The Detroit Lions played their fourth and final preseason game on Saturday against the Houston Texans. While the scoreline wasn't what Dan Campbell and the coaching staff were hoping for, there were plenty of important takeaways.
What preseason is generally for is clarifying key position battles. For the Lions, one of the most notable ones was the QB2 competition. With neither Kyle Allen nor Hendon Hooker standing out early in training camp, Lions fans were worried about a potential scenario in which Jared Goff was hurt.
Fortunately for them, however, one quarterback took the matter into his hands over the last three preseason games, including Saturday, and ended the backup QB battle once and for all.
Kyle Allen's last three preseason games:
— Colton Pouncy (@colton_pouncy) August 23, 2025
26-of-30, 310 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs.
Kyle Allen Clinched the QB2 Role with Saturday's Performance
Before heading to the bench in favor of Hendon Hooker in the second half, Kyle Allen completed all five of his passes for 66 yards, including a nice 33-yard pass to Isaac TeSlaa for the team's only touchdown. This has been a continuation of the recent upward trend for the veteran signal-caller. As The Athletic's Colton Pouncy pointed out on X, this means that Allen has now gone 26/30 for 310 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions in his last three preseason games.
Contrast that with Hooker's performance of 16-for-29, 117 yards, zero touchdowns, and two interceptions, and the choice is obvious for the Lions' coaching staff.
Perhaps this is not very surprising. Allen was brought in this offseason with the hopes that he would steal Hooker's job heading into the latter's third year in the league. The 29-year-old may not have lived up to the hype that many had for him after his first two seasons with the Panthers, but he still has a ton more starting experience in the NFL compared to Hooker.
What this means for Hooker will be an important storyline in Detroit over the next few days. The Lions have until Tuesday to cut their roster down to 53 players. Assuming that they will only bring two quarterbacks into the regular season, Hooker will be the odd man out. Does that mean that he will be traded by Tuesday? Or will the Lions just cut him and hope to sign him back to their practice squad? Stay tuned.