3 things I’m watching for during Lions vs Texans joint practice
Dave Birkett shares 3 things he’s looking for in the Thursday, Aug. 21, joint practice between the Detroit Lions and Houston Texans in Allen Park.
The Detroit Lions hosted their final joint practice of 2025.
The Houston Texans visited Lions training camp in Allen Park on Thursday, Aug. 21, two days before both teams play in their final preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 23. That matchup will take place at Ford Field, with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Lions coach Dan Campbell was looking forward to the practice, saying on Wednesday, Aug. 20 that he was “fired up” to practice with the Texans before their preseason matchup:
“It’s only for one practice, but I mean those guys are — what (coach) DeMeco (Ryans has) done out there has been really impressive and I know this defense is, they’re the real deal.”
Houston finished fifth in total defense in 2024, allowing 315 yards per game (the Lions finished 20th at 342.4 yards allowed per game), so this could be a good test for a Lions offense that has failed to impress over its first three preseason games.
Here are the updates as they came from the joint practice session in Allen Park:
New Detroit Pistons’ acquisition Duncan Robinson was spotted in attendance at practice today.
He was watching practice with many figures surrounding Michigan basketball, including coach Dusty May.
The Lions offense drove all the way down to the 18-yard line in a drill that started with a minute on the clock and the ball in Lions’ territory.
Quarterback Jared Goff found tight end Sam LaPorta for a 17-yard completion to get the Lions a red-zone opportunity, but the Texans’ defense forced two incomplete passes with seconds left on the clock to bring the Lions’ kicking team out on the field.
Lions’ kicker Jake Bates nailed the 35-yard field goal to secure three points in the last play of the practice for the offense.
The Lions successfully held the Texans in a red-zone stop, with defensive lineman D.J. Reader and edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson teaming up on a third-down sack of Texans’ quarterback C.J. Stroud.
On fourth down, linebacker Alex Anzalone broke up a pass intended for tight end Dalton Schultz.
The Lions defense has intercepted Houston quarterbacks four times today, the last one by defensive back Avonte Maddox on backup quarterback Davis Mills.
Lions’ quarterback Hendon Hooker converted both his pass attempts during 11-on-11 drills, looking composed even in the face of a strong Texans’ pass rush.
His first of two completions to receiver Dominic Lovett went for a long gain down the left sideline, and his second completion went for a 17-yard gain up the middle on the final play of the series as the play clock was expiring.
Lions quarterback Kyle Allen was forced to scramble on all three of his pass opportunities, with a sack by Texans’ defensive tackle Tim Settle Jr. finishing off his series.
Starting quarterback Jared Goff didn’t have much better luck to start the next series, fumbling the ball after a strip from Texans’ defensive end Will Anderson Jr. He did finish his series with consecutive completions to receiver Jameson Williams, however, one for 10 yards and one for 35 yards.
In a special teams update, Lions’ punter Jack Fox just booted a beauty.
Fox’s punt travelled over the head of Texans’ returner Braxton Berrios, who let it fall rather than attempting a return. The ball bounced nicely for the Lions, however, settling down on the Texans’ 2-yard line for a 73-yard punt.
The Lions’ defense showed out against one of the league’s brightest young quarterbacks.
The Lions held quarterback C.J. Stroud to 1-for-5 during 11-on-11 drills, with cornerback Terrion Arnold breaking up a would-be long touchdown pass to Nico Collins.
The Lions’ defense performed well against the Texans’ offense in 7-on-7 drills, limiting starting quarterback C.J. Stroud to 4-of-6 passing with no pass rush.
The highlight of the drill was Lions safety Kerby Joseph intercepting a Stroud pass up the middle on his second pass attempt. Joseph led the league with nine interceptions in 2024.
Today’s joint practice session against the Texans is much cooler than the two sessions last week against the Dolphins, with clouds and wind making it feel more like football weather than it has all training camp.
One of the biggest storylines of the Lions preseason has been the competiton between Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen for the backup quarterback spot.
The implication has been that there’s only room on the roster for one player to back up starter Jared Goff, but Lions coach Dan Campbell was asked about the possibility of keeping three quarterbacks on the roster. And while he didn’t dismiss the possibility, he gave strong reasons not to do it:
“If you do that, you lose depth at d-line, or o-line, or receiver, or defensive back, or linebacker,” he said.
Campbell especially highlighted defensive depth after the Lions suffered a rash of injuries on defense late in the 2024 season:
“When you have a year like we did last year, you get affected a little bit by it,” he said. “Depth, depth, depth. We’ve got to make sure we have the depth.”
In his pre-practice press conference, Lions coach Dan Campbell addressed his team’s upcoming roster cut decisions:
“It feels like every year it gets a little bit harder to decide what you want to do,” he said. “We got some guys that really raised their play … we’re going to take it down to the wire and see if some of these guys really can just take that next little jump, because they’ve really grown a lot.”
He added that today’s joint practice can go a long way in helping the team determine who stays and who goes:
“Today’s pretty significant,” he said. “This isn’t some throwaway practice, we’re about to get some really good work. Some of these guys are going to go against the goods and we’ll see what they look like. That’s good for us and good for them.”
Lions’ defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo has been taken off the PUP list after suffering a meniscus tear during the team’s Thanksgiving win over the Chicago Bears in 2024. Wingo recently said he’d be ready for the start of the regular season, but Lions coach Dan Campbell said he still has a lot to work up to:
“It’s hard, because there’s really not enough time. But he’s done all he can do to this point,” he said, adding that Wingo will get seven-on-seven work during practice but will be limited in other facets.
Campbell also said that defensive end Josh Paschal, who underwent surgery in the offseason, will be out “a little later than we hoped,” but didn’t give a timeline for his return.
The Lions will face off against the Texans in their fourth and final preseason game on Saturday, Aug. 23, at Ford Field. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 23.
Time: 1 p.m. ET.
Location: Ford Field, Detroit.
After their joint practice this week, the Lions will take on the Texans at Ford Field on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET.
TV: Fox 2.
Streaming: Fubo.
Radio: WXYT-FM 97.1.
The Lions preseason games will be broadcasted on Fox 2, with streaming available on Fubo.
Watch Detroit Lions preseason on Fubo
- Hall of Fame Game: L, 34-7 vs Los Angeles Chargers.
- Week 1: Suspended, at Atlanta Falcons.
- Week 2: L, 24-17 vs Miami Dolphins (1 p.m. ET).
- Week 3: vs Houston Texans, Saturday, Aug. 23 (1 p.m. ET).
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com