Grades: Bridgewater Struggles In Lions Debut
The Detroit Lions once again took the field without many of their starters.
Without those starters and a number of key depth pieces, the offense struggled. While the defense had its moments, it couldn't make enough stops to keep the game competitive.
In the end, it was a 25-7 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Here are grades for each position group based on their performance in Saturday's game:
Quarterback: D
Teddy Bridgewater struggled in his anticipated debut. Of his six drives, all but one ended in punts. The only one that didn't ended when a mishandled handoff exchange resulted in a fumble.
He was sacked on his first play and the team went three-and-out on each of its first three series. Now, the passer did spent much of his afternoon under duress as the Lions' backup offensive line struggled with the Jaguars' pass rush.
Backup Nate Sudfeld wasn't much better, as his first drive concluded when his off-target pass was picked off and returned deep into Lions' territory.
He was responsible for Detroit's only scoring drive, ending in a one-yard pass to Chase Cota.
In total, the two passers threw for just 114 yards.
Running back: D+
None of the Lions' running back took a significant step forward in the competition for the third spot on the depth chart. Craig Reynolds had the most productive afternoon with 42 all-purpose yards but averaged just 1.6 yards per carry.
Benny Snell made some magic with three carries for 15 yards late but couldn't hold on to one of his two targets.
Jermar Jefferson added 16 yards on six carries and eight yards receiving. The Lions are hoping one of these options pops enough to warrant the third spot, so expect the competition to continue.
Wide receivers: C
It was a quiet day out wide for the Lions, as just three receivers caught passes. Dylan Drummond, Chase Cota and Antoine Green combined for five catches.
Drummond had an impressive fourth-down conversion that went for 23 yards on the Lions' scoring drive. Green followed with a solid 18-yard catch and run that showcased his awareness, as he added yards after defenders failed to touch him down.
Cota added the short score and nine yards on two catches. Trinity Benson was targeted three times but didn't record a catch.
Tight ends: D
Starter Sam LaPorta didn't play, so much of the action relied on Brock Wright and James Mitchell. Like the offensive line, the ends struggled in run-blocking to create lanes.
Wright's only target was thrown well behind him, while Mitchell hauled in two catches for 15 yards. Darrell Daniels and Daniel Helm were limited to mostly special teams duty.
Offensive line: D
Without their top six, the Lions turned to a second unit brimming with competition for the final roster spot. It was a rough go for most, beginning when Matt Nelson was beat for a sack on the first play.
Nelson and Germain Ifedi are competing for the swing tackle position, so these struggles are not helping the third-year player's hopes.
Brad Cecil was bull-rushed nearly into Bridgewater on the fumbled handoff, while Kayode Awosika was beaten for a TFL in the second half.
The Lions gave up two sacks in total but couldn't get anything going on the ground.
Defensive line: B
It was an impressive day for one of the Lions' best surprises a season ago. John Cominsky stood out and looked to be ready for Week 1 action.
Cominsky had a sack and a pass deflection to force a turnover on downs. In total, the Lions posted six sacks on the afternoon. Benito Jones and Josh Paschal combined for one.
Undrafted rookie Corey Durden added six tackles. However, the Jaguars' run game had plenty of success with 145 yards on the afternoon.
Linebackers: B+
Jack Campbell delivered another strong showing with a team-high seven tackles in just over a half of play. The rookie has demonstrated plenty of composure and poise in the middle of the defense.
The star of the show may have been James Houston, who at times looked dominant in Saturday's defeat. He racked up four tackles for loss including a sack in the third quarter.
Making the transition to SAM linebacker hasn't been a seamless one for Houston, but he took a massive step forward as he looks to prove last season wasn't a fluke.
Malcolm Rodriguez also had a strong day, including a pass deflection.
Secondary: C
Steven Gilmore demonstrated poise Saturday. After getting beat for a 48-yard gain early in the game, he rebounded in a big way. First, he broke up a third down pass in the end zone to force a field goal.
Then recorded his first NFL interception off a deflection by Tracy Walker.
Will Harris also recorded a pass deflection on the day. Brady Breeze had a tougher day, being penalized for roughing the passer.
Special teams: B+
Two UDFAs led the way for the Lions in the return game, as Chase Cota and Starling Thomas began the game as returners. Thomas averaged 33 yards on his two kick returns, while Cota took his only punt return 28 yards.
For these two players, this development is a big one. Special teams has been known to be an X-factor for roster bubble players making the final cut, so this seems to be an encouraging sign for the undrafted rookies.
Jefferson would chip in as a returner as well, totaling 73 yards on his three kick returns.
Jack Fox was forced to punt eight times and averaged 45.5 per, with a long of 62
