ALLEN PARK -- Deshaun Watson ripped the Detroit Lions apart on Thanksgiving, delivering the final blow to Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn’s tenure.
While this will sound dark to some, a group of fans has shown their appreciation by rushing to the Texans quarterback’s charity to thank him for his role. Houston beat the Detroit Lions 41-25 on Thanksgiving, and it wasn’t even that close. Watson threw for 318 yards and four touchdowns in the win, putting the game away with a fourth-quarter flea-flicker he asked his coach to dial-up. He escaped the pocket with ease and confidently threw the ball over the top of Patricia’s defense on the way to the rout in front of a national audience.
Lions owner Sheila Ford Hamp said Detroit’s previous two games, a shutout loss to the Panthers and then Thanksgiving, played a role in the coach and general manager’s midseason firing.
“You know, 10 days ago, we looked like we had a good chance to be playoff-bound and both of those games were extremely disappointing,” Ford Hamp said. “It just seemed like the path going forward wasn’t what we wanted it to be, so, yes, we thought this was a good time to make the change.”
Pride of Detroit reports the efforts were led by a group of Lions fans on Reddit. One of the ideas to catch fire was to donate $13 in honor of each of Patricia’s wins while in Detroit. The NFL Network reports more than $1,000 has come in as of Sunday morning. Watson will match the donations and reportedly offer the first 100 people free lunch at Lefty’s Cheesesteak in Detroit.
Watson is part-owner of the national chain, according to the company’s website. The Detroit location is also reportedly where the Texans enjoyed their pregame meal earlier in the week. The “Deshaun Watson Foundation” focuses on education, health, housing and other issues facing families and children in underserved communities.
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