Tag: Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants

Film Review: Hendon Hooker shows plenty of promise in Detroit Lions debut

Film Review: Hendon Hooker shows plenty of promise in Detroit Lions debut in preseason opener

When the Detroit Lions selected Hendon Hooker in the 3rd round of the 2023 NFL Draft, there was some uncertainty on if he’d play at any point of his rookie season. Most of this uncertainty came from the Lions having Jared Goff but also, Hooker, was coming back from a torn ACL. With that, he spent most of last season on the non-football injury list.

As we move onto this season, it’s been evident that the Lions have been searching for a backup quarterback. And not just any type of backup quarterback. They want someone that can help them win, if needed. That’s why they drafted Hooker because there’s starter upside with his skill-set.

Recovering from the torn ACL last season, we weren’t able to see any type of game action from Hooker. Not the preseason nor the regular season. That said, we finally got a chance to see him play for the Lions last week against the Giants. Let’s dive into some tape to see some of what he did for the Lions in the first preseason game!

During the Lions first preseason game, they gave the starting nod to Nate Sudfeld at quarterback. As we saw through the first half and 4th quarter, it wasn’t pretty. However, when the second half opened, we saw Hendon Hooker take the field. From his first drive to his second drive, it felt like the Lions offense was actually able to move the ball down the field.

Starting with one of his five completions on the night, the Lions come out in a shotgun formation with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end). To the right of the formation, you’ll see a bunched set with two receivers. One of those receivers is undrafted rookie Isaiah Williams from Illinois. Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see Williams run a quick out.

As he runs that route, Hooker takes a quick 3-step drop and flips this pass out to Williams. Certainly, this play wasn’t a big gain but it’s one that gets Hooker and the Lions offense in-rhythm. Meanwhile, it helped jump start a 14-play drive that went 88 yards.

Moving onto the very next play of that 14-play drive, Hooker shows early rapport with Isaiah Williams. From the quick out to this crosser for a first down, it’s an encouraging sign to see this connection.

Looking at the play above, the Lions come out 2×2 with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight end). Aligned in the slot to the left of the quarterback is Williams and he runs a shallow cross over the middle of the field. Staying comfortable in the pocket is Hooker and he gets this pass to Williams with ease.

Moving to the next play, I thought it was important to show Hooker working through progressions before checking down to the running back. That’s exactly what happens on the play above.

The Lions come out with their ’11’ personnel (one running back and one tight) again. However, this time, they’re under center rather than being out of shotgun. Once the ball is snapped, Hooker fakes the hand-off to the running back and begins to look downfield.

Even though it looks like he’s got the dig route open in the middle of the field, Hooker reads the linebacker that’s getting depth towards that route. So rather than forcing the throw, he flips to his left and checks this down to the running back for a 9-yard gain.

Lastly, I want to showcase the mobility from Hooker as it was on display for both drives he had in the 3rd quarter. In fact, he led the team in rushing with 34 yards on four carries. His longest run of the night was for 16 yards and it’s the run highlighted above.

Looking at the play above, the Lions come out under center with their ’12’ personnel (one running back and two tight ends). Faking the hand-off to the running back, Hooker rolls out to his left. As most of the routes downfield are covered or not fully developed yet, he quickly tucks the ball and runs into the open field.

Once he gets into the second level of the defense, he’s quickly surrounded by multiple defenders from the Giants. Rather than sliding or giving himself up on the play, Hooker drops his shoulder and absolutely levels a defensive back. With his momentum, he falls forwards and gains a few additional yards but most importantly, he kept the drive alive and picked up the first down.

If you watched the Giants and Lions game live, it was obvious that Hooker provided a much needed spark to the Lions offense. Sudfeld didn’t make the right decisions with his legs or arm but with Hooker, he provided a different dynamic. His mobility immediately stands out and the ball does jump out of his hands.

He didn’t complete every pass but he did go 5-for-9 with 34 yards passing in his Lions debut. While he did sustain a concussion in this game, we should see him at least one more time this summer before the Lions start the regular season in September. It may only be two drives but it’s starting to look like the Lions may have the viable backup quarterback option they’ve been searching for over the last three seasons.

Look: Nate Sudfeld’s very bad preseason night summed up in one very bad play

Detroit’s first pass play against the Giants perfectly sums up why and how QB Nate Sudfeld had such a bad night in New York

Anyone who watched the Detroit Lions preseason opener against the New York Giants knows that quarterback Nate Sudfeld did not have a good night. Sudfeld, battling with Hendon Hooker for the backup job behind Jared Goff, got the start in New York on Thursday night.

