Coming off an ugly shutout loss last week at Carolina, the Lions (4-6 SU, 4-6 ATS) look to bounce back when they host the Texans (3-7, 3-7). Detroit hasn’t won on Thanksgiving Day since 2016 and opened as a 2-point underdog.
- Date/Time: November 26, 12:30 p.m. ET
- Stadium: Ford Field
- TV Coverage: CBS
- Sportsbook Odds: Texans -2 | O/U 51 (Line History)
- Texans vs Lions Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
The Texans haven’t been road favorites often lately, but on those few occasions, they’ve been good to their backers. Houston is 8-1 SU and 6-3 ATS in its last nine as road chalk, dating back to 2013. Detroit, meanwhile, has lost eight straight as a home underdog.
Houston News & Notes
The Texans’ beleaguered defense is showing signs of improvement, holding the Browns and Patriots to a combined 30 points over the last two weeks.
After surrendering a touchdown on New England’s Sportsbook drive Sunday, Houston allowed just one more major the rest of the way and limited the Patriots’ rushing attack to roughly half its season average. J.J. Watt also tied a career high by knocking down four passes for Houston, which has gone UNDER the total in four of its last six games.
Deshaun Watson keeps putting up big numbers despite Houston’s struggles, surpassing 300 passing yards last week for the fifth time this year. Watson threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the first half alone, and his 36 rushing yards accounted for two-thirds of the Texans’ ground game.
The Texans could be thin at wide receiver this week, however, after Randall Cobb and Kenny Stills both left Sunday’s game with injuries. That could mean increased usage for Keke Coutee, who had two catches for 10 yards and a touchdown against the Patriots in his first snaps on offense since the second week of the year.
Detroit News & Notes
The calls for head coach Matt Patricia’s job are getting deafening in Detroit after the Lions were blanked 20-0 on Sunday in Carolina. Detroit could only muster 185 yards of offense and 10 first downs against a Panthers defense that gave up 46 points the previous week against Tampa Bay.
QB Matthew Stafford was playing through torn ligaments in his right thumb but didn’t blame the injury for the Lions’ offensive struggles. “As far as throwing the ball, I felt pretty good,” Stafford told the Detroit Free Press afterward.
The Lions were without wide receivers Kenny Golladay and Danny Amendola due to injury, while running back D’Andre Swift also missed the contest. The availability of all three for Thursday was uncertain at the time of writing.
Perhaps a return home will spark the Lions offense. Detroit has gone OVER the total in 10 of its last 11 games at Ford Field, with an average of 57.3 points scored in those games.
Betting Pick: Texans -2.5
The Lions looked like a team that had quit on its coach on Sunday, and it’s hard to see anything changing when they take the field four days later. Watson should be the difference as Houston wins and covers for the third time in its last four outings.
- The OVER is 5-1 in HOU’s last 6 road games.
- The total has gone OVER in 10 of Detroit’s last 11 home games.
- Detroit is 0-8 SU in its last 8 games as a home underdog.
