Why Aaron Rodgers Needs to Worry about James Houston
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The Detroit Lions' 2022 season closes out with a must-see matchup with the Packers Sunday night at Lambeau Field.
And, if the Rams find a way to beat the Seahawks earlier in the day Sunday, the aforementioned Lions-Packers Week 18 contest becomes a play-in game to the postseason for Detroit.
As for Green Bay, all it has to do is defeat the Lions to clinch a spot in the NFC playoffs.
You couldn't script a better way for the season to end for both teams.
And, you know the players from each side are salivating over this matchup, especially Packers future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers has "owned" the Lions over the years. In 25 career games vs. Detroit, he's gone 18-7, and has thrown for 6,346 yards, 53 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions. He's also recorded an impressive passer rating of 105.8.
The always confident Rodgers also hasn't shown Detroit a ton of respect in recent memory.
Even after losing to the Lions, and throwing three picks against them, in his most recent meeting with the NFC North team (in Week 9), he found a way to disparage Dan Campbell's squad. After suffering the defeat, Rodgers told reporters, "We can’t lose a game like that against that team, no. So, that’s going to hurt for a while."
What the longtime Green Bay signal-caller doesn't realize, though, is that these Lions aren't your father's or grandfather's Lions.
This Campbell-led version of the team is a highly competitive bunch that packs a mean punch. And, now it has a chance to play spoiler to Rodgers' Packers in Week 18.
One of the reasons for that being the case is the emergence of Detroit rookie EDGE James Houston.
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Houston, a sixth-round pick of the Lions this past April (No. 217 overall), started the season on Detroit's practice squad. He was signed to the team's active roster prior to its Thanksgiving Day clash with the Bills, and since then, he's been the definition of a "sack-master."
Most recently, the Jackson State product notched a career-best three sacks and a forced fumble against Justin Fields and the Bears. And, in six career NFL games, the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder has already produced eight sacks (the most sacks by a player in that few games in league history).
As the result of his great start to the '22 campaign, Houston is now the fifth ever NFL player -- and the first since Von Miller in 2011 -- to record at least six sacks and one forced fumble through six career games (stat's been kept track of since 1999).
"Biggest thing is that he’s really starting to pick up on the prep, on the package,” Detroit defensive line coach Todd Wash said of Houston Wednesday. “Obviously, when he was on the practice squad, stuff like that, he doesn’t get a lot of practice reps. So, the more and more he’s been up on the active roster, he’s getting more and more practice reps. Learning the system. And executing really well. So, that’s a credit to him to be able to play the SAM position (strong-side linebacker) on first and second down and then play defensive end on third down.”
Houston has emerged on to the scene in a rapid fashion, and has formed a dynamic pass-rushing duo with fellow first-year pro Aidan Hutchinson (who has 7.5 sacks).
"My job is to go out there and just get sacks and that’s what I do. I’m just playing football," Houston said, after the Lions defeated the Bears at Ford Field.
If Rodgers is as smart as he would like people to believe, he's certainly studying film of Houston this week, and he won't be taking the Lions lightly Sunday.
