Tag: Indianapolis Colts vs. Detroit Lions

Lions vs. Colts: Film review notebook for Detroit’s second preseason game

Lions film review notes from the 2nd preseason game on David Blough, the TE battle, Derrick Barnes and more

Not everyone appreciates the preseason games where the starters sit out. I’m the opposite; I relish the opportunity to see the depth players and youngsters fighting for roster spots and exposure getting chances to play meaningful snaps. That’s what Saturday’s matchup in Indianapolis between the Lions and Colts was all about.

The Lions prevailed, 27-26, in a competitive game that came down to the last play.

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Real-time evaluations are more snap judgments. It’s always valuable to go through the game again and see what might have been missed or too hastily noted in the initial watching. That was certainly true in a couple of cases for the Lions in Saturday’s game.

Here are a few notable takeaways from the film review of the Lions’ win over the Colts in the second preseason game.

Lions stock report after the 2nd preseason game

Which Detroit Lions players raised their stock in the 2nd preseason week and which saw their stock fall?

The second preseason game saw the Detroit Lions notch their first exhibition victory in a long time, a 27-26 win over the host Indianapolis Colts. Saturday’s game followed two days of intense joint practice sessions at the Colts training facility, physical practices that had the feel of something more than just practicing.

Several Lions helped themselves in the exhibition game and joint practices. Others did not.

Here’s who rose up and who sank in the second preseason week Detroit Lions roster stock report.

Snap count notes: Lions test positional depth battles vs. Colts

Breaking down the Lions snap counts from the preseason win over the Colts

Very few starters took to the field for the Detroit Lions in Saturday’s 27-26 exhibition victory in Indianapolis over the host Colts. It was the backups and depth on center stage, with several direct position battle competitions playing out.

On offense, Tommy Kraemer and Logan Stenberg are effectively battling for the same reserve interior offensive line role. Both Kraemer and Stenberg played all 74 offensive snaps, the only offensive players to never leave the field.

Quick takeaways from the Lions vs. Colts preseason game

The battle for the fourth tackle also saw an even snap count between Dan Skipper and Kendall Lamm, who each played 48. Matt Nelson, the presumptive No. 3 OT, played 32 reps and undrafted rookie Obinna Eze saw 20 snaps.

At running back, four different players saw exactly seven carries. But they got those attempts in varying snaps. Craig Reynolds, who started the game, played just 11. Jermar Jefferson topped the rep list at 25, followed by Justin Jackson at 20 and Godwin Igwebiuke at 18.

On defense, safeties Kerby Joseph and JuJu Hughes both played all 52 snaps. Regular starters Tracy Walker and DeShon Elliott both sat out, as did top reserve C.J. Moore and injured Ifeatu Melifonwu.

Linebacker is a heated battle, and the snap count reflects the Lions trying to see what they’ve got. Malcolm Rodriguez started and played just 12 snaps, a good sign he’s shown enough to be in the position’s top two with Alex Anzalone–who did not play. Derrick Barnes was the other starter and he logged 16. Josh Woods topped the list at 28, followed by Shaun Dion Hamilton (23) and Jarrad David (18). Rookie James Houston played 23 snaps but aligned exclusively as a rush EDGE.

 

Quick takeaways from the Lions vs. Colts preseason game

Some quick takeaways from the Detroit Lions preseason victory over the Indianapolis Colts

The Detroit Lions captured their first preseason win in Indianapolis with a competitive 27-26 victory over the Colts in the second week of preseason.

Detroit largely dominated both lines of scrimmage throughout the game, a matchup where most starters on both teams did not play. The Lions ran for 175 yards and held the Colts to just 30 yards on the ground in an emphatic display of trench domination.

This game put the spotlight on the backups, and in general it showed the overall increase in talent and depth of the Lions from this same point a year ago.

Preseason rookie report: First-year defensive backs struggle in second preseason game

Preseason rookie report: First-year defensive backs struggle in the Detroit Lions’ second preseason game

The Detroit Lions eked out 27-26 a preseason win against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday and were able to give several of their rookies some considerable playing time while doing so.

While some rookies showed some promise and should be able to walk away from this game feeling good, others did not have themselves a day against the Colts.

Third-round pick Kerby Joseph got the start at safety and began the game with two tackles in the first quarter. As the game went on, he continued to make tackles, but often on plays that already had gone for first downs or sizable yardage gains for the Colts.

The third quarter of the game was the toughest for Joseph. On a deep ball from Colts quarterback Sam Ehlinger, Joseph misread the coverage and struggled to make it to the receiver on time, resulting in a touchdown.

Joseph also whiffed on a tackle during a Colts’ punt return in that same quarter.

Undrafted free agent Cedric Boswell also allowed a touchdown for the Colts. Late in the fourth quarter, the cornerback out of Miami University allowed the receiver to get a few yards of space ahead of him and made matters worse as he committed a holding penalty while trying to defend the pass. Boswell has struggled in both preseason games and sits at the back end of the cornerback depth chart, menaing the Detroit-area native may not be with his team for much longer.

In some positive news on defense, sixth-round pick and fan-favorite Malcolm Rodriguez got the start at inside linebacker and looked great once again. His best play was a pass breakup on a third-down pass to Phillip Lindsay that forced the Colts to kick a field goal. Rodriguez did not play after the first half and finished the day with two tackles.

The rookie tight ends also had a fairly good day. James Mitchell saw the field for the first time as a Lion and recorded two catches for nine yards while primarily being used as an inline blocker in two-tight end sets. Undrafted rookie Derrick Deese had one catch for nine yards as well.

