There were no issues with the starting quarterback in Detroit’s preseason opener, a 27-23 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Jared Goff was 3-for-4 in leading a 10-play touchdown drive on the opening series, and the incompletion was a drop by RB Jamaal Williams.
The backups behind Goff, however…
Tim Boyle and David Blough both had their moments. Boyle authored a nice scoring drive that he capped with a beautiful fade throw to TE Devin Funchess in the back corner of the end zone. Blough escaped pressure several times and made some pinpoint throws, many to WR Tom Kennedy.
8 quick takeaways from the Lions preseason loss to the Falcons
But the game outcome turned on critical mistakes from Blough and Boyle. A bad INT from Boyle set up the Falcons for a short field goal. Blough botched a shotgun snap as the Lions were trying to bleed out the clock late, a costly giveaway that led to Atlanta’s go-ahead touchdown.
Head coach Dan Campbell weighed the positives and negatives of his two reserve QBs after the game.
“Both of them, I thought made some really good plays, man. But then there’s a couple of these plays that leave a bitter taste in your mouth,” Campbell said succinctly.
The coach continued on the backup battle,
“Certainly, the interception that Tim had, he didn’t quite lay out in front
enough. And then the snap – the exchange there, the critical play there in the red zone by Blough. Those two hurt you man and that’s kind of what all this is about at the end of the day, you know. You do a lot of good things, but those will bite you.
But look, I thought they ran the huddle well, I thought they made some really good throws, I thought they found a way to improvise a little bit at times, and they had command of the huddle. So all of those were good and certainly something to build off of. I’m not displeased with those guys, at all. You just wish you would have had those couple plays and so do they that’s the reality. But it is certainly something they can build off, we can.”
During the week in training camp, Campbell left open the possibility that the Lions could keep just two QBs instead of three. He and QB coach Mark Brunell also declared the No. 2 job still open for competition. After the mixed bag that was the first preseason game, it’s tough to see any change in the status with Boyle and Blough.
