5 Takeaways from Lions' 25-7 Loss to Jaguars

Lions lose to Jaguars in second preseason game of 2023.

After two joint practices, the Detroit Lions were defeated by the Jacksonville Jaguars, 25-7, in front of a solid crowd of nearly 46,000 at Ford Field. 

While question marks will certainly begin regarding the reserves on offense, the defensive effort from several players, namely on the defensive line, will please the coaching staff.  

Here are several takeaways from the Lions' preseason loss to the Jaguars. 

Key starters sit

While many debate whether the starters should play in the preseason, Detroit's coaching staff again decided to sit many of its first-stringers, including the entire starting offensive line unit. Reserves Matt Nelson, Bobby Hart, Brad Cecil and Colby Sorsdal were among the starters on the offensive line Saturday. Meanwhile, Germain Ifedi was also a steady presence on the line.

Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who has excelled throughout his first training camp, suited up, but did not take the field against the Jaguars. 

Cam Sutton, Jerry Jacobs and C.J. Gardner-Johnson sat against a Jaguars offense that was willing to take some deep shots in the first half. 

Linebacker Jack Campbell was among the rookies who suited up at Ford Field. 

The Lions are certainly playing their young players a significant amount during the preseason.

Dan Campbell explained earlier this week, "I would say the workload is about what we expected or hoped for at this point. There’s a reason we drafted them. We thought they would get it sooner than later, and they’ve done a good job." 

As expected, the coaching staff is seeing daily growth as camp progresses. 

"There’s things every day that you see growth and them getting better, and (Jahmyr) Gibbs is playing faster every day, which is encouraging but yet there’s also these, ‘Ah,’ and that comes with being a rookie," Campbell noted. "The faster we can get through these growing pains with these guys, which that’s another reason why these joint practices are huge."

Learning from mistakes

The preseason oftentimes provides a window of how a player bounces back from an error that occurs during the game. 

Undrafted rookie cornerback Steven Gilmore gave up a 48-yard completed pass to wideout Tim Jones, after failing to locate a deep toss from Jaguars backup quarterback C.J. Beathard. 

Later in the same drive, Gilmore knocked away a likely touchdown, with excellent positioning. The aforementioned third-down play limited the Jaguars to a field goal.

The former Marshall Thundering Herd defensive back secured an interception later in the first quarter, picking off a pass from Beathard that was intended for Tavon Austin. Throwing into double-coverage, safety Tracy Walker was able to get his hands on the ball before the pick. 

Defensively, Jack Campbell, John Cominsky, Corey Durden and James Houston all had solid performances. 

Detroit Lions quarterback Teddy Bridgewater / © Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

Return game shows up

Early in the contest, both Chase Cota and Starling Thomas had long returns against the Jaguars. 

Cota, who has benefitted from increased reps at training camp, recorded a 28-yard punt return. 

Starling Thomas returned a kickoff 37 yards to give Detroit's offense solid field position, after the Jaguars took the early 3-0 lead. 

Teddy Bridgewater plays first half behind struggling offensive line

Early in the game, Detroit went with Nelson, Hart, Cecil, Sorsdal and Ifedi in front of the veteran quarterback. 

The first play of the game saw the Jaguars' defense burst into the backfield for a 9-yard sack. 

Later in the first half, there appeared to be miscommunication between Cecil, while playing center, and Hart, who was lined up at right guard. 

As a result, nose guard Jeremiah Ledbetter forced a fumble that the Jaguars recovered. 

Bridgewater was 5-for-11 for 34 yards, and was off target on multiple throws. He also was under duress on several dropbacks behind the Lions' reserve linemen. 

Detroit's offense only recorded four first downs and 48 total yards the entire first half. 

Nate Sudfeld has shaky start, leads team on solid second-half drive

Nate Sudfeld replaced Teddy Bridgewater under center for Detroit at the end of the first half.

After moving the football, the backup quarterback tossed an interception -- his third of the preseason -- to Jaguars cornerback Gregory Junior. 

Jacksonville took advantage, and extended its lead to 12-0, when Beathard completed a 15-yard touchdown toss to Parker Washington. Jacksonville proceeded to attempt a two-point conversion, but was unsuccessful. 

To start the second half, after forcing the Jaguars to go three-and-out, Sudfeld led the offense on a nine-play, 57-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown toss to Cota. It cut Jacksonville's lead to 12-7. 

On the drive, Sudfeld was able to convert on two fourth-down calls.