ADAMS ENJOYS CAREER OUTING.
DETROIT — A small cut on Tyrell Adams’ face didn’t tell the story of his encounters with the Detroit offense.
The Texans linebacker won his battles against the Lions as he delivered the top individual performance of his career: a careerhigh 17 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles. The 17 tackles also tied a single-game franchise record.
“Man, it’s indescribable,” said Adams, an undrafted free agent from Division II West Georgia. “I’ve been thinking about my journey, high school, college, pro, and I’ve always got my success on the back end.
“It’s kind of been my lifestyle: keep my head down, keep working and let the chips fall where they may. I’m blessed to be where I’m at and I’m thankful for everything. It’s been the ride of my life.
Working next to inside linebacker Zach Cunningham, the NFL’s leading tackler, Adams has been extremely productive since he took over for the injured Benardrick McKinney.
This was Adams’ signature game as he became the fourth NFL player since 1994 to record at least 17 tackles and force two fumbles. He has more than 60 tackles for the first time in his career.
“Tremendous,” Texans interim coach Romeo Crennel said.
Adams forced Lions running back JonathanWilliams to fumble in the first quarter with the recovery by corner Bradley Roby leading to a touchdown. He also forced a fumble on Kerryon Johnson that was recovered by defensive tackle Brandon Dunn.
“T.A. brings a lot of energy,” defensive end J. J. Watt said. “It’s great to see him playing so well.”
Adams was hyped up, especially after Watt’s interception return for a touchdown.
“We played fast,” he said. “We played with a lot of energy. I love this side of the ball. We’re active and having fun.”
For a player who’s been in the shadows for the majority of his career, this was a significant moment for him.
“I’m more than blessed and thankful for the opportunity,” Adams said. “I love those guys in that room and the entire defense for believing in me. It’s a testament to me trying to uphold the faith they have in me.”
Peterson scores twice, criticizes turnovers
Detroit running back Adrian Peterson, who owns the O Athletik gym in the Heights, rushed for 55 yards on 17 carries and scored a pair of touchdowns.
Because the Lions turned it over three times and broke down
defensively, Peterson and his teammates came up short.
“That’s one thing we talk about each week is protecting the ball and not turning it over,” Peterson said. “One was a pick six, and the other two came at critical times. I felt like we were moving the ball and we did things that hurt ourselves.
“Credit to Houston defense of course, but it’s the National Football League, and when you turn the ball over three times, it’s hard to come back from that, especially when you are giving away points as well. So it was very critical for us.”
Johnson rebounds with 80 total yards
Texans running back Duke Johnson bounced back against the Lions, days after being shut
down by New England.
Johnson rushed for 37 yards on nine carries, averaging 4.1 yards per run after being held to 15 rushing yards on 10 carries in a win over New England.
Johnson also caught three passes for 43 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown catch off a
Deshaun Watson pass. He finished with 80 yards of total offense on a dozen touches and his most receiving yards in a game since last season against New England.
“Duke had a heck of a game,” Watson said.
Hall posts two sacks; Mercilus passes mark
The Texans hadn’t utilized reserve linebacker Nate Hall this extensively on defense until Thursday.
The former undrafted free agent from Northwestern had the first two sacks of his NFL career and finished with four tackles and one forced fumble.
“I just wanted to see guys make plays,” inside linebacker Tyrell Adams said. “Nate Hall was making plays.”
Meanwhile, outside linebacker Whitney Mercilus recorded his fourth sack of the season out of six quarterback hits overall this year. Mercilus now has 54 career sacks, passing MarioWilliams for the second-most in franchise history behind Watt.
Defensive end Charles Omenihu had two quarterback hits and leads the team with 11 for the season. Omenihu has had at least one quarterback hit per game since being shut out in the season opener.