Texans vs. Lions: Gary Kubiak thinks highly of Detroit's D-line

Hopeful of riding his elite rushing attack to victory in Week 12, Houston Texans head coach Gary Kubiak informed Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press on Tuesday that he believes Detroit's defensive line is among the best in the NFL.

Kubiak's offense currently leads the league with 350 rushing attempts on the year, but the veteran coach thinks that the presence of Detroit's aggressive interior linemen like Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley can be a dangerous proposition when combined with its numerous pass rushers on the outside.

"They squeeze the pocket with their wide ends, and then inside, they can just push the hell out of the pocket, so there’s not many places to go," Kubiak said. "I just think it presents the biggest challenge we’ve had all year, as far as finding a way to give (quarterback Matt Schaub) time to do his job. It’s easy to see on film, they’ve just been very dominant up front."

Although the Lions hardly rank among the best teams in the league at getting to the quarterback, with only 23 sacks this season, improved play from both Suh and Fairley as of late has been a significant boost to the defense as a whole. The Texans are tied for the NFL lead with only 13 sacks given up due in part to the outstanding play of Pro Bowl tackle Duane Brown, although Kubiak has every reason to be concerned with the Lions' backs completely pressed against a wall at the moment.