The Detroit Lions took on the Indianapolis Colts in their first 2017 NFL preseason matchup, and came out with a victory — but what else is there to take away?
The Detroit Lions finished their first preseason game with a victory. After having a two-day practice with the Indianapolis Colts during training camp, the two teams faced off Sunday in Indianapolis.
For obvious reasons, Matthew Stafford didn’t play much, but his performance included going 2-of-3 and tossing an interception right before the Lions took him out. I’d like to observe a little more of Stafford before I dissect the starting offense.
Jake Rudock got some great playing time, even scoring two touchdowns. If that wasn’t exciting enough, rookie Brad Kaaya had a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
And that doesn’t even cover a quarter of what the game entailed. Overall, the Lions looked good. Some players looked better than others, but hopefully they’ll get it together by the start of the season. After watching and analyzing Week 1 of preseason, there are three takeaways the Lions should concentrate on.
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3. Injuries
Injuries are never something a team or players wants to worry about. Unfortunately, it is a possibility, and in this case, not a good one. Defensive end Kerry Hyder went down in the first half of the first quarter.
Coach Jim Caldwell said Hyder has a significant injury to his left leg. It isn’t looking good for Hyder, and his injury could have ended his season. Hyder is the heart and soul of the Lions defense. Last season, he had eight sacks.
What does this mean for the Lions? Ziggy Ansah needs to step up. Ansah is currently on the PUP list, but his return is now more anticipated than ever. The Lions defense looked good, and still managed to hold their own after Hyder went down, but if they want to put pressure on quarterbacks, they will need to come up with a backup plan. Brandon Copeland, Detroit’s backup defensive end/linebacker also left the game after he obtained a shoulder injury.
2. Defense
The Lions aren’t known for their defense, and if they are, it’s how poorly they perform. After a successful free agency and draft, the Lions have improved their defense from what I saw during Sunday’s game.
Haloti Ngata and Darius Slay were among two players who didn’t play. That was probably a good thing, because the Lions can’t afford to lose any of their strong defensive players. However, with Ngata and Slay not playing, combined with Hyder’s injury, the Lions defense still prevailed.
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The Lions forced almost 10 three-and-outs, didn’t allow a touchdown until the last play of the game and totaled five sacks. If they can show improvements like this week after week, their defense will be in better shape this season.
1. Kenny Golladay
There is no denying Kenny Golladay’s talent. I’d like to officially say welcome to the NFL. Golladay was the Lions third-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. It may only be Week 1 of the pre-season, but Golladay is showing signs of greatness.
Remember the training camp joint practice I mentioned earlier? During that practice, Galloday dropped the first pass thrown his way. Galloday said he was nervous, and it wouldn’t happen again. Nerves weren’t an issue for him on Sunday. He caught all three of his targets and had a team high of 53 yards. Not only did he have his first NFL touchdown, but he had his first pair of touchdowns. His play earned the praise of his head coach at halftime, as well.
Next: NFL Power Rankings 2017: Preseason Week 2
The Lions finished their first preseason game with a 24-10 victory. If they can continue to continue on this path and keep improving their weaknesses, the Lions will be a force to wrecken with in 2017