There’s a fine line between 7-2 and 8-1, and the Lions found it.
Detroit escaped “Sunday Night Football” with an improbable 26-23 win on a walk-off field goal from kicker Jake Bates.
The first-year Lions kicker drilled a 52-yarder as time expired that came inches from hitting the left goal post.
The ball appeared to be sailing left of the post before slicing in to give the Lions a seventh consecutive win.
The former brick salesman also made a 58-yarder to tie the game at 23 with 5:01 remaining in the fourth that came inches from hitting the right upright.
Bates improved to 14-of-14 on field goal attempts this season, including 3-of-3 on tries from 50 yards or more.
The Lions did everything they could to lose to the Texans (6-4).
Detroit (8-1) trailed 23-7 at the half, and quarterback Jared Goff threw five interceptions while completing half of his attempts (15-of-30) after entering the game with an 82.8 percent completion percentage in his last six games.
Bates bailed out Detroit with his two unbelievable makes, turning what looked like a forgettable loss into a memorable win.
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