Detroit Lions vs Houston Texans match player stats are best understood through the two most recent meetings: Detroit’s comeback win in Houston on November 10, 2024, and Houston’s preseason control in Detroit on August 23, 2025. Below you’ll find the final scores, player leaders, and the specific drives that swung each game—cleanly organized for fast reference and built to update as these teams meet again.
Final scores at a glance
- Regular season — Nov 10, 2024 (NRG Stadium): Lions 26, Texans 23. Detroit erased a 23–7 halftime deficit. Jake Bates drilled a 58-yard kick to tie and a 52-yard game-winner at 0:00. Jared Goff threw 2 TDs and 5 INTs; C.J. Stroud had 1 TD and 2 INTs.
- Preseason — Aug 23, 2025 (Ford Field): Texans 26, Lions 7. Houston dominated possession (40:15 to 19:45) and third down (9 of 12). Kyle Allen to Isaac TeSlaa produced Detroit’s lone touchdown.
Leaders and box-score highlights
Nov 10, 2024 — regular season
| Team | Top passer | Top rusher | Top receiver | Kicker |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit Lions | Jared Goff — 15/30, 240 yds, 2 TD, 5 INT | Jahmyr Gibbs — 19 for 71 | Sam LaPorta — 3 for 66, TD | Jake Bates — 58-yd tie; 52-yd winner |
| Houston Texans | C.J. Stroud — 19/33, 232 yds, TD, 2 INT | Joe Mixon — 25 for 46, TD | John Metchie III — 5 for 74, TD | Ka’imi Fairbairn — 3/4 FGs (long 56) |
Aug 23, 2025 — preseason
| Team | Top passer | Top rusher | Top receiver | Special teams |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | Graham Mertz — 14/16, 145 yds, TD | Jawhar Jordan — 13 for 55 | Charlie Powell — 6 for 63 | Ka’imi Fairbairn — 53-yd & 48-yd FGs |
| Detroit Lions | Hendon Hooker — 6/11, 70 yds, INT | James Saylors — 9 for 32 | Isaac TeSlaa — 2 for 41, TD | Jake Bates — PAT after TeSlaa TD |
Scoring plays that decided it
- 2024 Q2 10:52 — Sam LaPorta’s 20-yard TD from Goff kick-started Detroit’s rally after Houston jumped out 13–7.
- 2024 Q4 11:38 — Amon-Ra St. Brown’s 9-yard TD from Goff cut the deficit to 23–20; Jake Bates hit from 58 to tie with 5:01 and drilled the 52-yard walk-off at :00.
- 2025 preseason Q1 1:52 — Kyle Allen → Isaac TeSlaa from 33 yards for Detroit’s lone score.
- 2025 preseason Q2 12:22 — Woody Marks 9-yard rush put Houston ahead to stay; later, Graham Mertz → Quintez Cephus from 6 yards opened a two-score cushion.
- 2025 preseason Q4 12:58 — Kedon Slovis → Daniel Jackson from 3 yards sealed the game; Fairbairn’s 48-yarder closed it out.
What the numbers tell us
Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions match player stats told a different story than the scoreboard. In 2024, five Jared Goff interceptions should have buried Detroit. Instead, the Lions’ defense smothered Washington after halftime, stacking sacks and gifting short fields while the offense leaned on tight-end seams and quick-game timing to reclaim control. The hidden edge was Bates’ range: with a 58-yard equalizer and a 52-yard winner effectively in the bag, Detroit’s final two drives needed only modest yardage to turn into points. In the same vein, Seahawks vs Detroit Lions match player stats show how pressures, takeaways, and red-zone snaps—not just the final score—define where the game actually tilted.
In the latest sports updates, Houston’s depth chart dictated the 2025 preseason flow—nearly 40 minutes of possession, 28 first downs, and a 9-of-12 clip on third down—locking the game into a low-variance script. As the sports news highlight for Detroit, Allen hit TeSlaa deep, but the Lions managed only 36 snaps while Houston’s reserves stayed on schedule and bled the clock.
