It’s Thanksgiving Day, and that means it’s a great day to watch some football. The first game up features two teams that are struggling to earn wins this season but are still in the hunt to reach the playoffs. The Houston Texans take on the Detroit Lions, and the game will kickoff at 12:30 p.m. ET on CBS. The AFC vs. NFC matchup can also be streamed on the Yahoo Sports App.
This will be the second time the Texans and Lions play on Thanksgiving Day. In 2012, the Texans were able to come away with a 34-31 overtime win over the Lions, thanks to wide receiver Andre Johnson who caught nine passes for 188 yards, the second most-receiving yards on Thanksgiving in NFL history. Texans defensive end J.J. Watt added three sacks in the win. For the Lions, quarterback Matthew Stafford threw for 441 yards, tied for the third-most passing yards on the holiday in NFL history.
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The Texans are coming off a 27-20 win over the New England Patriots. Quarterback Deshaun Watson threw for 344 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing touchdown. He’s the fifth quarterback to record three games with at least 300 passing yards, two touchdown passes, and a rushing touchdown in his first four seasons in NFL history. The other four are Daunte Culpepper, Josh Allen, Jeff Garcia and Charley Johnson. Despite the Texans’ struggles, Watson has been playing his best football. According to David Michael Smith of Pro Football Talk, the Clemson alum is on pace to throw for 4,613 yards and 32 touchdowns.
The Lions are looking to bounce back after losing to the Carolina Panthers 20-0. Stafford has played in nine Thanksgiving Day games and has thrown for 2,705 yards, the most of any player in NFL history on the holiday. He has also thrown for 17 touchdown passes on Thanksgiving, trailing only Tony Romo (18) for the most all-time. According to ESPN, Stafford is projected to throw for 4,130 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
Despite their slow stars to the season, both teams have an outside chance to make the playoffs. The Texans have a 3-7 record and only three games out of the final spot in the playoffs for the AFC with six games left. The Lions are 4-5 and two games behind the Arizona Cardinals for the final playoff spot in the NFC.
