A very dull affair altogether, and unfortunately the game was cut short by a very scary injury to Lions safety Morice Norris who reportedly is in stable condition after being transported to a local hospital.
This was a sloppy, defensive game the majority of the way as mostly backups battled back and forth in a titanic show of mediocrity. The Lions could barely string a drive together until the 3rd quarter when Kyle Allen provided a spark and led them on two scoring drives before the game was called shortly into the 4th quarter. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a lot to be learned from this game.
Player Notes…
-- We’ll start with the Lions backup QB job…I don’t see how the team can justify having Hendon Hooker (7-10 for 38 yards, 0 TD/0 INT) remain QB2 over Kyle Allen (7-8 for 120 yards, 2 TD/0 INT). It’s not just the stats, but in this case the stats do reflect reality. Hooker was putrid and panicked at any pressure before constantly dumping the ball short. He also fumbled twice while trying to escape pressure. Dan Campbell has been openly saying he needed to step up his game, and that clearly hasn’t happened. I think his days in Detroit could be numbered.
Allen, on the other hand, looked cool and calm, worked through his progressions and aggressively attacked downfield. He landed a gorgeous deep ball right in the arms of Jackson Meeks (3-78-1/4) who beat CB Lamar Jackson easily. If something were to happen to Goff, Allen could possibly keep the team competitive for a bit. I have no confidence that Hooker could do the same.
-- On the Falcons side Easton Stick (15-18 for 149 yards, 1 TD/0 INT) played pretty well overall. He did a nice job of stepping up and escaping pressure and finding the open man. It wasn’t flashy, but he got the job done. There are a lot worse backups in the league than Stick.
-- The player whose name got called the most this game was Falcons receiver Dylan Drummond (8-63-0/8). I had no idea who Drummond was before this game. A UDFA out of Eastern Michigan in 2023 where he wasn’t even a standout player. He didn’t test very well athletically but does have a nice 6.86 3-cone. That feels pretty accurate here as he was working a lot of short stuff, drags, crosses, etc. and was getting open and doing a decent job after the catch, not bad but nothing special. He’s got his work cut out for him to make this roster with so many other more explosive receivers battling for the backup spots.
-- For example, I thought David Sills (1-15-0/2) looked the best of the Atlanta receivers from a movement perspective. He’s got good size and will sneak up on you with his speed. The coaches have had good things to say about him in camp.
-- Chris Blair (3-54-1/4) also played well. He wasn’t getting a ton of separation but consistently came down with catches anyway. One of he or Sills might possibly make the final roster, but it’s going to be close. My money would be on Sills if anyone.
-- The only receiver that really stood out for the Lions was once again Isaac TeSlaa (2-18-1/3). He’s going to be a starter sooner rather than later. They won’t be able to keep him off the field for long.
RC Note: I watched TeSlaa’s work in this game...man, this guy is good. He does just jump out at you as not only an athlete but a fluid receiver as well. He is blazing up my projections and rankings. What a sweet TD catch he had in this game, from route to body positioning, to timing, to hands…so fluid.
-- None of the RBs in this game looked good at all. Poor Craig Reynolds is a savvy runner, but he looks like he’s stuck in mud. Surely the Lions could find a 3rd RB with more juice.
Defensive Player Notes…
-- Bad news Falcons fans but news that shouldn’t be a surprise…both your first round picks were complete ghosts here going up against Detroit’s scrubs.
Jalon Walker was a big bag of nothing, and James Pearce did his usual run-fast-around-the-outside and get blocked out of the play trick. It’s just one game, but you would really like your high draft picks to at least flash in a setting like this? When is GM Terry Fontenot going to get called out for his absolutely terrible drafts? I can’t think of a single draft pick he’s made outside of Drake London and Bijan Robinson that is even decent.
-- Rookie safety DeMarcco Hellams (2 tackles) was getting a lot of praise early for two huge hits (one of which resulted in a penalty), but he didn’t do much outside of that. He’s competing for a starting safety spot.
-- I did finally figure out why Grant Stuard (2 tackles, 1 pd) can’t seem to lock down a starting job…he kind of sucks in coverage. The man is a Tasmanian devil in the run game, but I saw him get beat twice in his short time on the field, once in man coverage out wide against a RB that resulted in his pass breakup because the ball was poorly thrown, and once in zone coverage where he lost track of a receiver that snuck in behind him. He’s still a good player overall and you want him on your team, but he does seem to be a coverage liability.
-- Lions rookie first round pick Tyleik Williams played but was a complete no-show.
