Lions-Jets final score: Detroit cruises to 23-3 win in preseason opener

If there's one thing the Detroit Lions know how to consistently do, it's win in the preseason. The Lions cruised to a 23-3 victory over the New York Jets in their preseason opener on Thursday night, giving them an overall record of 23-6 in the preseason since 2008. Obviously these games don't really count for anything, but it's always nice to see the Lions come out on top.

Thursday's game was all Lions from the start, as Matthew Stafford led the offense down the field for a five-play touchdown drive on the opening series. He connected with Golden Tate for 22 yards to get things rolling, and a few plays later he found Tate again, this time for a 35-yard touchdown.

Golden Tate! Touchdowns! Loud noises! pic.twitter.com/6i6Oh9J6ES

— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) August 13, 2015

The Jets responded with a promising drive that ended in a field goal after the Lions came up with a stop on third-and-1. The Lions then answered with a field goal of their own following an electric 45-yard run by Ameer Abdullah:

Ameer Abdullah is fast dot Vine backslash Lions boner. https://t.co/hBkRqMY3tp

— Isaac (@WorldofIsaac) August 14, 2015

With Kellen Moore and Bryce Petty leading the way for their respective teams, there was no scoring during the rest of the first half. The Lions put together a pretty impressive drive over the course of the final six and a half minutes of the second quarter, but the 17-play possession ultimately ended with a Moore interception in the end zone.

We didn't have to wait long for scoring in the second half, as the Lions turned a Jets fumble into a touchdown just a few plays into the third quarter. The fumble was the result of a botched handoff, and it was recovered by Jermelle Cudjo. On the very next play, Dan Orlovsky connected with Greg Salas on a beautiful back-shoulder fade for a 20-yard touchdown, putting the Lions on top by a score of 17-3.

Following another dismal offensive display by the Jets (that's translation for a three-and-out), the Lions tacked on another field goal. This one came from Kyle Brindza, who nailed the kick from 49 yards out. After another series of punts, Brindza connected again, this time from 41 yards out, making this a 23-3 game in favor of the Lions.

This game was such a blowout in the Lions' favor that they actually found time to play their fourth-string quarterback, Garrett Gilbert. His appearance in the game didn't produce any points, but it didn't need to with the Lions easily winning 23-3.

Next week, the Lions are on the road to take on the Washington Redskins in another Thursday night matchup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.