3 Texans to blame for blowing huge lead on Sunday Night Football

About two hours ago, I did not think this would be the piece published after Sunday Night Football, but here we are. The Detroit Lions rallied from 16 points down in the second half to stun the Houston Texans, and Lions fans — both in the arena in Houston and sitting in their recliners at home — watched their team win a game they've seemingly been on the losing side of a million times. But as thrilling a win it was for Detroit, it was equally crushing a loss for the Texans.

The season isn't over — no one needs to be fired and no changes will be made to the Texans starting lineup. But that doesn't mean this wasn't a bad loss, because... it was. Jared Goff threw five interceptions, the Lions averaged 3.3 yards per carry and Houston had the ball in Lions territory with the game tied and two minutes left.

How on Earth does a team lose that game? Just the five interceptions alone should have been enough for the Texans to coast for a win, as only three times in 30 years has a quarterback won despite a five-pick night.

There isn't one culprit to point to — losing a game like this is a collective effort. So, solidarity, I guess? Here's who combined to lose a tough one for Houston.

1. CJ Stroud

Houston's quarterback did some nice things in this game (he threw fewer than half the interceptions Goff did, after all) but the Texans defense forcing that many turnovers and Houston not taking advantage of it over and over is what kept Detroit in shouting distance the whole night.

The typically reliable Stroud was off-target for most of the night — his interception in the third quarter when Houston led 23-13 was a pretty massive momentum shift. A touchdown there (or even a field goal) would have put more space between the Texans and Lions. Going up by 17 at that point could have been the nail in the coffin, but instead a heinously underthrown ball turned into an interception for Detroit.

Stroud will be okay; he's shown enough poise in big games and close games that one blown lead isn't enough to freak out over. But he certainly doesn't escape the blame for a painful SNF loss.

2. Joe Mixon

Yes, an offensive line plays a big part in how well a running back plays on any given night, and yes, Houston's offensive line had a long night. But 25 carries for 46 yards is a rushing line so bad you have to do a double-take. Mixon has been good this year but couldn't find a hole to save his life on Sunday night, which led to him averaging 1.8 yards per carry. That's approximately 5.4 feet. Joe Mixon is 6-foot-1! He didn't even average his full body length every time he touched the ball.

Houston's complete inability to run the ball tonight is a big reason they couldn't put their stamp on this game or put Detroit away. If a team can pound the run, a multiple-touchdown lead in the second half should be safe. But Mixon's inability to break free and move the ball forward made killing time impossible. Without the ability to take the metaphorical air out of the ball, Detroit hung around and had enough time to pull off the comeback.

3. DeMeco Ryans and Bobby Slowik

Late-game clock management can't be easy. I'd argue it's actually closer to the hardest part of coaching. Deciding when to use timeouts, when to run versus pass, when to score, if you should score, it all sounds very stressful.

Bobby Slowik calls the plays for Houston, and certainly shoulders a lot of the responsibility for Houston's stagnant offense at important junctures of this game, but DeMeco Ryans isn't immune as the head coach, either. The decision to try a 58-yard field goal after the two-minute warning was basically deciding to put the game in the hands of kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn. Houston's kicker is very good from 50-plus to be fair, but that was audacious for potentially no reason. Fairbairn's kick wasn't close, and Detroit didn't need to go far for a field goal attempt of its own.