Detroit Lions: A Pair of Injuries Define Preseason Week 3
By Bob Heyrman
The Buffalo Bills edged the Detroit Lions 24-20 last night at Ford Field. It was the third preseason game which generally serves as the dress rehearsal for the regular season. Although it was great to see quarterback Matt Stafford in action, overall it was a disaster of an evening for the Lions.
Let me explain. As Matthew Stafford surfaced from the tunnel and began to warm up all of our questions from earlier in the week were answered. We were finally going to get our first look at the franchise quarterback in the Detroit Lions new offensive system.
Stafford needed to shake off some rust early, well, better yet sandblast off some rust. After the first couple of series lacked many positives the offense started to click. Stafford was able to find Danny Amendola 3 times for 30 yards, once with a beautiful throw down the left sideline for 12 yards.
Rookie tight end T.J. Hockenson has quickly found some chemistry with Stafford reeling in 3 balls himself totaling 52 yards. The biggest came on a play-action pass. Stafford held the ball an extra beat and while under pressure he delivered a beautiful ball to Hockenson running free across the middle of the field. The 32-yard strike gives us a glimpse into the future of potentially a lethal TE/QB combination.
Stafford’s lone touchdown pass came on 4th down. He found rookie Ty Johnson matched up with a linebacker which is a tremendous miss-match. Johnson made a nifty grab on a wheel route that started in the backfield. He galloped in for the score, finishing off the play by dragging a tackler into the corner of the endzone.
The Detroit Lions struggled to get any type of run game going with the starting offensive line, which is a little bit concerning; especially with what would transpire during the game. I mean, this is an offensive philosophy that is most effective establishing the run, setting up the deep shots down the field in the passing game. Kerryon Johnson only carried the rock twice for a mere 4-yards. Running backs only have so many carries in them; there is no need to waste them during the preseason. Don’t be alarmed he will be ready come week one.
C.J Anderson didn’t appear to be too comfortable or confident. It seemed like the veteran back was still figuring things out. He was hesitant after receiving the handoff, perhaps waiting for a hole to scamper through to develop. The O-line wasn’t creating many seams for anyone to bust through. Anderson did have a 10-yard run but finished the night with 24-yards on 8 carries.
Ty Johnson only received one carry, which was a bit disappointing. As we saw Anderson 7 out of 8 times, run into a pile and hit the turf. I couldn’t help but wonder if Ty Johnson could have found a way to bounce it outside and make something out of nothing. I expected a bit bigger role for the rookie with the Lions first-team offense last night as a runner.