Getty James Houston celebrates a 2022 sack.
The Detroit Lions got a pair of sacks from James Houston in his debut on Thanksgiving Day, so many fans were likely wondering whether or not he had anything special in the tank again.
As it turns out, the rookie had more tricks up his sleeve for his new team. Just a few weeks after being activated, Houston has been piling up the sacks for the Lions. In Week 13, Houston collected yet another takedown of the quarterback.
Late in the first-half, Houston broke through the line with a nice move and slammed Trevor Lawrence to the turf.
Lions rookie James Houston (6th round; No. 217) recorded two sacks against Josh Allen and the Bills in his NFL debut. In his second game, he picked up another sack on this move:
With three sacks in two games, there’s no question that Houston has arrived on the big stage in a big way. It’s hard for rookies to win consistently in the NFL in terms of pass rush, and Houston’s explosion shows how ready he is to dominate in the league.
Historically, he continues to roll on as well for the team given the stats he is putting up.
Houston Makes More History With Sacks
In terms of the Lions, the more Houston plays, the more he continues to impress on the field. Every time he sees the field, it seems Houston has been able to make history.
During his first game, Houston ended up as the only Lions rookie to have a pair of sacks in his debut. After this game, Houston ends up as the first rookie since Da’Shawn Hand to record sacks in consecutive games.
With his nine-yard sack, @Lions LB @Jthouston_4 became the first Lions rookie to record a sack in consecutive games since DL Da’Shawn Hand in 2018.
He joins @aidanhutch97 as the only two Lions rookies with 3.0 sacks within their first two-career games.
“With his nine-yard sack, Lions LB James Houston became the first Lions rookie to record a sack in consecutive games since DL Da’Shawn Hand in 2018. He joins Aidan Hutchinson as the only two Lions rookies with 3.0 sacks within their first two-career games,” the account tweeted.
This shows the kind of company Houston has been able to keep with the Lions thus far in his career. He’s had a huge start, and thus far, has been able to maintain the momentum that the team seems to have at this point on defense with regard to pass rushers.
Houston, Hutchinson Defensive Building Blocks
When the future is discussed, it’s hard not to think about how good the Lions may have things with names like Houston and Aidan Hutchinson in the mix.
So far this year, Hutchinson has been a force for the Lions with six sacks on the year to go with 33 tackles. The Lions seem to have the makings of what looks like a good thing, and fans seem to understand that. In one game, Houston and Hutchinson combined for 1.5 sacks.
Fan Chad Turcsak tweeted his hope that the duo becomes one of the best pass rushing pairs in the league defensively.
The @Lions have the top two rookie sack leaders in @aidanhutch97 and James Houston. I hope these two are a problem for years to come!!!
“The Lions have the top two rookie sack leaders in Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston. I hope these two are a problem for years to come!!!,” he tweeted.
Given Houston’s emergence and Hutchinson’s steady play for the team, there’s no reason that the Lions can’t have two of the best young pass rushers in the league. It will be fun to see what happens in the future with these players on defense.