Key Lions Defender Is Returning From IR.

This season, the Detroit Lions defense hasn’t performed nearly as well as it was predicted to this

After giving up the 23rd-most passing yards this season, Detroit has been extremely vulnerable to the pass and has allowed 23.7 points per game this season, ranking 24th in the NFL.

Additionally, the Lions rank 24th in the NFL with just 34 sacks for the season.

However, the team has selected edge rusher James Houston to return off injured reserve, meaning the Lions will have a significant defensive player back before the season ends.

Houston last appeared in a game, appearing in just 11 defensive snaps in the Lions’ Week 2 overtime loss against the Seattle Seahawks, prior to suffering an ankle injury and being placed on injured reserve.

The 2022 sixth-round pick, who recorded all eight of his sacks in the season’s final seven games—including three sacks in a 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears in Week 17—was a key component of the Lions’ late-season comeback this past season.

After Aidan Hutchinson, a 2022 first-round pick, and defensive lineman

, he finished third on the team in quarterback hits. He also ended second on the team in sacks.

The Lions are in position to win the NFC North for the first time since 1993 when Houston makes its season debut.

In its final two games, Detroit will play the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, two teams they may perhaps face in the NFC playoffs. These are two important matchups.

After defeating the Vikings with four interceptions and four sacks, the defense is likely to have Houston back for one or both of their remaining regular season games before the postseason.