No. 8 was off from the very start of the game. Witness Detroit’s first pass play, the second offensive snap of the game.

The play design is straightforward. It’s 12 personnel, with TE Parker Hesse (No. 43) playing fullback in front of RB Craig Reynolds. It’s a designed play-action bootleg, a scripted play the Lions run in every practice — often on both the opening walkthrough/warmup and then in team drills. This is a Ben Johnson staple scheme, one designed to get an intermediate crossing receiver open and also an option to take a deep shot if the DBs botch the coverage.

The first part of the play is very well-executed by almost everyone, including Sudfeld with the play fake. TE James Mitchell (No. 82) leaves a little early and it tips off safety Dane Belton (No. 24 in blue), but the Lions offensive line, Reynolds and Hesse all do a great job selling the run fake.

Wideout Antoine Green (No. 18) from the bottom of the formation) shows good patience in waiting to cross the field. In the practices we’ve seen, he is the primary option on this play. When the Lions starters run this, it’s Amon-Ra St. Brown in Green’s role and Jameson Williams as the top receiver, which is Daurice Fountain (No. 12) on this rep.

As the play progresses and Sudfeld spins outside to his left (by design) to where he can throw, Green is streaking across at the 24-yard line. Mitchell winds up being effectively covered, but the Giants defender whose responsibility is Green here (No. 31, Tyler Nubin) is still behind the 30 and running around a (legal) pick with Fountain starting to pull away from his coverage up the seam.

This is exactly how the play is supposed to work. Sudfeld has the option here to hit Green on the cross, or hold a half-count and throw it up for Fountain on the deep shot. No defender is within seven yards of Sudfeld. We’ve seen Sudfeld connect on both throwing options here many times in practices, just as Jared Goff and Hendon Hooker routinely do in their reps.

Not this time.

Sudfeld refuses to pull the trigger on either option and eventually gets sacked near the sideline at the 11-yard line. As the play progressed, Hesse also came open in the middle of the field as an emergency outlet, albeit a very risky throwing option, by smartly flowing with the play.

None of the offensive linemen are in place to help Sudfeld because he’s supposed to throw the ball. They’re selling the run fake and did so very well, notably center Kinglsey Eguakun (No. 65) and left tackle Dan Skipper (No. 70). Again–that’s the precise design of the play that we see them practice multiple times in every session. There are some variants off the base formation, too, but this is the primary “choose your best adventure” script for a quarterback in Ben Johnson’s playbook.

This isn’t a coverage sack. Fountain wound up getting 2-3 more yards of separation on his defender. Green remained an open target for another two steps before Nubin finally got within arm’s reach of him. It’s a rapidly closing window but that’s the NFL. Quarterbacks who don’t think they can make that throw typically don’t stick around the NFL very long.

Give the Giants linebackers, notably Dyontae Johnson (No. 54), credit for quick reactions. Johnson bags the sack on Sudfeld, who isn’t unathletic (he’s slightly more mobile than Goff) but is never going to scare a defense with his legs. But this is a money-making play for the Lions offense if Sudfeld decides to write the check and throw the ball.

This one play is a great nutshell of why Lions fans, media and even head coach Dan Campbell were so hard on Sudfeld on Thursday night.

 

Dan Campbell on Nate Sudfeld: ‘I expect better from him’

Lions coach Dan Campbell on QB Nate Sudfeld: ‘I expect better from him’ after Sudfeld’s struggles in the preseason opener

Detroit’s preseason opener against the New York Giants unintentionally morphed into the Nate Sudfeld house of horrors. The reserve quarterback got the start in the game but played quite poorly, especially early on.

Sudfeld misfired on four of his first five throws, and the Lions offense picked up one first down in the first six drives with the erratic, shaky Sudfeld at the helm.

“There’s some decisions in there that I would like to be better. I expect better from him,” Campbell said in his postgame press conference. “I’m not as concerned right now or yet about the accuracy with what it is, wet ball, this and that, but there’s just a couple of decisions in there that I know he can be better on.”

Sudfeld was forced back into the game when Hendon Hooker, who operated the offense far more efficiently and effectively, left the game with a concussion. Campbell was quick to credit Sudfeld for playing better in that circumstance than he had looked earlier in the game.

“But, like I said, I did think when he came back in he played a lot better. I thought he got in a rhythm, kind of got us going there and so that was good to see.”

Sudfeld led the Lions on an 11-play, 60-yard drive after reentering, looking sharper and connecting with multiple receivers before stalling out in the red zone.

