DESHAUN WATSON THREW for four touchdowns and 318 yards as the red-hot Houston Texans kept their playoff hopes alive with a 41-25 victory over the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving Thursday.
Will Fuller finished with two touchdown catches and a total of 171 yards, while defensive end JJ Watt returned an interception for a TD for the Texans, who have won three of their last four games.
“We wanted to show we can have an explosive offence and defense,” said Watson. “It was fun. We are ready to get home to have some celebrations.
“We plan on feeding off this. We got Indy next week and we are ready to go.”
The game was one of two played on US Thanksgiving, one of the most important days on the American gridiron calendar.
In the other matchup, Antonio Gibson ran for three touchdowns, and Washington moved into first place in the hapless NFC East Division with a 41-16 win over the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium.
The NFL’s showcase day was marred by the postponement of the marquee evening contest between the undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore after several Ravens’ players were diagnosed with the coronavirus this week, resulting in an angry response from the Steelers’ organization.
The Ravens’ outbreak now means that seven players are on the Covid-19 injury list, which indicates a player has tested positive or is considered a “high-risk” close contact with an infected person.
Running backs Mark Ingram and JK Dobbins are among those on the list. The addition of defensive end Jihad Ward to the list on Thursday means that Sunday’s game is also in jeopardy.
Texans’ Tyrell Adams racked up a season-high 17 tackles, and Duke Johnson rushed for 80 yards and also scored a touchdown in the win at Ford Field.
Detroit’s Matthew Stafford passed for 295 yards and one touchdown, while Adrian Peterson gained 55 yards on 15 carries and scored twice for the Lions, who dropped to 4-7 on the season.
Lions coach Matt Patricia was bombarded with questions from reporters about his job security.
“My focus every day is on the guys in that locker room and working as hard as I can to help them be successful,” Patricia said.
Tampa Bay faced one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses in their last outing, but the Buccaneers will shift gears in week 12 and face one of the league’s most explosive offences.
The marquee quarterback matchup of Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Bucs’ Tom Brady on Sunday could result in plenty of fireworks as the NFL’s playoff races heat up.
Mahomes is coming off a 35-31 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday, while Brady had an uncharacteristically subpar performance in his last outing, a 27-24 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“We’ve built chemistry with bringing the same guys back, year-in and year-out, so we know where each other is on that football field,” Mahomes said.
League MVP candidate Mahomes leads the Chiefs’ offense, along with one of his favorite targets: tight end Travis Kelce, who ranks third among receivers with 896 total yards.
Despite some of his recent struggles, Brady is still an iconic quarterback capable of explosive plays. He’s gone zero-for-nine in his last four games on passing attempts of more than 20 yards, but he’s not the type of quarterback to stay in a funk very long.
“We’ve got guys open, we’ve just missed them,” Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arians said. “And there are times when coverage dictates you go to that guy. I think we can do a better job of utilizing the deep ball in our game plan.”
The Chiefs-Buccaneers game is the only one that showcases teams with winning records. The remainder of the games features teams that are looking to play the role of spoiler.
In another key matchup, the Green Bay Packers will seek to extend their lead in the NFC North to three games when they face the Chicago Bears.
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