Week 3 of the preseason felt different than previous weeks. With the starters playing deep into the first half, the Lions actually looked like the more talented team, and a majority of the starters performed well. Matthew Stafford and the offense were sharp, but still have the opportunity to clean some things up like penalties and capitalizing more when in opposing territory.
The defense looked especially brilliant. Aside from one score from the Bills—which should have never happened if the officials didn’t blow a roughing the passer call—the starters did a nice job of stuffing the run and got the ball back in the offense’s hands quickly.
However, the Lions saw a couple of their starters dealing with what appeared to be serious injuries following the game. Fortunately, neither Jarrad Davis or Frank Ragnow’s injury look to be season-ending according to the team. In Ragnow’s case, he may not have to miss many, if any games at all.
Depth still appears to be a huge question mark for the Lions as well, especially for some key units like the offensive line and cornerback position.
Do you feel better, worse or the same after Preseason Week 3?
My answer: I feel much better about the team following the dress rehearsal game. I was very encouraged to see the defense playing well while nearly at full strength. It sucks that Davis will miss some games, but I think Jalen Reeves-Maybin’s sudden emergence couldn’t have been timed any better, and he is more than capable of playing a starting role. Jahlani Tavai is also looking comfortable as a rookie and will likely step into Davis’ role.
I was never really worried about Stafford, and I would have preferred he not play at all during the preseason, but I’m not going to lie, it was nice to see him out there slinging the ball around and playing at a high level. Bevell’s offense at its most vanilla state looks infinitely more creative than anything we’ve seen from Jim Bob Cooter.
If the offensive line can avoid any serious injuries while the defense lives up to its potential, I think the Lions can do something special for their fans.
Poll
How are you feeling after Preseason Week 3?
This poll is closed
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31%
A lot better
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43%
A little better
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14%
The same
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7%
A little worse
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3%
A lot worse