For his part, Sudfeld had this to say after the game,

“I just don’t think that we were firing on all cylinders in any of the areas, run game or pass game. It just wasn’t able to quite click tonight, but I’ll have to watch the tape to see really what went wrong on some of it. But hard to say.”

Lions rookie WR gets big praise from Dan Campbell after preseason debut

Williams led the Lions in receptions and receiving yards in his NFL debut as an undrafted rookie from Illinois

There wasn’t much to be excited about with the Detroit Lions offense in the team’s 14-3 preseason-opening loss to the New York Giants. Resting all starters, the Lions second-team offense managed just one first down in the first six drives of the game.

The Detroit offense did perk up a bit late in the game, and one big reason for that was the play of undrafted rookie wideout Isaiah Williams. No. 83 hauled in all four passes thrown his way for 35 yards, both of which led the Lions.

[lawrence-related id=109532]

After the game, Detroit head coach Dan Campbell praised Williams’ performance in his preseason debut. In fact, Williams was the first player Campbell brought up.

“Isaiah Williams showed up,” Campbell said after the game. “I mean, he made some plays out there, and that was clear. That was clear to see. He did some really good things that showed up.”

Campbell was right in his assessment. Williams showed his skills as an undersized receiver who wins with precision and quickness. One notable catch saw Williams leap to catch a ball throw higher and behind where he expected it. The undrafted rookie from Illinois leapt to snag the ball with his back to the defense, then instantly turned the ball up the field to pick up extra yards and a first down.

Williams has not really stood out in training camp so far, making some nice plays and showing generally reliable hands but no real “wow” moments. The consistency of his performance in the preseason opener was a big step for Williams in his quest to be the man who extends the string of seasons a UDFA makes the Lions 53-man roster to 14 years.

Hendon Hooker leaves preseason debut with a possible concussion

Lions QB Hendon Hooker leaves preseason debut with a possible concussion after just two drives

Hendon Hooker made his NFL debut in Detroit’s preseason opener against the New York Giants. After missing all of his rookie campaign recovering from a torn ACL in college, the 2023 third-round pick waited in the wings while Nate Sudfeld played the entire first half in New York.

Hooker finally got onto the field in the second half of Thursday night’s game. He quickly led the Lions to their most impressive drive of the night, a 14-play drive that netted 88 yards (including some penalty yardage) and picked up six first downs — two more than the Lions attained on eight drives under Sudfeld.

Unfortunately, Hooker was forced from the game after the drive. He was escorted into the blue evaluation tent to be tested for a possible concussion. After he emerged from the tent, Hooker was escorted to the locker room and Sudfeld returned to the lineup.

Nate Sudfeld struggled vs the Giants and Lions fans weren’t happy

Detroit QB Nate Sudfeld struggled vs the Giants in the preseason opener and Lions fans weren’t happy

Nate Sudfeld was the starting quarterback for the Detroit Lions in their preseason opener against the New York Giants. Most fans, and many of us in the media, expected Hendon Hooker to make his NFL debut instead.

That context probably didn’t help Sudfeld’s cause on a rough, rainy night in New York. Sudfeld played poorly, missing four of his first five pass attempts–all on inaccurate throws. Detroit failed to convert a single first down in its first four drives. The veteran played the entire first half and finished 7-for-15 for 40 yards and an interception, getting sacked three times. His QB Rating was 25.7 after producing four total first downs in eight drives.

It was not pretty for Sudfeld. Nor was the social media reaction to Sudfeld’s subpar performance. Here are some of the choice posts that are safe enough for a family-friendly publication.

Parting shot…

…and chaser:

Watch: Detroit Lions Podcast recaps Jaguars joint practice and preseason win over the Giants

The Detroit Lions Podcast recaps joint practice with the Jaguars and Detroit’s preseason win over the Giants

The latest episode of the Detroit Lions Podcast is now available to watch or stream. This week’s edition brings the chance to talk about an actual football game, one the Lions won, no less.

The preseason victory over the New York Giants gets analyzed. Who stood out? What was it like in Ford Field? What can we take away from the win over New York?

Then it’s time for the joint practice session with the Jacksonville Jaguars. There were a couple of injuries in a hard-fought practice against a game Jaguars team, as well as some great action.

The show streams live on YouTube each week.

The audio-only version of the show is also available via your favorite podcast provider.

