6 winners and 4 losers after the Lions preseason game against the Falcons, we might have seen the begining of the end for former third round pick
Who had a big night and who struggled?
The Detroit Lions had a much better showing against the Atlanta Falcons than they did in the Hall of Fame game. Defense looked stout, and the offense put up some highlights. Sadly, the game ended the way you never want to see a game end. Here are six winners and four losers from the game:
Winners
Kyle Allen
Allen may have sealed the QB2 job in this game. It was talked about all week that the Lions would do the reverse of what they did the previous week. Hendon Hooker would start and play the first half, and Kyle Allen would come in the second half. Allen came in early after some rough play from Hooker and immediately hit Jackson Meeks on a 68-yard bomb, then scrambled for a nice eight yards on the next play (probably could have gone for the first down though), and then hit Isaac TeSlaa on a beautiful fade throw for a touchdown. That wasn’t all he did; he threw another one later and finished the game going 7-8 for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Grant Stuard
Speaking of a guy who stacked some good plays, Stuard had a drive where he nailed a running back after running into the backfield and then got a pass breakup on the very next play. Factor in that he’s returning kicks and might even get a look at fullback at some point, and you’re seeing a guy who is going to be a big part of this team in 2025.
Jackson Meeks
Meeks has kind of been behind Dominic Lovett since camp started, so if there was any night to show something, it was the night Lovett couldn’t play. That’s why his big 68-yard catch was huge and really showed what he was able to do in terms of getting separation, but also being a hard tackle. That’s exactly what he showed at Syracuse. In total, Meeks finished the night with three catches for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Jacob Saylors
I talked all week about Jacob Saylors, and that talk did not go in vain. Saylors balled out in the second half of this game. He ran for 35 yards on nearly four yards per carry. He got in some big runs, including one for a first down at the goal line. That set up a Jackson Meeks touchdown on the next play.
Nate Lynn
The kid keeps balling out, and he’s going to give himself a real shot to make this roster. At this point, it’s really hard not to say that he’s got that spot already. He had three pressures in the Hall of Fame game, and against the Falcons, he had three pressures and a sack in this one. He’s making plays out there for sure.
Humanity
In the fourth quarter, a very scary moment happened when Lions DB Morice Norris took a really bad hit to the head that snapped his neck back. Personnel from both teams ran to the field. Trainers came out with a board, and he laid on the field for over 10 minutes before being taken out in an ambulance.
Both teams had tears in their eyes, and it was just a very emotional scene. You hate to try to find some beauty in the moment, but it was there when both teams decided that they were not going to continue the game. The Falcons snapped the ball, and then everyone just stopped playing, and the teams gathered in a circle for a prayer. The clock ran down until the game was suspended at the six-minute mark. It just really showed in that moment that life is far more important than the game, and this league is a real brotherhood.
Losers
Hendon Hooker
After a rough Hall of Fame game in which he put up just 14 yards passing, the hope was that he would have a better night in the starting role in Week 2 of the preseason. That just didn’t happen. The high point was a nice 23-yard scramble, the lows were two fumbles, and just 38 yards passing. The even lower low was when he got taken out of the game early in favor of Kyle Allen.
You hate to see it happen, but Friday night might have been the beginning of the end for Hooker and the Lions. It’s year three, and the same problems are still there. How much longer can Detroit wait?
Special teams
This is usually not a problem for the Lions. They’ve been good at special teams. But the last two games have been super rough. This one got off to a bad start with four penalties in the first quarter alone. Giving teams extra yards right off the bat can be killer. Losing your extra yards for your offense is deadly, too. Detroit has to get this fixed.
Erick Hallett
A pretty bad night for Hallet. He was picked on all night. He got targeted six times and allowed five catches for 53 yards and a touchdown. With Dan Jackson’s injury, the fourth safety spot is more up for grabs than ever. Hallet having this bad game did not help his cause.
Giovanni Manu
I kind of want to put Manu in both categories because he played 48 snaps in this game, and that’s good for him to get all those reps, but he did struggle. He led the team in allowing pressures with three. He also allowed two quarterback hits. He was probably not supposed to play this many reps, but Justin Herron got hurt in pre-game warm-ups, and someone had to step up.
Detroit Lions News
We’re calling it, Kyle Allen won the Lions QB2 job against the Falcons, Hendon Hooker’s seat is very hot
When the Detroit Lions signed Kyle Allen in March, pretty much everyone thought he was going to come in and be the next Nate Sudfeld, who would just push former third-round pick Hendon Hooker a little before Hooker took the QB2 job going away. Since training camp started, that is not what it’s looked like. […]
