The Detroit Lions depth didn’t give the home fans in Ford Field much to cheer about on Saturday. The visiting Jacksonville Jaguars dominated the action in a 25-7 Detroit loss in the second exhibition game for both teams in the preseason.
With both teams sitting pretty much every starter and even some key reserves, this game was about depth players and the youngsters trying to prove themselves getting reps.
The Jaguars won the first half 12-0 in a stanza dominated by defensive play by both teams. There were just 13 combined first downs in the first half, nine by the Jaguars. The Lions did manage to score on a short TD pass from Nate Sudfeld to rookie WR Chase Cota, but the offensive highlights were few and far between for Detroit.
Here’s what stood out in watching the preseason game in real time.
O-line woes
On the first offensive snap of the Lions preseason win over the New York Giants last week, QB Nate Sudfeld got hit while attempting to throw, and his pass was picked off. Teddy Bridgewater didn’t even get the chance to throw the ball on this week’s first snap; Bridgewater got sacked quickly by one-time Lions DE Jeremiah Ledbetter.
The culprit on both those plays was right tackle Matt Nelson. The fourth-year vet had another bad outing in his quest to win the swing tackle position. Unfortunately, Nelson was far from the only Lions offensive lineman to struggle.
Ledbetter had another huge play for the Jaguars, bursting untouched through the A-gap (between center and guard) and hitting Bridgewater before he could even hand the ball off to Craig Reynolds, resulting in a huge loss. The line struggled badly to get any movement in the run game all afternoon. The Jaguars have pretty strong depth on the defensive front, but it shouldn’t be that easy for them to dominate the line of scrimmage.
Lions offense netted 4 rushing yards on 10 carries in the first half. Includes a -8 from Teddy
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) August 19, 2023
Film study will break down more of the nuances and individual performances, but the bottom line was clear: the Jaguars defensive front was emphatically better than the Lions offensive front. Detroit’s starting offensive line might be the best in the league, but the depth falls off quickly–as it does for just about every NFL team.
Starling Thomas starring role
Thomas showed the Alabama high school state champion sprinting wheels on kickoffs, returning the first two for 66 combined yards and nearly breaking the first one for that many yards on its own.
Just after the two-minute warning in the first half, Thomas closed quickly on a short pass and prevented the receiver from picking up the first down. The sure tackle ended a drive and gave the Lions offense a chance.
Thomas also made his presence felt on the punt coverage unit. As the gunner, Thomas successfully beat the blocking on the first two Jack Fox punts and forced fair catches.
It wasn’t a perfect day for No. 49, alas. He was flagged (correctly) for holding and got beaten for the Jaguars’ touchdown pass to WR Parker Washington just before the half, a little too late to get outside on a quick out route. He ceded another completion, too. But it was still quite a winning afternoon for the impressive young corner.
Inability to string plays together
Punter Jack Fox was busy, booting the ball eight times. Both Fox and the punt coverage units were strong all afternoon, but the frequency with which they got to show that was the result of a disjointed offense.
The Lions went 3-and-out on four of its first six possessions. A lost fumble on a bad exchange was the only one of those drives that didn’t end in a punt. Even when Teddy Bridgewater had a little time, the receivers weren’t getting open. Bridgewater wasn’t sharp in his own right, either.
Nate Sudfeld made more good throws, but he also made more critical mistakes. Sudfeld was high and behind his target on a too-easy INT for Jaguars CB Gregory Junior. It was eerily reminiscent of the second of Sudfeld’s interceptions in last week’s win over the Giants.
The Lions would get one successful play every now and then, but the next snap would see all that success evaporate. Detroit managed just three drive where they picked up more than one first down and were a miserable 1-for-12 on third downs. Tough to win that way.
The Lions defensive regulars who did play looked great
A few Lions regulars on defense did play very well. It starts with DE John Cominsky, who dominated up front.
Cominsky had a sack, a run stuff in the backfield, drew a Jaguars holding penalty and also swatted down a fourth-down pass attempt in limited duty. James Houston, who will also play a lot in the regular season, had a great performance as well: 6 tackles, including 4 TFLs, a sack and another QB pressure.
Tracy Walker, who figures to start in certain alignments, recorded five tackles in the first quarter before calling it an afternoon. Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez, also someone who figures to see significant action when the games count, stripped the ball from Jags QB C.J. Beathard, who somehow caught the loose ball and fell forward.
Then there was rookie LB Jack Campbell. Playing extensively into the second half, Campbell led the Lions with seven tackles. He had a couple of very nice reps in coverage, showing his speed and awareness. He could have taken better angles to the ball on a couple of run plays, but No. 46 looked good, too.
Quick hits
–Undrafted rookie DT Cory Durden hasn’t stood out much this summer, but big No. 90 logged six tackles and was very active in run defense. Good game for the UDFA from North Carolina State
–Riley Patterson made the only Lions placekicking attempt in the game, a successful extra point against his old team. Patterson hit a game-winning FG for Jacksonville in their incredible comeback win over the Chargers in the AFC wild-card round last year.
–It might mean nothing, but in a game that exclusively featured depth players on offense, UDFA rookie QB Adrian Martinez did not play.
–Trinity Benson failed to haul in any of his three receiving targets, including a contested catch opportunity. Not the kind of showing desired for Benson, who is fighting for his Detroit roster life, after missing last week’s action.
–On punt coverage, Starling Thomas and Brady Breeze stood out with strong games.
–RB Craig Reynolds gained 13 yards on eight carries but was hit in the backfield on at least four of his runs. Reynolds did throw a great block on Chase Cota’s long punt return, and No. 13 also led the Lions with four catches for 29 yards.
–Positive note to end: There didn’t appear to be any injuries, not even minor ones. DB Saivion Smith stayed down after a tackle but popped up and ran off on his own after a minute.
