The Detroit Lions captured their first preseason win in Indianapolis with a competitive 27-26 victory over the Colts in the second week of preseason.
Detroit largely dominated both lines of scrimmage throughout the game, a matchup where most starters on both teams did not play. The Lions ran for 175 yards and held the Colts to just 30 yards on the ground in an emphatic display of trench domination.
This game put the spotlight on the backups, and in general it showed the overall increase in talent and depth of the Lions from this same point a year ago.
Run game – check
(AP Photo/Doug McSchooler)
Detroit ran the ball very effectively in Indianapolis. They ran for 175 yards on 32 carries before the kneeldowns at the end.
It was a team effort, too. Four Lions RBs had 7 carries in the game.
Justin Jackson – 54 yards
Craig Reynolds – 37
Godwin Igwebuike – 32
Jermar Jefferson – 25
The blocking from the second-team OL and TEs was very strong too, particularly the interior line combination of Evan Brown, Logan Stenberg and Tommy Kraemer.
Crossing routes are an issue for the defense
(AP Photo/AJ Mast)
The Colts use a lot of layered crossing routes in the passing game. And from the first Indianapolis drive, the scheme caused real problems for the Lions secondary.
Preseason rookie report: First-year defensive backs struggle in second preseason game
It wasn’t just any one culprit, either. Will Harris got torched for an early third-down conversion, but Kerby Joseph was late on the next one. Mike Hughes, JuJu Hughes, Mark Gilbert–they all got victimized by being too late or not fast enough in trail coverage on crossing routes.
Joseph, the rookie safety, got lost badly in a coverage situation on a deeper crossing route that led to the Colts’ second touchdown. He and Gilbert fudged the communication and it led to a too-easy TD that cannot happen when the scores matter.
Austin Bryant earned a spot on the 53-man roster
(AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Austin Bryant earned plenty of raves from the joint practices during the week. No. 2 backed it up with a fantastic game against the Colts.
Bryant started at DE and made his presence felt right away. He was largely unblockable by whoever the Colts threw at him. Bryant finished with one credited sack but deserves at least a half-sack credit for a later one too. He was constantly disruptive while playing…
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