5 things to watch: Lions vs. Texans
Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson passed for 344 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions for a 121.9 rating with a rushing touchdown in a 27-20 victory over New England last Sunday. He is the fifth quarterback to record three games with at least 300 passing yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown in his first four seasons. He has at least two touchdown passes and a rating of 100-or-higher in seven of his past eight games.
What makes Watson and the Texans' offense so dangerous is Watson's ability to extend plays and get the ball down the field to speedy receivers Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks. Detroit has to be good trying to keep Watson in the pocket as much as possible today. He's at his most dangerous outside the pocket because he's still looking to throw down the field, and he's extremely accurate throwing on the run.
J.J. Watt is a three-time NFL Defensive MVP who leads the Texans in sacks (4.0) and tackles for loss (7.0). He's big, physical, has short-area quickness, and is overall a menacing figure on the edge for the Texans' defense. He plays the run better than most edge defenders in the game, and when he doesn't get home on the sack, he's great at getting his hands on passes, as evidenced by his career-high four batted balls last week vs. New England.
The Lions got behind on the scoreboard in Carolina last week, and that allowed Brian Burns and the Panthers other pass rushers to tee off on Stafford to tune of five sacks and 11 quarterback hits. Detroit can't get behind on the scoreboard and let Watt, Whitney Mercilus and the other Texans pass rushers pin their ears back and get after the quarterback this week. Detroit's got to be able to establish the run against the worst run defense in the NFL and be somewhat balanced on offense.
