It wasn’t a pretty sight at Ford Field on Friday night.
The Lions took their home field for the first time this season for week two of the preseason against the New York Giants. After a mediocre showing in Oakland last week, the Lions were looking to correct some mistakes and take a step in the right direction. Unfortunately, it seems as though they took a couple steps back instead, suffering a 30-17 loss that wasn’t as close as the score makes it seem. There wasn’t all that much that looked good this time around, to be honest. The key here is that it is just the preseason and ultimately they still have a few weeks to get things together. And the major upside of the night is that the team came away from the game healthy for the most part.
There were flashes to give fans hope. Running back Theo Riddick reminded everyone of what he can do out of the backfield when he turned a quick 6-yard pass into a 42-yard chunk early in the first quarter. Cornerback Darius Slay looked the part of an elite defender in the NFL with several pass breakups. Sophmore linebacker Jarrad Davis started hot in run defense before his coverage flaws reminded everyone watching that he has a ways to go in that department.
Overall though, it was a poor showing. The defense struggled to stop the run early. Giants backup quarterback Davis Webb looked like a monster against the Lions coverage. The offensive line of Detroit couldn’t keep the franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford on his feet. There should be no excuse for allowing your starter to take three sacks in a preseason game. And this marked the second consecutive game where the Lions didn’t record a sack of their own.
Just remember, this is all a glorified practice in the minds of the coaching staff. They aren’t running their best plays. They aren’t trying hard to fool the offense with their defensive schemes. In fact, it’s absolutely certain that they are asking players to do things they won’t ask of them in the regular season simply to see if they can handle it. The score doesn’t matter and it’s hard to judge a unit like the offensive line when they’re missing a key piece like TJ Lang. This is what the preseason is for though.
“I’m not overly pleased with anything at the moment… I would say the whole thing needs to be improved.” – Matt Patricia, following the loss to the Giants
That’s something I think everyone can agree on.
For more on the preseason check this one out as well – Keys To Watching The Preseason
You can find me on Twitter @MrEasyStreet or on the Detroit Lions subreddit.
