Lions' Studs and Duds: James Houston Unleashed in NFL Debut

Read more on the Detroit Lions' studs and duds, after their loss to the Buffalo Bills on Thanksgiving.

The Detroit Lions gave the Buffalo Bills everything they could handle for four quarters.

Unfortunately for Dan Campbell’s team, it wasn’t quite enough to pull off the upset. Detroit used a late-game drive to tie the score at 25, with 0:23 left. But, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen connected with wide receiver Stefon Diggs for a 36-yard gain on the very next play.

After two short runs, Bills kicker Tyler Bass booted the game-winning 45-yard kick, just inside the left upright, to give his team the thrilling win.

The loss comes as a disappointment to the Lions, who played well enough to win but were once again snake-bitten by late-game mistakes.

Here are the studs and duds from Thursday’s game. 

STUD: DE James Houston IV

Houston made his presence felt after getting called up from the practice squad on Wednesday. The rookie took advantage of the opportunity, and made an excellent first impression in his NFL debut, with two sacks and a fumble recovery.

The 2022 sixth-round pick first got to Allen in the second quarter, on Buffalo’s final offensive snap of the half. After first engaging and re-routing running back Devin Singletary, he raced past right tackle Spencer Brown, and wrestled the superstar quarterback to the ground.

With just under 8:00 to go in the third quarter, Houston rushed from the opposite side and dove at Allen’s ankles for a big third-down sack, after the quarterback had gotten away from fellow Detroit rookie Aidan Hutchinson.

Houston made an impact on special teams, as well, falling on punt returner Kalif Raymond’s fumble that nearly gave Buffalo excellent field position.

Houston became the first Detroit rookie ever to debut with two sacks.

Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY NETWORK

DUD: G Dan Skipper

With Jonah Jackson sidelined, Detroit was forced to start Skipper and Kayode Awosika at guard. Though Skipper has had good moments during the season, he struggled against Buffalo’s strong pass rush on Thursday.

On multiple occasions, he was beaten out of his stance by Bills rushers. He was matched up against Ed Oliver, who made several big plays.

The biggest of these plays came in the third quarter, with Detroit backed up near its own goal line. Skipper was bull-rushed by Oliver, who wound up tripping Goff up for a pivotal safety.

STUD: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

For the first time since Week 2, St. Brown found the end zone. The second-year wide receiver had dealt with injury issues for a stretch of the year, but has since regained his groove.

With 122 receiving yards on nine catches, the USC product once again set a career-high in yards. Thursday marked his fourth 100-yard performance of the 2022 season.

In addition to his touchdown, St. Brown made several other important plays for the Lions' offense. He converted multiple third downs with crisp routes aimed right at the first-down marker, and picked up a fourth-and-1 with a seven-yard jet sweep run.

DUD: QB Jared Goff

Goff had his moments Thursday, both good and bad. He tossed two touchdown passes, one to St. Brown and the other a dime across the middle to DJ Chark. However, when it came time to make winning plays, the veteran quarterback came up short.

There was the crucial safety in the third quarter, which came on the heels of Alex Anzalone’s interception and turned a three-point deficit to five. However, his biggest mistake was an underthrow on Detroit’s final offensive possession.

Facing a third-and-1 from Buffalo’s 34-yard-line, Goff dropped to pass against a heavy rush. With Buffalo committing to stopping the run, Chark was single covered and open down the sideline. Goff’s pass missed its mark, and the Lions were forced to kick the game-tying field goal.

STUD: Alex Anzalone

Anzalone came up big for the Lions' defense with his third-quarter interception.

On first-and-goal from Detroit’s 10-yard line during its first possession of the second half, Buffalo tried to use a run-pass option to fool the Lions' defense. Yet, rookie linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez leapt to knock down Josh Allen’s pass, and Anzalone pulled the ball in to derail the Bills' drive.

Anzalone nearly picked off a second pass. However, the pass bounced before reaching his hands. The veteran linebacker also led the defense with nine tackles.

DUD: CB Will Harris

Harris struggled from his slot-cornerback position against the Bills’ high-powered receiving corps. He was burnt in two key situations that hurt the Lions.

First, he was beaten by Isaiah McKenzie for a 19-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Coming into the game, he had allowed 22 catches on 27 targets in his last five games.

After Detroit kicked the game-tying field goal with just 0:23 remaining, Harris allowed Diggs to gain inside leverage on a 36-yard reception that put Buffalo deep in Detroit territory. Safety Kerby Joseph was a second too late in help, and Diggs made the contested catch, to bring the Bills into field goal range for the eventual game-winning kick.

Fellow cornerback Jerry Jacobs was up-and-down, as he recorded a pass breakup and tackle for loss but was also penalized twice in coverage. One, an illegal contact penalty, was declined. Meanwhile, the other, a pass-interference call, came one play before Anzalone’s interception.