Get ready for Sunday Night Football! Explore the latest odds and expert picks for the Detroit Lions vs. Houston Texans matchup. Don't miss out!
The Detroit Lions have had an incredible turnaround under Dan Campbell. Detroit didn’t win a playoff game for over three decades, but Campbell now has the Lions looking like the team to beat in the NFC one year after taking the franchise to its first NFC Championship Game since 1991. The Lions are atop the conference with a 7-1 record, and they are currently the favorites to win the NFC per the football futures odds. Detroit will now look to extend its record to 8-1 as it starts a tour of the AFC South with an anticipated showdown with the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football.
Week 10 Detroit Lions at Houston Texans
Detroit Lions -3.5
Houston Texans +3.5
Total 48.5
There has been quite a bit of movement in the NFL betting odds for this game. Detroit opened as a three-point favorite, but that number quickly moved to Lions -5 on Sunday night. We have seen buyback on Houston over the course of the week though with the line moving back down to where it currently sits at Lions -3.5. Conversely, the total has barely moved, inching from 48 to 48 and a hook.
Detroit Lions Overview
It’s impossible to overstate how great of a job Dan Campbell has done through three-and-a-half seasons in the Motor City. The Lions were the NFL’s doormat for 30 years and were coming out of the disastrous Matt Patricia era. Detroit needed an entire culture shift, and Campbell turned things around after going 3-13-1 in his first year at the helm. The Lions followed that up by finishing 9-8 in 2022 and had a breakout 12-5 record in 2023. It was just the franchise’s third season with 11 or more wins since 1962.
Jared Goff has been a major part of the turnaround. Goff was seen by some as a throw-in in the Matt Stafford trade, but he has blossomed into a very good quarterback with the Lions. The former No. 1 overall pick is completing 74.9% of his passes for 1,840 yards (8.7 YPA) with 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, and tight end Sam LaPorta have all been excellent targets in the passing game too.
The ground game is what makes the offense tick though. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery have been an excellent tandem and split the load evenly. Gibbs and Montgomery have combined to rush for 1,144 yards and 14 touchdowns in eight games behind a great offensive line.
Detroit’s defense took a major hit when Aidan Hutchinson suffered a leg injury that will keep him out at least the rest of the regular season. However, the Lions have responded in a significant way and have since added Za’Darius Smith to try and give the unit a solid pass rush again.
Houston Texans Overview
While Houston came into the season with lofty expectations and is somewhat living up to them on paper, the advanced stats on the Texans aren’t good. They have a point differential of +1 and have won just one game by more than one score.
This offense has taken a major hit with Nico Collins and Stefon Diggs on injured reserve. Tank Dell is now the No. 1 receiver, and he just isn’t as effective in the role. C.J. Stroud is completing 63.5% of his passes for 2,139 yards (7.2 YPA) with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions, but he hasn’t been as efficient and has been sacked a whopping 30 times. Joe Mixon has been a solid runner when healthy though with 609 yards (4.8 YPC) and six touchdowns through six games.
Houston’s defense has kept the Texans in games this year. The Texans rank second in total defense (281.7 YPG) and have been great in the secondary. However, this front seven is surrendering 4.7 YPC and will now be facing a great offensive line that knows how to get to the second level.
Sunday Night Football Prediction
We could see a blowout on Sunday night. Detroit matches up very well with Houston and should be able to control the clock with Gibbs and Montgomery breaking off big chunks of yardage.
Final Score: Detroit 34, Houston 17
