Thanksgiving gives people all over the country a chance to spend time with family and reasons to celebrate. For the Detroit Lions though, Thanksgiving in recent years has offered no reason to cheer.
The team has lost nine straight games on Turkey Day and has a tough challenge ahead as they welcome the Houston Texans to Ford Field for the first of three NFL holiday games.
The Texans are tied for the best record in the NFL at 9-1, but almost suffered a loss against the worst team in the NFL last Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Houston won the game 43-37, but it took record performances from quarterback Matt Schuab and wide receiver Andre Johnson to earn the victory.
"We obviously didn't play up to our standard," coach Gary Kubiak said to the Associated Press. "We gave up big plays. We had a few assignment issues, which is unusual for us. That's something we've got to fix."
Schuab threw for 527 yards, the second-most of all-time, and tossed five touchdowns, the best in franchise history. Johnson was nearly as good, making a career-high 14 receptions for 273 yards, which is the "the most in the league since 2000," according to the Associated Press.
The Texans defense played poorly on Sunday, giving up a season-high 458 yards, including 354 passing yards from Jaguars quarterback Chad Henne, who came into the game following an injury to starter Blaine Gabbert.
Houston is the most complete team in the NFL, ranking in the top 10 in the league in both offense and defense. The Texans eighth in the league in rushing yards, averaging 136 per game, and are 12th in the league in passing yards. The defense is only allowing 18 points per game and is ranked second in passing yards allowed and seventh in rushing yards allowed.
Running back Arian Foster is playing at an MVP-level this year, gaining 949 yards and scoring 10 touchdowns. Schuab has been just as essential to the team throwing for 2,540 yards and 18 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.
Houston is rolling into the game against Detroit riding a four game win streak that started with a 43-13 pounding of the Baltimore Ravens, one of the best teams in the conference. The previous Sunday, the Texans lost their first game of the season 42-24 against the Green Bay Packers after starting 5-0.
The running game will also get an added benefit as Ben Tate returns from an injured hamstring.
"I think (Tate) has a good chance (of playing)," Kubiak said.
The Detroit Lions have been disappointing this season just one year after making the playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. The team is only 4-6 and are in last place in the NFC North despite having one of the best offenses in the league.
The Lions are coming off of a tough 24-20 loss to division-rival Green Bay and desperately needs a win to stay in the playoff hunt. Quarterback Matthew Stafford threw two interceptions in the loss, including one that was returned for a touchdown.
"Obviously I have to play better to give us a chance to win," Stafford said.
Detroit has a top-rated passing game and Stafford has put up fantastic numbers, passing for 2,988 yards and 12 touchdowns, but it hasn't translated into wins. Stafford has thrown 10 interceptions and against Green Bay he only completed 43 percent of his passes.
Stafford will rely on wide receiver Calvin Johnson on Thursday and will have a favorable matchup if Houston's Jonathon Joseph doesn't play. The cornerback hurt his hamstring against the Packers and will be a game-time decision.
"He's got a strain, but it's a slight strain," Kubiak said. "It's just (dependent on) how he reacts to it."
Detroit will be without one of their offensive weapons after wide receiver Titus Young was benched by head coach Jim Schwartz for "unacceptable behavior" in Sunday's loss.
"He's been a distraction the last few weeks whether just not being fully prepared or not showing up to things when we have things on the schedule -- him not being there on time," Johnson said. "It's just him not being a professional."
The Detroit defense has been one of the biggest weaknesses for the team, allowing over 300 yards and 24 points per game.The defense will also have to deal with some personnel changes, as left tackle Jeff Backus may miss his first start in 186 games with a hamstring injury.
"There's nothing like having the leader or your defense, a guy who is literally the heart and soul of our defense, and a guy that's been experienced and played well in our defense," Schwartz told the team's website.
The Lions are 2-2 at home this season, but haven't won on Thanksgiving in nearly a decade. Last season the team lost to the Green Bay Packers 27-15 in a game that saw defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh get ejected for stomping on an opponent. Matthew Stafford threw for 276 yards and a touchdown, but also had four interceptions.
According to the Associated Press, "The Texans lost 28-16 there during their only visit in 2004, but prevailed 28-21 over the Lions four years later. Schaub threw a pair of touchdowns to Owen Daniels and completed 26 of 31 passes for 267 yards in that victory."
WATCH the Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions LIVE STREAM by clicking HERE.
(**Sports World Report does not endorse the live streaming of the games of the sites it has linked to. It has no control over the content of the website and thus does not warrant that it is error or virus free or free of other harmful components.)
