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Pro Football Focus' review of this week's Detroit Lions preseason game was much more fun to read than last week. That obviously comes as no surprise considering the Lions beat the New England Patriots by a score of 40-9. There were still some negatives, as you'll see in a bit, but it was a much more positive game overall for the Lions.
Let's start with the Lions' dominant defensive line. PFF gave defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh a +4.3 grade and named him the player of the game for his excellent run defense. Defensive end Jason Jones came in just behind Suh with a +3.2 grade thanks to a pair of sacks.
Running back Joique Bell also scored quite well in this game. He received a +4.7 grade after rushing for 52 yards on 5 carries and gaining 49 yards on 2 receptions. PFF noted that Bell is "more likely to make something happen between the tackles" than Reggie Bush, who got hit with a -0.7 grade for gaining only 1 yard on 6 carries. Bell definitely needs more playing time going forward.
Sticking with the offense, lineman Jake Scott received a +5.1 grade for what he did against the Patriots on Thursday. Scott doesn't appear to be in the mix to start anymore with Larry Warford taking over the right guard job, but Scott was really impressive in the second half. That kind of a performance could help him make the 53-man roster.
It wasn't all good, of course. Quarterback Matthew Stafford had another inconsistent day, and he received a -3.6 grade as a result. This was apparently PFF's lowest grade for any Lions player on Thursday. It's true that he didn't have Calvin Johnson, and it's also true that the wide receivers didn't do a whole lot to help him, but Stafford has to be better going forward.
Head on over to PFF for more on this game.