The Lions faced off against the Atlanta Falcons tonight in their first preseason game of the 2022 NFL season. They approached the matchup with only one day of game-specific preparation. Dan Campbell said “We are playing ourselves.” This was his way of saying that he still wants to mainly focus on the regular season and his own team. The Lions got their first taste of in-game contact and had to readjust to the pressure of an NFL matchup. Favored, the Lions entered todays game -2.5 on most major sportsbooks and -130 on the moneyline. They kicked off a new era of Lions Football at Ford Field, with a Lions win/loss. With Hard Knocks following the team, the Lions looked to impress the world and prove a point. The new Lions are here and they looked fierce/despite losing in all too familiar fashion. A fumble leading to a 4th and nine hail marry touchdown from Ridder to Bernhardt gave the Falcons the win. Yet again, they lose in devastating fashion.
Here are my takeaways from the game.
Starters and Sitters:
As confirmed by Lions head coach Dan Campbell before the game, the Lions’ starters got one drive of action. Jamaal Williams danced his way onto the field for warm-ups and proceeded to run with power. He had two carries for twelve-yards and a first down. D’Andre Swift wasn’t expected to get many touches, as the team wanted to keep him healthy, but he got four carries and ran for twenty-yards. His increased size clearly contributed to his running, as he scored the first touchdown of the game. Jared Goff, who looked comfortable and confident at training camp, continued his return to form. “I’m comfy, especially with those five guys out there with me (referring to his offensive line).” He said during a halftime interview. He threw for eleven touchdowns and only two interceptions in his last six games of 2021 and followed that up by going three for four, throwing for forty-seven-yards. His poise in and out of the pocket was the biggest contributor to his success. He finished the game after one drive, exiting with a 113.5 passer rating. Amon-Ra St. Brown continued to have a strong connection to Goff. He was targeted twice, specifically when Goff was on the move. He caught both passes, one for a twenty-yard gain. Some starters were rested in this game as not to make injuries worse. T.J. Hockenson, Ifeatu Melifonwu, Quintez Cephus, Levi Onwuzurike, Josh Paschal, and Julian Okwara did not warm up, nor play in this matchup.
New Offense:
Ben Johnson controlled the play calling, same as he did when partnered with Dan Campbell to end the 2021 season, which highlighted a much more efficient offense that improved in almost every statistic. The Lions boasted a 35% third-down conversion rate and an unbelievable 65% fourth-down conversion rate in 2021 after the switch. Campbell and Johnson also improved the teams points per game and yards per attempt in both passing and rushing. In this game that continued with the first team especially. The starting offense went down the field quickly with a ten-play seventy-five-yard drive ending with a touchdown. The play-action looked like the bread and butter play for Detroit. They used it to a lot of success throughout the game, having a receiver open on most plays. The issue came from the backup QB, Tim Boyle, missing those open receivers and throwing an interception. It wasn’t all for not with Boyle, as he threw a perfect fade route touchdown to Devin Funchess. Boyle finished the game with 111-yards, one touchdown, and one interception. QB play turned back around when David Blough entered the game. The backup QB went through his reads quickly and played well when the play broke down. He threw for 141-yards, but fumbled late and cost the Lions the game. His connection with Tom Kennedy carried the Lions through the second half of the game. Kennedy caught eight balls for 104-yards. The play design from Ben Johnson was a huge positive all fans should take away from this game.
Defensive Woes:
The Lions defense struggled in this one, especially against the run. They gave up 168 rushing yards and 139 passing touchdowns. Scrambling QB’s really posed an issue for the Lions, as they couldn’t adjust to the change of play. They gave up a touchdown on the first drive to Marcus Mariota running out of the pocket, failing to contain the QB. The linebackers struggled for most of the game especially filling gaps on run plays, giving up 118-yards on 18 attempts in just the first half. One linebacker did shine above the rest. Jarrad Davis made is return to Detroit and made multiple strong stops and pass breakups. Austin Bryant also impressed off the edge with his pass-rushing abilities forcing a third-down stop. One thing is for sure, the Lions need to find away to adjust to the run game before the regular season starts.
The Rookies:
Rookies got plenty of play in their first NFL games with some looking better than others. Aidan Hutchinson, the number two overall pick who dominated at the University of Michigan, was explosive early on. His Heisman Trophy runner up skill set translated well to the NFL level, as he racked up a TFL and drew a penalty in one on one matchups. His disruptive pass-rushing moves shined in his debut. Campbell called Malcolm Rodriguez to the spotlight before the game saying he wanted to see what guys like him could do. The Linebacker from Oklahoma State who has been making waves in training camp, was given a huge opportunity to prove his doubters wrong. The sixth round pick made a couple of tackles in limited playing time, but still showed intense drive on the field. Kerby Joseph, the safety from Illinois, looked fairly comfortable in his semi new role of safety. He was all over the field making tackles throughout the game, but struggled to recognize plays consistently. He finished with 7 tackles.
Starting Corner Battle:
The battle between Jeff Okudah and WIll Harris, both players Coach Campbell was watching tonight for the second corner slot, got interesting in tonight’s matchup. Okudah, who was looking to make a impactful return after missing all of the 2021 season with a torn Achilles, did a great job transitioning from coverage to run-stop as Mariota scrambled on numerous plays. Both players did not play much and looked mediocre in coverage, getting beat a few times. Will Harris, who looked strong with his position change during training camp, did not make an impact on the stat sheet with zero tackles. This was after a miserable 2021 season at safety where he had a 42.6 PFF grade.
The Lions return to preseason action in Indianapolis against the Colts on August 20th.
