, the Lions faced a third-and-15 and Goff found Sam LaPorta well in front of the post.

A short punt brought the Texans to their own 44-yard line and Houston would take advantage. Two consecutive completions against Dell gave Houston a quick first down. Then a well-timed screen against a Lions blitz took Mixon to the 3-yard line for a 36-yard gain.

A holding penalty pushed the Texans back 10 yards, and Detroit held on from there, forcing a 39-yard field goal on third down after a sack by James Houston. 10-0 Texans.