3 winners & 3 losers from Texans Week 10 letdown against Lions

It was a tale of two halves for the Houston Texans on Sunday Night Football.

They dominated in the first 30 minutes, heading to intermission with a 23-7 lead. However, they couldn't score in the second half and eventually lost on a last-second field goal.

They'll have to get their second half woes figured out before their Week 11 meeting with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football if they want to stop this losing streak. Before focusing on that game though, let's see who stood out as winners and losers in the latest loss.

Winner: Denico Autry, DT

One of Houston's under-the-radar additions this offseason was Denico Autry. The 6-foot-5, 285-pound defensive tackle gives them an interior pass rusher capable of making huge plays. He was suspended for the first six games of the season but has come on strong over the past two weeks.

Autry had two sacks against the Jets and against the Lions, he was again spending a lot of time in the backfield. That includes forcing a turnover when he hit Jared Goff, whose pass sailed into the arms of Henry To'oTo'o.

The defense was on fire in the early part of the game, and Autry was a key piece of that puzzle.

Loser: Tytus Howard, OT

Houston had issues in the second half and it could have been worse thanks to Tytus Howard. Facing a third-and-10, C.J. Stroud was pressured and tried to escape. He ended up running into Howard, which can happen in a crowded pocket.

Where it got weird was when Howard tried to take the ball from Stroud, causing a fumble. Thankfully, he reocered it and the Texans were able to punt it away. But Howard nearly made a huge blunder.

Winner: John Metchie III, WR

On the final drive before the half, the Texans scored on a 15-yard touchdown by John Metchie III. That catch was huge for him since it was his first career touchdown after overcoming leukemia in 2022.

Metchie was huge on that drive, going for 49 yars on three receptions. He finished with 74 yards on five receptions, his best outing as a pro.

Loser: C.J. Stroud, QB

In the first half, C.J. Stroud was surgical. He sent his team into the intermission with a 23-7 lead and the Texans got the ball to start the third quarter. Considering he led them 66 yards for a touchdown in 42 seconds the last time he had the ball, expectations were high.

Stroud didn't add to the lead, but instead threw an interception on the first snap of the second half. The defense responded with an interception of their own, but Detroit scored following a three-and-out. Houston should have responded with a 30-yard touchdown from Tank Dell on the ensuing drive, but again, Stroud made a mistake.

This time, he was late in seeing Dell and then underthrew him. Carlton Davis ended up with the pic, and the Lions continued to hang around.

That was the story of the second half as Stroud missed one opportunity after another, ultimately leading to a defeat.

Winner: Kamari Lassiter, CB

Rookie second round pick Kamari Lassiter has had a solid debut season in the NFL. He entered Week 10 with six pass defenses and one interception. He tripled his interception total on back-to-back drives.

Lassiter picked off Jared Goff on a Hail Mary to close out the first half. Then in the second half, he responded to a C.J. Stroud interception by taking it away from Goff once again.

He left the game with a concussion and wasn't there while the Lions fought back and won.

Loser: Ka'imi Fairbarin, K

It wasn't an easy kick at all but Kai'imi Fairbairn is more than capable of hitting the 58-yarder he tried near the end of regulation. Had he nailed that, perhaps this game goes into overtime — or maybe the defense holds after being able to pin them deep on a kick off and they win.

We'll never knos since the attempt never had a shot. It was ugly the second Fairbairn kicked it.