Lions-Steelers preseason Week 1: Who deserves the game ball?

Now that the Detroit Lions and Pittsburgh Steelers have finished their preseason game, it’s time to hand out some awards. After every game this season, we’re going to give out the game ball based on your voting. Each week, we’ll give a rundown of the best performances in the game and leave it up to you to select the winner. Throughout the season, we’ll keep track of who won the award to see which player you thought had the best year.

Without further ado, here are the Lions candidates for the first preseason game:

Zach Zenner

The preseason wonder was at it again in Pittsburgh. Zenner, playing with mostly the second-team offense picked up 24 rushing yards and 32 receiving yards in just over two quarters of play. Zenner looked good at shedding blocks and his hands were surprisingly strong, as well. Theo Riddick and Stevan Ridley struggled offensively, making Zenner’s performance stand out even more.

Dwayne Washington

No explanation necessary, just watch:

Jace Billingsley

The Lions second-tier receivers struggled early on. Jeremy Kerley had a very bad drop, Jay Lee was invisible all game. Andre Roberts had a pretty good game, but also dropped a pass and played uneven. It was Jace Billingsley of Name Bracket fame who separated himself from the pack in the fourth quarter. Billingsley made a nice catch on the ball, but juked out of a few tackles on his way to his first career touchdown.

Billingsley also added a few impressive punt returns, proving his worth as a special teamer, as well.

Brandon Copeland

Though Copeland did not record a single tackle, his impact in the game went well beyond statistics. Copeland was consistently providing pressure on the quarterback and picked up a fumble recovery to boot. The Lions defensive line didn’t make too many plays, so Copeland’s performance sticks out.

Khaseem Greene

Greene quietly had maybe the best defensive performance on the team. Greene finished with a team-high five tackles, four of them being the solo variety. On one play, he needled his way through the offensive line and picked up one of the Lions' four sacks on the day.