Odds Lions Beat Texans in Week 10

Predicting Lions' odds to beat the Texans in Week 10.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell hugs wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) during warm up before the Green Bay Packers game at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis. on Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. / Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Get your popcorn ready! Next up for the Detroit Lions is a potential Super Bowl preview with C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football. 

The Lions, winners of six in a row, sit at 7-1 and atop the NFC North standings. Meanwhile, the Texans, losers of two of their last three, possess a 6-3 record and sit atop the AFC South standings.

Houston, led by Stroud under center, possesses the No. 13-ranked passing attack (1,995 yards). The Texans also feature a more than capable run game, with veteran back Joe Mixon leading the way. Mixon, in his first season in Houston, has amassed 609 of the Texans’ 1,138 total rushing yards on the season. It ranks as the 11th-most rushing yards by a team in 2024.

The Texans’ passing game has dealt with a pair of serious injuries recently, however. Veteran receiver Stefon Diggs was lost for the season with a torn ACL, while fourth-year wideout Nico Collins, the team's leading receiver (567 yards), has sat out the Texans’ last four games with a hamstring injury. 

Collins, who reportedly has experienced no setbacks with the hamstring, could be cleared to play Sunday against Detroit.

#Texans WR1 Nico Collins has passed all tests for hamstring, no setbacks, per league sources, regained speed, mobility, ready to go. Matter of when, not if he'll be designated for return. Team still determining if activating him for #Lions game. Might not practice today. @KPRC2

— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) November 6, 2024

Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the Texans are led by a duo of highly productive EDGE rushers in Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter. 

Anderson has produced a team-high 7.5 sacks, to go along with 11 tackles for loss and 10 QB hits. Plus, he's earned a 78.0 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his efforts. Hunter, meanwhile, has been arguably as productive. The four-time Pro Bowler, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings, has compiled 5.5 sacks, seven tackles for loss and a team-high 13 QB hits. And, for his efforts, he's received an 81.3 overall mark from PFF.

Additionally, the tandem of Anderson and Hunter has helped the Texans generate 29.0 sacks, the fourth-highest mark in the league through nine weeks. So, the Lions’ offensive line better be ready to bring its “A game” in this Week 10 showdown with Houston.

Anderson, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, is in danger of missing Sunday's contest, though. He left the Texans’ loss to the N.Y. Jets last week prematurely with an ankle ailment, and did not practice Wednesday. If he were to be sidelined against Detroit, it'd be a crucial blow to Houston's defense.

Even if Anderson is able to play, Texans general manager Nick Caserio knows that his squad faces a tough task in going up against the Lions.

“You're going to be hard pressed to find a better team in the league than the Detroit Lions,” Caserio said during a radio interview this week. "It starts with the top with Brad (Holmes) and Dan (Campbell), the job that they've done with the program, from where it started to where it is now. Nothing but respect, appreciation, admiration for the team that they have built.

"The team is built kind of in their images and Dan's image, and they play a certain way. They play with a certain mentality, mindset and overall style that is difficult to deal with on a weekly basis.”

At this present juncture, I'll give Detroit a 58 percent chance to capture the Week 10 victory in Houston.