Lions quarterback Nate Sudfeld struggles against the Giants

Breaking down the preseason start from Detroit Lions QB Nate Sudfeld against the New York Giants

It’s always hard to buy into everything you see in the NFL preseason. We obviously know that each team has plenty of players that do and don’t make the 53-man roster. But it’s the ultimate job interview for these players. They have to prove that they belong and that the team they play for made the right decision in drafting them or signing them.

In the first preseason game of the year, the Detroit Lions and New York Giants kicked off that interview process. For some players, it went great and for others, not so much.

In Detroit, they’ve got plenty of players that helped kick start this new regime. However, these players could be on the outside looking in and might end up finding themselves not being part of the Lions roster in a few weeks. It’s been a common trend for the backup quarterback spot in Detroit over recent years.

In previous years we saw quarterbacks such as Tim Boyle and David Blough have to battle through training camp and the preseason to earn their spots. Now, there’s another quarterback going through that same process. That quarterback is Nate Sudfeld.

Last season, he had signed with the Lions after being cut by the San Francisco 49ers. During his first season in Detroit, Sudfeld impressed the Lions coaching staff enough to earn a contract extension in the off-season. However, the Lions front office has made it clear that they’re looking to upgrade the quarterback position in Detroit. They want more competition in that room, and they’re doing everything they can to create it.

While Jared Goff looks to be the guy, it didn’t stop Detroit from drafting Hendon Hooker in the third round of the 2023 NFL draft. That alone made it feel like Sudfeld could be on the verge of having to find his 4th team in four years.

Fortunately for Sudfeld, he was able to earn plenty of reps as the Lions backup quarterback this summer. Much of this is due to Hooker likely starting the year on the PUP list. But the struggles for Sudfeld have been real. He has misplaced throws in camp and really had a rough outing against the Giants during the second day of joint practices earlier this week.

[lawrence-related id=94158]

Looking for redemption, Sudfeld was given the chance to start against the Giants in the first preseason game. He went 15-for-28 for 194 yards, two interceptions and had a passer rating of 45.8 while playing three quarters for Detroit.

While head coach Dan Campbell had stated that he saw “more positive than negative” with Sudfeld, the tape tells a different story. For starters, the first play of the game was a pass that floated downfield while the Giants defense aligned with a single-high safety. As Sudfeld was targeting Jameson Williams on this pass, he was hit low in the pocket and the ball hung up in the air for an easy interception.

Even though the Lions defense held the Giants to three points, the next drive wasn’t much better for the veteran quarterback. The first play after the interception was a short-trap run where Sudfeld had just over 10 seconds on the play clock to read the defense. However, it felt like he rushed the snap and didn’t read the blitzing safety that was in the box and it led to rookie Jahmyr Gibbs getting stuffed in the backfield.

Ultimately, the second drive for the Lions offense was a four-and-out. They found themselves going for it on 4th-and-1 with a play-action pass to Sam LaPorta that hit him in the hands but the defender draped over his shoulder broke the pass up.

As the game progressed, Sudfeld found some success throwing to Dylan Drummond, Antoine Green and James Mitchell. There was even a 3rd-down pass in the first quarter where he extended the play outside of the pocket and he found Jahmyr Gibbs for a first down.

Unfortunately, he did have another interception late in the 2nd quarter when throwing over the middle of the field while targeting Jameson Williams. It looked as if Williams could have put his hands up to attempt the catch but didn’t as he had tight coverage around him. This ultimately led to the ball hitting Giants safety Dane Belton in the hands for a big return. This set up a touchdown for the Giants and they took a 13-3 lead going into the half.

Certainly not every bad play was Sudfeld’s fault in the first preseason game. At the end of the first half, he hit Dylan Drummond in the chest on a jump ball in the end-zone but it was dropped. Meanwhile, his best throw of the night was a deep throw to Jameson Williams that was dropped by the second-year receiver.

But the struggles were real though for Sudfeld on Friday night. He’ll need to trust his ability to move outside of the pocket and ultimately, he needs to improve with his pre-snap communication. There were far too many instances where he rushed into taking the snap and it led to tackles for loss or miscues on certain throws.

The way Dan Campbell was talking after the game, it sounds like Sudfeld did enough to hold off rookie Adrian Martinez from taking reps from him. However, Sudfeld will need to get better if he wants to beat out Teddy Bridgewater for the backup quarterback spot.

Head coach Dan Campbell has made it evident that “they need to get Teddy some reps.” The way it’s shaping up is that we’ll see plenty of reps from Teddy and Nate for the QB2 battle in Detroit. I doubt that Sudfeld gets another three quarters of play to prove what he can and cannot do so he’ll need to make every play count against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week.