5 winners and 6 losers from the Lions’ Hall of Fame game against the Chargers, some guys may have played their last game in Detroit
The Detroit Lions sure had a messy trip to Ohio to play the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night. It was a 34-7 beatdown of a loss that concerned some fans, but it was also a 34-7 beatdown of a loss that featured basically nobody the Lions are planning […]
The Detroit Lions sure had a messy trip to Ohio to play the Los Angeles Chargers in the Hall of Fame game on Thursday night. It was a 34-7 beatdown of a loss that concerned some fans, but it was also a 34-7 beatdown of a loss that featured basically nobody the Lions are planning to start this season. Still, there were some winners and losers in this one. Let’s talk about it.
Winners
Isaac TeSlaa
We didn’t get to see a ton of the Lions’ third-round pick, but what we did see has to make you feel pretty good about what he can bring to this offense long term. TeSlaa grabbed two passes for 46 yards. He showed that he can be that Josh Reynolds, but with speed, prototype the Lions have been dreaming of.
Craig Reynolds
If you came into this game thinking Reynolds might soon get replaced, this one showed that is not the right way to be thinking about stuff. Reynolds looked dynamic in this game. He was shiftier than we ever remember seeing him and was hitting holes beautifully. He only ran for 38 yards, but hw also scored the Lions’ only touchdown of the game. It was a solid outing for him that may not have even happened had the Lions not had so many running back injuries right now.
Ahmed Hassanein
Hassanein was something else in this game. Of anyone on the field, and we’re talking both teams, there was no player who just happoer to be there than Hassanein. He was the realization that we’re all just kids trying to live out a dream in one way or another. Seriously, when does the production of the Disney movie start?
Beyond that, Hassanein just flat-out had a good game. He showed some pass-rush ability and put forth a couple of tackles. There’s some stuff to work on, but everyone should come away thinking highly of Hassnein.
Rock Ya-Sin
Ya-Sin looked really good out there for the little bit that we saw him. He played some physical coverage, and he saved at least one touchdown from happening earlier in the game with a smooth open-field tackle. There was only so much he could do, though obviously. Ya-Sin should make everyone feel good about the depth the Lions have at cornerback.
Anthony Pittman
Maybe it’s me, but Pittman got faster this summer. On every kickoff or punt, he was one of the first guys in the area of the return man, and he was making stops all night on defense. He had four tackles, with two of them for a loss. Pittman has always been a good special-teams ace, but he looked good everywhere in this game. The Lions might have to carry more linebackers than they originally planned.
Losers
Kyle Allen
The thing we all hoped wouldn’t happen, happened. The worry was that he would be like Nate Sudfeld last year, where he looked so good in camp early on and then fell off a cliff in the preseason game. That’s exactly what happened. Allen threw a couple of picks and failed to get the Lions offense downfield. It didn’t go well, but we will say that there were some good throws out there, and we’ll see if he’s able to build off of them.
Hendon Hooker
He arguably had a worse game. It’s hard to say that anyone who throws for just 18 yards in a half of football looked better than anyone. It’s hard to understand why he only threw the ball six times, but that’s what happened. He got sacked multiple times, sailed a ball nowhere near his receivers, and threw an interception. He did have the prettiest spin move out of a sack that I’ve ever seen, though. Other than that, he struggled to get mobile, too.
Dominic Lovett
We came into this game with an expectation for Lovett, and that wasn’t met. We never really got to see him return the ball. It just never came his way except for one time, and that one time did look good. He dropped what could have been a big chunk play, and then had another drop later. Then, on Hooker’s interception, he just got bullied by his man, and the ball was essentially ripped out of his hands. It was just a rough night. He did catch five other balls for 31 yards, though.
Jakobie Keeny-James
When you’re an undrafted free agent receiver and you’re hoping to make the final receiver spot on the roster, the margin is so thin. You have to impress on special teams and you have ot make no mistakes. Keeny-James made the biggest one he could make when he muffed a punt and set the Chargers in the red zone. It might have been the last thing he does as a Lion.
This 1999 NFL Quarterback Club for Nintendo 64 virtual measurement thing the NFL is doing
Imagine how fans are going to feel when their team loses a game because of this. The memes are going to be crazy. This has worked for the UFL, and the NFL is hoping it works for them, but man, it could use some fine-tuning for sure. It slowed the game down, and you couldn’t really get a visual of what was happening if you were a fan in the stands or media in the press box. It was just a clunky rollout.
Elevators
The Hall of Fame stadium is very clearly not a stadium that is really meant to handle an NFL game. Nothing proved that more than the elevators in that stadium. They were either not running because of the maximum weight, or they were just completely breaking to the point in which a group of Lions beat writers got stuck inside the elevator and had to pry the door open to get back out. It was not fun.
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