Takeaways from Lions' 27-26 Victory over Colts

Here are several key takeaways from the Detroit Lions' preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

Dan Campbell has his first preseason win in two years as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

After an 0-3 showing in his debut year and a Week 1 loss to the Atlanta Falcons a week ago, Campbell led his team to a 27-26 win over the Indianapolis Colts Saturday.

The Lions rested a majority of their starters, after the first-stringers took the majority of reps in joint practices between the two teams during the week. As a result, Saturday’s game was a showcase of players looking to play their way onto the final 53-man roster.

Here are five takeaways from the win. 

Both backup signal-callers produce strong drives

The Lions’ backup quarterback battle has been intriguing throughout training camp. It’s clear that Detroit likes Tim Boyle’s arm strength and David Blough’s ability to make plays on the move. Both are competing for the right to backup Jared Goff.

Blough got the start Saturday and was efficient, leading three scoring drives. His lone mistake came in the second quarter when one of his passes was deflected and intercepted by the Colts’ Tony Brown.

Though the Purdue native finished 16-for-22 for just 76 yards, he led a pivotal two-minute drill at the end of the half. The drive ended when he hit preseason star Tom Kennedy for a touchdown to even the score at 13 apiece.

Boyle entered in the second half and wasted no time leading a touchdown drive of his own, which ended in a toss to Kennedy. He was sacked twice and had back-to-back three-and-outs, but led a go-ahead touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.

That drive lasted nine minutes and 32 seconds over 18 plays. With Boyle in charge, the offense converted four third downs, two coming through the air. He even showed a little mobility with a nine-yard scramble on third-and-6.

Second-team offensive line impresses

With all five of the Lions’ starting offensive linemen shelved, the second unit got a chance to set the tone. With all the attention given to that first group, Detroit’s backups proved Saturday that they have some pop of their own.

The Lions marched down the field for two consecutive scoring drives right away, as running backs Craig Reynolds, Jermar Jefferson and Justin Jackson took turns ripping off big runs. The offensive line got good push on a fourth-and-1 that extended the second series as well, proving their mettle in short-yardage situations.

Each of the Lions’ first two drives lasted at least five minutes, with the first spanning seven minutes and 20 seconds as the unit drove down for a field goal.

There are intriguing position battles for depth positions, with Kendall Lamm and Dan Skipper battling Matt Nelson for the backup tackle spot while Logan Stenberg and Tommy Kraemer fight for backup guard.

Regardless of who wins the spots, Campbell has plenty to like about his options.

Secondary struggles in open field

Without starting safeties Tracy Walker III and DeShon Elliott, the Lions leaned on JuJu Hughes and Kerby Joseph to anchor the back-half of the defense in Saturday’s game. At corner, Amani Oruwariye didn’t play, but Jeff Okudah and Will Harris both did.

The result was middling. Okudah made a nice play in coverage alongside Hughes to force a three-and-out on Indianapolis’ second drive, but these successes were overshadowed by inconsistent tackling in the open field.

The Colts made a living offensively with short crossing routes, causing Lions defenders to play catchup. Mike Hughes, who is competing for a roster spot at cornerback, bit on a bubble screen pump fake and allowed a long completion to Dezmon Patmon.

Patmon struck again in the third quarter, as his crossing route caused a miscommunication between Bobby Price and Joseph. The wide receiver was left wide open and hauled in a 50-yard touchdown.

Late in the game, undrafted rookie Cedric Boswell was beaten for a touchdown pass that brought the Colts within a point with 38 seconds remaining. It marked the second straight week in which the Miami (Ohio) product had been targeted for a late score. 

The defense stopped the two-point conversion, but the late-game secondary struggles are a concern nonetheless. 

Defensive line produces strong showing

While the secondary struggled to find its footing, the Lions’ defensive line dug its heels in, and stifled the Colts’ run game.

Now, Jonathan Taylor didn’t play a snap for Indianapolis. Yet, the second-team Lions defensive line established its strength on the line of scrimmage throughout the game.

Linebackers Derrick Barnes and Malcolm Rodriguez were given clear tackling lanes as defensive linemen, such as Eric Banks and Isaiah Buggs, plugged running holes throughout the first half.

Banks chased Colts signal-caller Sam Ehlinger out of bounds for what would’ve been a sack, and Austin Bryant later produced two sacks of his own.

Sack — Austin Bryant doing his thing pic.twitter.com/0EHO5vkeRW

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) August 20, 2022

Kennedy continues to state case to make roster

Wide receiver Tom Kennedy is standing out among a deep wide receivers room.

The 5-foot-10 wideout from Farmingdale, N.J., hauled in two touchdown passes, one apiece from Blough and Boyle, in Saturday’s game. One of those scores was a pivotal leaping grab that came with no time left in the first half, as he finished off Blough’s end-of-half, 2:00 drive.

The Lions’ starters are all but set in stone, with DJ Chark, Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown leading the way and Jameson Williams working his way back from injury. However, Kennedy has been the best this preseason amongst the other options.

This success hasn’t just been in games, however, as Kennedy has been drawing glowing reviews from coaches and teammates throughout training camp. 

Misssster Kennnedy! Doing his thing in the preseason pic.twitter.com/r9H0RSIs1k

— DetroitSportsPodcast (@DetroitPodcast) August 20, 2022