DETROIT ? Joey Harrington was the happiest guy in Detroit when the Lions drafted Roy Williams.
It’s easy to see why.
Harrington threw three touchdown passes, two thanks to Williams’ spectacular catches, to lead the Lions past the Houston Texans 28-16 on Sunday for their first 2-0 start since 2000.
Williams, the seventh pick overall in April, had four receptions for 73 yards.
“He is a natural receiver who uses his hands as well or better than any receiver I’ve seen,” Harrington said. “When you combine his size and speed, there aren’t many 5-10, 180-pound defensive backs that can cover him.”
The 6-foot-3, 212-pound receiver, who once ran the 100-meter dash in 10.48 seconds, made up for the loss of Charles Rogers, whose second straight season is over because of a broken collarbone.
“I just had to step up, but I know that Charles would have made the same plays if he was out there,” Williams said.
The Texans are 0-2 for the first time in their three seasons.
“I’m sick about it,” Houston’s Steve McKinney said. “We should be 2-0, not 0-2.”
Coach Dom Capers blamed turnovers on their two losses. The Texans gave the ball away three times against the Lions after having four turnovers in a 27-20 loss to San Diego last week.
“I’ve been around this business long enough to know what formulas win,” Capers said.
The Lions, with one playoff victory since winning the 1957 NFL title, and the expansion Texans have tried to build their teams in similar ways.
In 2002, Houston took quarterback David Carr with the No. 1 overall pick and the Lions drafted Harrington two picks later. The next year, Detroit drafted Rogers second overall and the Texans took receiver Andre Johnson with the next selection.
“It’s an obvious comparison because we were the top QBs taken two years ago,” Carr said. “But like I said to him before the game, ‘I can’t do anything to stop you, and you can’t do anything to stop me.’ If I was a safety, it would be different.”
Harrington was 18-of-25 for 176 yards with one interception in Detroit’s home opener.
Carr overcame an awful start to complete 23 of 34 passes for 313 yards with two TDs and one interception.
Harrington put the game away with a 14-yard TD pass to Williams, whose fingertip catch and dragging feet in the near corner of the end zone put the Lions ahead 28-16 with 4:41 left.
“Joey put it in a spot where only I could catch it,” Williams said.
Houston’s slim hopes for a comeback faded when Carr’s run up the middle was stopped at the Detroit 1 on fourth down with 36 seconds left.
Johnson caught three passes for 86 yards and a TD.
Even with three of their best players out with injuries _ Rogers, Dre’ Bly and Boss Bailey _ the Lions are off to a strong start after winning an NFL-low 10 games the previous three years.
“We’ve established some momentum now and that can be contagious,” Dan Wilkinson said.
Detroit’s other first-round pick this year, Kevin Jones, gave Detroit just enough of a running game with 57 yards on 12 carries.
Domanick Davis led Houston with 78 yards rushing and 95 yards receiving. But his performance was offset by two fumbles: one at midfield in the first quarter, and another at the Detroit 21 in the third.
The game became interesting after a lackluster first quarter in which Detroit and Houston combined for as many yards on offense (50) as penalties, and a second quarter in which the Lions scored on Harrington’s 1-yard TD pass to Cory Schlesinger and Houston made it 7-3 just before halftime.
Detroit scored two TDs and Houston had one in a 4:22 span of the third, leaving the Lions with a 21-10 lead.
Williams leaped for a 31-yard TD, his first, between two Texans. Johnson then easily ran past cornerback Chris Cash, filling in for starter Bly (knee) and backup Andre Goodman (thigh), for a career-long 54-yard TD.
With the Lions clinging to a 14-10 lead, Eddie Drummond returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score.
On the ensuing drive, Carr connected with a wide-open Corey Bradford for a 27-yard TD. Houston’s 2-point conversion failed, making it 21-16 early in the final quarter.
Notes: Harrington made it clear that he was rooting only for his cousin, Ireland’s Padraig Harrington, not the Europeans in the Ryder Cup, played about 20 miles away at Oakland Hills. … Houston and former Kansas University FB Moran Norris (shoulder) was inactive for the second straight week.
