The Good, Bad and Ugly of Lions Preseason Victory Over Commanders

On Saturday, Detroit had their only home game of the preseason and took down the Washington Commanders 17-13. With the game came plenty of tape that will help shape the roster as Detroit finishes their last of the preseason next Saturday.

It also gives fans a preview as to what worked with the backups at the wheel, along with what worked for the Lions. Here are the good, the bad, and the ugly of a preseason win over the Commanders.

The Good

Run Game Dominates

Yet again, the Drew Petzing offense is clicking on all cylinders when it comes to running to football. The Lions had a dominant game on the ground despite their top two backs, Jahmyr Gibbs and Isiah Pacheco, not playing a snap on Saturday.

The backs by committee even lost a player midgame with Jabari Small heading to concussion protocol. It did not matter, as the Lions saw Jacob Saylors, Trayveon Williams, and Raheem Blackshear all show flashes.

Additional credit goes to the offensive line and pass catchers for their efforts in the run blocks. Blake Miller had a play where he slipped on the turf and recovered to push a defender out of the hole on an eight-yard gain. Tyler Conklin and Tay Martin combined for two massive blocks on a 50-yard touchdown run by Joshua Dobbs.

Even on fourth-and-two, the Lions handed the ball off to Blackshear to seal the victory. All around, it was a great day for runners and run blockers.

Quarterback Pressure and Dominant Defense

In a repeat of last week, the Lions were able to harass the Commanders quarterbacks. D.J. Wonnum and Derrick Moore each made their preseason debuts and had a sack in their limited reps. Skyler Gill-Howard could have been charged rent in the Washington backfield by the end of the game. Undrafted EDGE Eric O’Neill impressed again with solid flashes and dismantling a go-ahead drive attempt by the Commanders.

Levi Onwuzurike provided a solid push. Devin White nearly sacked Jayden Daniels on the opening pass attempt of the game. Keith Abney II nearly got home twice in one drive on nickel blitzes. Malcolm Rodriguez recorded a quarterback hit. Kelvin Sheppard’s defense only allowed nine first downs all game.

The Bad

Mental Errors

In a friendly environment, procedural penalties such as false starts are inexcusable. The Lions saw their fair share of mental mistakes, including back-to-back false starts by Seth McLaughlin and Miles Frazier. Melvin Priestly added his own false start with the Lions on the verge of the red zone in a go-ahead situation in the second half. Larry Borom lined up improperly on a strip sack that was recovered in the end zone.

Mistakes like these will come back to haunt players trying to earn a spot on the 53-man roster or practice squad in the next few weeks. Additionally, rookie defensive back Keith Abney II had a holding penalty on what would have been a sack, alongside getting a whistle for pass interference later in the game.

Backup Quarterback Play

For the second time, the starting quarterback for the Lions opened the game by giving the ball away on the first possession. Joshua Dobbs got the start and fumbled the ball on his first pass attempt. He followed that up with a poorly advised throw across his body into double coverage while under pressure in his second drive, giving him a multi-turnover game.

Luke Altmyer had flashes, but did not have the same sharpness he seemed to possess against the Bengals in week one of preseason. It was not a day where either player vying for the backup job “won” it. Joshua Dobbs’s best play came with his legs, while Altmyer avoided turnovers, but also had a series where he took three sacks.

Injuries Piling Up, Again

Last week saw the Lions escape Cincinnati without any major losses, but that is likely not the case this week. Wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. suffered an injury where the prognosis was worrying, per Dan Campbell. Offensive lineman Michael Niese was carted off the field and seen exiting the locker room in crutches.

Those two losses could be on the long term end of the scale. Additionally, running back Jabari Small exited the game and is in concussion protocol. Miles Frazier left the game for injury at one point, but later returned. Jacob Saylors, Christian Mahogany, and Chuck Clark all suffered minor bumps and bruises.

When combined with Sam LaPorta’s Week One status in doubt, there is some concern for the season already.

The Ugly

Pass Blocking

While the offensive line deserved flowers and a ton of credit for an organized run game, the pass game was not the same story. When there were not procedural penalties that should be avoided, the pass blocking suffered.

The opening play of the game saw Borom get beat badly, preventing Dobbs from stepping into a throw and susceptible to a blitz by former Lion Amik Robertson. Seth McLaughlin allowed a sack by assuming a defensive tackle would give up on a play. Borom allowed a pressure on the Dobbs interception.

Tyler Conklin got blown by on a block that resulted in a sack. Colby Sorsdal got benched in the second quarter, and that might be it for his chances of making the roster.

At the end of the day, the Lions won, but the top priority appears to be keeping the starting offensive line healthy after Washington’s defense and backups dominated the reserves whenever a pass was attempted.

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