Grades: Lions' Secondary Forces Three Turnovers in Comeback Win
The Detroit Lions rallied from an early deficit to secure a win in their preseason finale.
They squared off against the Carolina Panthers with most of their starters sidelined. Though the defense struggled against Carolina's first-team offense, three turnovers by the secondary highlighted an impressive effort.
Here are the grades for the position groups, based on each group's performance in Friday's win.
Quarterback: B-
If the evaluation was strictly for Teddy Bridgewater, the grade would be higher. The veteran backup looked much better in his second go-around with the Lions.
After a sluggish start, he led the offense to 20 unanswered points to close the first half. Among his big plays was a 70-yard touchdown pass to rookie wideout Antoine Green.
More than that, he looked very comfortable in Detroit's play-action system. His timing was on point, and he displayed a nice rapport with Green and Dylan Drummond.
Nate Sudfeld played only one series before leaving with an injury. He was replaced by Adrian Martinez, who couldn't get the offense going for the remainder of the second half.
Running back: C
The Lions leaned on Craig Reynolds early, and he delivered. The Kutztown College product finished with 41 yards on 11 carries, one being a 5-yard score.
He was the best of the bunch. The other candidates for Detroit's third-string running back job were largely ineffective. Benny Snell finished with 26 yards on five carries, while Devine Ozigbo had three yards on four carries and couldn't complete a catch near the sideline.
Wide receivers: B
Antoine Green and Dylan Drummond had big days in an important game. Green's 70-yard catch-and-run highlighted a three-catch, 97-yard performance.
Meanwhile, Drummond had five catches for 46 yards on six targets. This included an impressive diving grab on a third down, to allow the Lions to move the chains.
Chase Cota had an off night. He recorded three catches for 42 yards on eight targets. Two costly drops, including one in the end zone, were tough to swallow for the UDFA vying to make the final cut.
Elsewhere, Trinity Benson, Maurice Alexander and Jason Moore all contributed. Benson had three catches, Alexander had two and Moore recorded one.
Tight ends: C
James Mitchell had one catch for six yards, but was also penalized for holding. He did much of the work throughout the night, with Sam LaPorta on the sideline for the finale.
Mitchell has intriguing athleticism, but must continue to contribute as a run-blocker to get significant reps moving forward.
Neither Darrell Daniels nor Daniel Helm could haul in a pass, though each got two targets. Helm had a drop.
Offensive line: B
It was a much-improved effort for the Lions' reserve line. Both Matt Nelson and Germain Ifedi presented strong cases, in their battle to be Detroit's swing tackle.
However, Ifedi was whistled for a costly false start on a fourth-and-goal from Carolina's 2-yard line that turned into a field-goal attempt.
The Lions were able to establish a much more effective run game Friday than they did against Jacksonville last week. As a result, some of the confidence should be restored in these reserves.
Defensive line: B-
Detroit's defensive line had a tough time corralling rookie Bryce Young, who scrambled three times for 21 yards. Backup passer Matt Corral also scrambled for 27 yards in the third quarter.
Levi Onwuzurike had an impressive showing, headlined by a blown-up screen pass that led to a tackle for loss.
Undrafted rookie Cory Durden displayed an impressive bull-rush leading to a sack in the fourth quarter. Undrafted rookie Chris Smith was in on the sack, along with Christian Covington.
Romeo Okwara also teamed up for a sack with Houston, in an impressive effort. However, both EDGE defenders missed an opportunity to get to Young, leading to scrambles for the 2023 No. 1 overall pick.
This effort must be improved, as Detroit will see Young in Week 5 of the regular season.
Linebackers: B-
Jack Campbell and Malcolm Rodriguez started but played very little, leaving much of the work to Jalen Reeves-Maybin and undrafted rookie Trevor Nowaske.
Both had their good moments. Reeves-Maybin burst through the line for a tackle at the line of scrimmage, while Nowaske was a steady presence on special teams and broke up a touchdown pass.
James Houston continued his tear, too. He amassed 1.5 sacks, rushing from his SAM linebacker position off the edge. He was consistently in the backfield.
Secondary: A-
With spots up for grabs in the secondary, several players made loud-and-clear pitches to earn a spot. Steven Gilmore had five tackles, two pass breakups and a pick-six, while Chase Lucas picked off a pass in the end zone.
Lucas' interception was an impressive diving grab in the end zone that directly led to Green's 70-yard score. On the ensuing defensive snap, Khalil Dorsey forced a fumble that turned into a field goal at the end of the half.
Starling Thomas V, another intriguing UDFA, was penalized for pass interference in the first quarter. His special teams ability gives him a fighting chance at making the roster, but the performances of Gilmore and Lucas are hard to ignore.
Colby Richardson also contributed a pass breakup.
Special teams: C
Riley Patterson had a tough night with a missed field goal and an extra point. He missed from 53 yards out off the crossbar, then pushed an extra point wide right after Gilmore's pick-six.
However, Dan Campbell expressed confidence in his kicker following the game. Parker Romo did not appear for the second consecutive game, indicating that the kicking battle may be well past decided.
Jack Fox averaged 44.6 yards on his seven punts, while Detroit had another impressive night in the return game.
Dorsey had a 62-yard kick return after starting the game as the returner, while Green followed with a 31-yard return of his own.
