In a final audition before Sunday’s cuts, several Detroit Lions players locked in roster battles put their best foot forward in Saturday’s 25-16 preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Quarterback Josh Dobbs led Detroit’s offense to touchdowns on his first three possessions, with receivers Lucky Jackson and Tay Martin leading the pass-catching charge.
In the backfield, Jacob Saylors capped a strong preseason, shouldering the load and hitting the century mark on the ground.
And the Lions’ defense did a good job bending, but not breaking, despite being put in some tough spots due to turnovers.
Here’s a full recap of the action:
Starters
Offense: Luke Altmyer, Jacob Saylors, Lucky Jackson, Tay Martin, Greg Dortch, Jackson Meeks, Devin Cochran, Ben Bartch, Mason Miller, Miles Frazier, Colby Sorsdal
Defense: Anthony Lucas, Tyler Lacy, Levi Onwuzurike, Chris Smith, Joe Bachie, Amen Ogbongbemiga, Ennis Rakestraw, Roger McCreary, Keith Abney, Nick Whiteside, Aamaris Brown
Scoring summary
First quarter
● 11:57 — Benefitting from a 24-yard play-action pass on the second snap of the contest, the Colts worked into field goal range during the game’s opening possession before stalling out, settling for a 46-yard make for Blake Grupe that bounced in off the right upright. COLTS 3, LIONS 0
● 6:33 — Taking over in Lions territory following an interception, the Colts worked into the red zone, but were derailed by an offensive pass interference that negated a third-down conversion. That led to a short Grupe kick to extend the home team’s early advantage. COLTS 6, LIONS 0
● 1:44 — After an interception on the opening drive, Altmyer rebounded to lead a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that included two third-down completions by the rookie QB.
Saylors opened the series with a 22-yard run around the left end and Trayveon Williams capped the possession with a 1-yard scoring run. Jake Bates pushed the extra point wide right, leaving the score tied. LIONS 6, COLTS 6
Second quarter
● 6:49 — Overcoming a botched snap exchange early in the series, Josh Dobbs delivered a long touchdown drive on his first series, completing seven-of-nine throws, including three third-down and one fourth-down conversion. Dobbs connected with Meeks at the goal line on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line for the capper. LIONS 13, COLTS 6
● 2:53 — The Lions had the Colts in fourth-and-6, but Rakestraw stumbled in coverage, giving up a 24-yard reception to Anthony Gould. Rakestraw was beat again on the ensuing snap, this time on a 15-yard curl down to the 6-yard line, setting up a scoring run for DJ Giddens around the right side. LIONS 13, COLTS 13
● 0:08 — Inheriting possession with 2:32 remaining, Dobbs orchestrated a stellar two-minute drive that included another third-down conversion and a well-placed deep ball to Lucky Jackson down to the 2-yard line that led to a short touchdown pass to Martin. The Lions went for two after the score, but Dobbs couldn’t connect with Jackson on that effort. LIONS 19, COLTS 13
Third quarter
● 4:48 — After the Colts moved into Lions territory, the defense tightened, including a key sack for defensive tackle Myles Adams, leading to a 60-yard field goal for Spencer Shrader. LIONS 19, COLTS 16
Fourth quarter
● 7:25 — A run-heavy, 14-play drive pushed Detroit’s advantage to two scores. The offense converted four third downs during the possession, but none longer than 3 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run for Trayveon Williams on third-and-goal. The back accounted for 36 yards from scrimmage of the 62 yards gained on the series. Unfortunately, Bates missed a second PAT after the score. LIONS 25, COLTS 16
Turnovers
● First quarter, 10:02 — Throwing across his body on a designed rollout, Altmyer put a pass intended for tight end Thomas Gordon into traffic. The throw was undercut by former All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner for an easy interception.
● Second quarter, 2:47 — Trayveon Williams ran into the back of teammate Joe Bachie while returning a kickoff, losing control of the ball. The fumble was recovered by the Colts at Detroit’s 26-yard line.
● Second quarter, 2:32 — Quick pressure from Ahmed Hassanein and Eric O’Neill from opposite edges hurried a third-down throw that was undercut by Rakestraw for a diving interception.
● Third quarter, 13:40 — Looking for an open man, Altmyer held on to the ball too long and took a hit while attempting to throw, resulting in a fumble that was recovered by the Colts.
● Third quarter, 1:14 — On a third-and-2 run up the gut, Lions running back Roydell Williams lost his grasp on the ball, coughing up another fumble to the Colts.
Key stats
● Dobbs completed 15-of-19 for 128 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. The rookie Altmyer was accurate, completing 7-of-11 for 55 yards, but had the two turnovers, an interception and a lost fumble.
● Saylors churned out 100 yards on 17 carries. Trayveon Williams was also productive off the bench, gaining 57 yards on nine carries, while scoring a pair of short touchdowns.
● Jackson paced the receivers with five grabs for 94 yards, all in the first half. Martin chipped in four receptions for 16 yards and a touchdown. Dortch, Saylors, Malik Cunningham and Meeks also had multiple receptions, including a scoring grab for Meeks.
● Rakestraw paced the Lions with six tackles and also had an interception. Brown had five stops and two PBUs, while Skyler Gill-Howard and Myles Adams netted sacks.
Injuries
● Running back Jabari Small left after a big hit on a kickoff return in the first half.
● Cornerback Ekow Boye-Doe was slow to get up and exited after getting run over while attempting to make a tackle in the second half.
● Safety Aamaris Brown suffered an upper-body injury while making a tackle in the fourth quarter.
Next game
The Lions open the regular season at home against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Sept. 13 at 1 p.m.
Am I overreacting to be concerned about Jake Bates?
All that we really saw was that our backups and reserves played much better than Indy's. You cannot judge the demeanor of this team until the real season begins. By the time the bye hits, we should have a pretty good idea of what this team is capable of and where it's headed.