The Detroit Lions wrapped up the third week of the preseason with a loss against the Miami Dolphins. It was a pretty back-and-forth game, and we walked out with six winners and three losers. Here’s what we saw:

Winners

Kyle Allen

The game against the Falcons wasn’t a mirage. His entire training camp wasn’t a mirage. Allen is the guy at QB2 for this team, and Saturday night only further fueled that. He went 14-for-17 for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a half of football. His throws were crisp, and his judgment was solid. Outside of one instance where he threw the ball while running past the line of scrimmage, he made no mistakes in this game. That’s all you want for a backup. A guy who doesn’t make a lot of mistakes.

Jackson Meeks

There’s a good shot that Meeks earned a roster spot on Saturday. He had another solid showing with seven catches for 93 yards and a touchdown. He also had a big 27-yard catch. He’s been outplaying seventh-round pick Dominic Lovett for weeks, and none of the other players have shown what he’s shown. He’s earned the spot.

Isaac Ukwu

It was a solid day for Ukwu against the Dolphins. He had a big fourth-down sack on Zach Wilson that set up a Linos touchdown on the ensuing drive. He also had another sack on Wilson, but it was called back because Grant Stuard committed a facemask elsewhere on the field. I’m giving it to him because that facemask didn’t make it easy for him to get back there or something.

Grant Stuard

He’s just been everything you’d heard he was going to be. He’s super intense and a player who goes for it on every play. In this game, he had a forced fumble, a PBU, and also chipped in four tackles. On top of that, he was the kick returner and had some OK returns. This is a good player right here.

CB Luq Barcoo

This is a name you might not know too well because he kind of snuck onto the roster earlier in the week. His name was called a lot on Saturday and not for bad reasons. He had at least two pass breakups, with one almost being a pick, and he made multiple stops. You can’t ask for too much more from a guy who just got here. This is his ninth stop in the NFL. He has a shot to land a practice squad spot if he keeps showing up.

Isaac TeSlaa

Isaac TeSlaa is that guy. I love Tim Patrick, but I don’t know how you could overlook the idea of putting TeSlaa in as the WR3 for this team going into the season. He’s a constant first down, and you saw on Saturday and against the Falcons that he can make that contested catch in the end zone.

Losers

Hendon Hooker

You just have so much hope for the guy, and he just can’t seem to turn that hope into something tangible that you can say, “He at least did this well” about. In three games, 117 total passing yards just won’t cut it. Does he have the talent? There’s no question it’s in there somewhere. However, sometimes players don’t know how to use their talent. That might be Hooker’s problem.

Dominic Lovett

The gunner position is important, but man, I don’t know how you don’t put Meeks over Lovett at this point. Lovett has struggled with drops, and he hasn’t shown anything on returns like you might have hoped. Even with the gunner reps, he hasn’t made a play other than picking up that fumble that someone else muffed. Meeks has been making nonstop plays. That’s why he’ll likely he the roster spot over Lovett.

Keith Cooper Jr.

Three edge rushers are fighting for one spot right now, and the upper hand has been traded week after week. Both Ukwu and Nate Lynn did some big things in this game, and they overshadowed Cooper this go around. That doesn’t mean it’s over for him; he just needs to have a solid week and a good final preseason game to keep his name in the hat.

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