James Houston’s productivity and efficiency speak for a place in the squad

For the first time this preseason in front of a home crowd, Detroit Lions finished their test game schedule on Saturday with a 24-17 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

As we will do every week throughout the season for this Lions team, we have some data to dig through courtesy of Pro Football Focus that will help us better understand the football the Lions have played so far – and what we can look forward to in the coming weeks. Let's take a closer look at the Lions' numbers following their win over the Steelers in Week 3 of the 2024 season NFL preseason.

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9.3 yards per run

Watching the Pittsburgh Steelers' starters go up against players fighting for a spot on the Detroit Lions' practice squad made for some rather uncompetitive football to start this game. The Lions' first offensive drive was particularly ugly: six plays, 0 yards, three straight sacks and a lost fumble. Detroit's reserve offensive linemen were no match for the Steelers' opponent, and the next drive was no better: three plays, 0 yards and a punt.

While the offensive line allowed 14 pressure situations against the Steelers, it gave Hendon Hooker the opportunity to show off his athleticism and ability to extend plays – and drives – with his legs. Hooker ran for 9.3 yards per runthe highest average of any Runners with at least six runs in Week 3 of the preseason.

25% pass rush win rate

James Houston's training camp was an adventurous one. He also took on the role of SAM linebacker at the beginning of the summer, but it didn't take long for the Lions to change course with the third-year edge defender.

“Houston was injured. We're going to try to get him back to the defensive end position more and let him play that real position that he's comfortable at,” Campbell said on Aug. 12. “He sets the rim or he rushes the passer.”

Against the Steelers on Saturday, the Lions saw Houston return to form from the sidelines, making more of the plays that helped him break out in his 2022 rookie season – when he recorded 8.0 sacks in just seven games.

Houston released a 25% pass rush win rate according to PFF, he has the seventh-best percentage among fullbacks with at least eight pass-rushing snaps in Week 3 of the preseason. After Houston had three total pressure situations in just 12 pass-rushing snaps, it was certainly a “tough decision” for Brad Holmes and Dan Campbell before Tuesday's cutdowns whether he was on the 53-man roster.

22.2% stop rate in run defense

We'll stick with Houston's performance against the Steelers because of those currently on the line, his performance was one of the most interesting from a power and efficiency perspective. Playing just 22 total snaps – 12 in pass rushing, 10 in run defense – Houston filled the stat sheet.

In addition to the above-mentioned burdens, Houston recorded a 22.2% stop rate in run defense– the percentage of a player's run defense snaps where he was responsible for a “stop” or a play that represents a “mistake” for the offense. His run defense stop rate was the best among all edge defenders with at least eight run defense snaps in Week 3 of the preseason. It's not a part of Houston's game he's been able to showcase with any consistency, largely due to injuries and limited playing time, but seeing him set the edge and make plays in run defense was arguably even more beneficial for him in bolstering his case for a spot on Detroit's defense in 2024.