Lions vs. Giants: Quick Detroit takeaways from the preseason opener

Nate Sudfeld got the start at quarterback instead of Hendon Hooker. The two have been alternating between the No. 2 and No. 3 QB roles all summer, and Sudfeld got the veteran nod in New York. It was an adventure in misadventures for No. 8.

Sudfeld finished the first half 7-for-15 for 40 yards and a rough INT. His first five misses were all significantly off target. Sudfeld was sacked three times, one of which was a coverage sack. His accuracy, processing speed and mobility were all lacking throughout the half.

He did return after Hendon Hooker left with a potential concussion. Playing against deep reserves, Sudfeld looked a little better until he couldn’t handle the pressure on a late fourth down, which turned out to be Detroit’s final offensive possession.

First-round pick Terrion Arnold and second-rounder Ennis Rakestraw were the starting outside CBs for the game and played the first few defensive drives. Both looked good in their preseason debuts.

Rakestraw got the defense off the field on the Giants first drive, quickly closing on the receiver and bringing him down well short of the first down marker on third down. He locked up his man on an Isaac Ukwu sack, taking away Drew Lock’s primary read. On Brandon Joseph’s interception, Rakestraw was in perfect coverage position, too.

Arnold wasn’t targeted in coverage, but he did converge quickly on a couple of run plays. He too was involved in a couple of plays that could be deemed “coverage sacks” or forced throwaways. Arnold was done after the first quarter, while Rakestraw continued to play (very well) as the left outside CB, including a jam that buckled the knees of Giants WR Isaiah Hodgins on Tommy DeVito’s first drive as the Giants QB.

The Lions had a few unfortunate injuries during the game.

Most notable was the potential concussion to quarterback Hendon Hooker, who left after just two drives. The Lions have not yet given an update on Hooker’s status. The second-year QB emphatically outplayed Sudfeld in his limited time.

Reserve offensive tackle Connor Galvin was carted off in the fourth quarter with a leg injury that did not look good. Galvin got his left leg rolled up from behind and to the side and was clearly in a lot of pain.

Wide receiver Antoine Green’s night ended early. Green was evaluated for a concussion during the game and did not return.

Defensive lineman David Bada needed assistance leaving the field with a right leg injury. He could not put weight on the leg as he was helped off with two trainers. Bada is a recent addition to the Lions via the International Player Pathways program.

Undrafted rookie EDGE Nate Lynn gets the nod for the player of the game. Lynn, from William & Mary, recorded one sack and nearly had another (pictured) that forced a throwaway. He had a couple other pass-rush wins with a very polished spin move, too.

The broadcast crew opted to go with WR Isaiah Williams, an undrafted rookie from Illinois. Williams caught four passes for 35 yards and probably merited the top offensive player nod with that meager output.

–WR Maurice Alexander’s best chance to make the roster is as a return specialist. No. 1 did himself no favors by muffing the first punt return attempt and losing the ball on the next one, too (he was ruled down by contact).

–safety Brandon Joseph had a nice interception in the first half, capitalizing on a forced throw and excellent coverage by Rakestraw. But he overran his run gap on New York’s first TD, a long run by RB Eric Gray. Joseph was one of about seven Lions who missed their assignments on that play, but his stood out. The big play outweighs the bad.

–Jake Bates made his one placekick, a 53-yard field goal that was perfect. He followed that with a terrible kickoff that dribbled well short of the designated landing area, giving the Giants the ball at the 40.

–One of my focuses when I get to tape review will be the blocking of the tight ends. Just off in-game notes, I had three instances where a Lions TE missed a blocking assignment. Shane Zylstra was on the hook for two of those.

–My favorite play of the night was Hendon Hooker lowering the boom at the end of a run. Alas, he then left in the concussion protocol after that drive, though it didn’t appear it stemmed from that (awesome) truck stick.

–Really rough night for UDFA DB Morice Norris. He got spun around completely on Gray’s long TD run and had another missed tackle attempt on a run play. Norris also couldn’t keep up with Giants TE Tyree Jackson on a simple crossing route, and Jackson is not known for his speed. Norris has been having a very solid camp but the preseason debut was no bueno.

–Brodric Martin was credited with two PDs while playing nose tackle, though I can only recall one. Big No. 99 had a very nice QB pressure and held up well against the run on first blush, too.

–Felt like veteran LB Malik Jefferson had a strong game on defense and special teams.

–Lions punt coverage unit was very sharp early, with long snapper Hogan Hatten and punter protector Craig Reynolds each making exceptional individual plays to get tackles on Jack Fox’s first two punts.

–Undrafted rookie LB DaRon Gilbert, a Detroit native, had a good game with a pass breakup and a nice tackle to force a fourth down. He did get beaten in coverage once that I noticed, but overall a good night for No. 53.

–It was really hard to judge the wide receivers with Sudfeld’s misadventures and generally poor pass protection, but I wanted to see more sharpness on a couple of routes from Daurice Fountain. That’s something Fountain, who is having a very impressive overall summer, battles in training camp from time to time as well.

–The NFL tried out its new experimental ball-spotting technology a couple of times. It was unnecessarily tedious and didn’t do any better than the officials on the field.

–The Lions are off until Sunday afternoon