Undrafted wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton also had a decent showing against Indianapolis. He was targeted 5 times and caught three passes for 23 yards. The two passes that he didn’t catch weren’t fully on him, as they were broken up by Colts defenders. Pimpleton is undersized at 5’9″ so he will need to use his speed to his advantage to avoid situations like that in the future.

Defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor had quite the week during joint practices and followed that up by making some plays in the preseason game. In the second quarter, he made an easy tackle for loss on a Colts inside run. The undrafted rookie has the potential to be a disruptive rotational lineman for Detroit, as long as he can continue to produce results like he has over the past few weeks.

Rookies James Houston, Chase Lucas, and Obinna Eze all appeared in the game but didn’t do much to get noticed, which isn’t always a bad thing in the NFL.

First-round pick Aidan Hutchinson did not play as the Lions held out most of their starters. Also sitting out was UDFA offenisve lineman Kevin Jarvis, who was injured. Jameson Williams is still on the NFI list while Josh Paschal remains on PUP. Rookie running back Greg Bell is currently on injured reserve.

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Lions reserves outplay the Colts in preseason road win

The Detroit Lions beat the Indianapolis Colts in a preseason game where few starters played at all

In a game largely devoid of starters from either side, the Detroit Lions held on for a 27-26 preseason victory in Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.

The Lions took the lead in the fourth quarter on a fantastic 18-play, 85-yard touchdown drive engineered by a sharp Tim Boyle at quarterback. The Colts answered the touchdown with an 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive of their own, but the 2-point conversion attempt fell to the end zone harmlessly to preserve the Detroit win.

It was a strong game from the Lions reserves on both lines. Austin Bryant bagged two sacks and was largely unblockable at defensive end, and John Cominsky and Demetrius Taylor also had strong performances on the defensive line. On offense, the interior line combination of Evan Brown, Tommy Kraemer and Logan Stenberg blasted open ample running lanes. Detroit ran for 175 yards on 32 carries. Meanwhile, the Colts netted just 30 yards on the ground.

Tom Kennedy followed up his stellar preseason opener with two touchdown receptions, one each from David Blough and Tim Boyle. Maurice Alexander shone in the return game and also hauled in three receptions.

The win evens the Lions’ exhibition slate at 1-1. The Colts fall to 0-2. Detroit concludes the preseason docket next Sunday when they visit the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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Former USFL standout Maurice Alexander makes his case for roster spot against Colts

Former USFL standout Maurice Alexander makes his case for a Detroit Lions roster spot against Colts with great returns

In the second preseason game for the Detroit Lions, wide receiver and return specialist Maurice Alexander has started to emerge as a player to watch.

Alexander, who began his professional career with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars in the spring of 2022, signed with the Lions just seventeen days ago and is already making a name for himself.

In the second quarter against the Colts, Alexander took a kickoff return 61 yards before being hit out of bounds. With some solid blocking by his fellow special teamers, he was able to make two defenders miss before being tackled at the opposing 45-yard line.

On the very next kickoff, he took the ball for another long run of 46 yards before being taken down.

In the first half of the game, he recorded just one reception for four yards on offense. On special teams, however, he had four kickoff returns for 156 yards and an average of 38 yards per return.

What was most notable about his performance is that he got the nod at kick and punt returner over players who held those roles last year, such as Godwin Igwebuike and Kalif Raymond.

Alexander initially went undrafted in 2020 out of FIU and didn’t play again until he was drafted by the Stars in the inaugural USFL draft. With Philadelphia, he was named an all-USFL player for his performances both on offense and special teams.

Lions RB Jamaal Williams and Colts LB Zaire Franklin serve some mutual beef after joint practices

Franklin didn’t like Williams letting him know he won their 1-on-1 reps

Joint practices between the Detroit Lions and Indianapolis Colts were fairly reserved in terms of fighting. The two squads were pretty dedicated to working hard and competing with intensity without a lot of extracurricular shoving and jawing.

But the sessions at the Colts training facility weren’t free from drama or conflict. And it spilled over to social media too.

Lions running back Jamaal Williams is an effervescent personality, a demonstrative player who isn’t reserved about celebrating his victories. Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin didn’t appreciate Williams letting him know he won a pass protection drill rep from Franklin in the joint practices.

Franklin took it to Twitter, calling out Williams:

Anyone who knows Williams from Hard Knocks knows that No. 30 isn’t just going to let that fly. Williams clapped back quickly, shooting down Franklin’s assertions and sending the beef right back to the butcher.

Both players are expected to see the field for limited reps in Saturday’s preseason matchup, so it will be interesting to see if the beef continues in Lucas Oil Stadium.

Lions vs. Colts: How to watch, listen, stream the preseason matchup

Detroit Lions vs. Indianapolis Colts: How to watch, listen, stream the preseason matchup

The Detroit Lions will take the field at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday in the team’s second exhibition game. The preseason Week 2 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts comes after the two squads faced off for joint practices this week at the Colts’ training complex at Grant Park.

This game will feature a lot of the reserves and roster bubble players for both teams. Neither the Colts nor Lions are expected to play any key starters or prominent players, but that means ample time for the backups and aspirants to show what they can do.

Here’s how to take in the Lions vs. Colts preseason game no matter where you are or how you want to consume it. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. EDT from Indianapolis.

Watch

The game will be shown live on the Detroit Lions television network stations, including FOX 2 in Detroit and FOX 17 in Grand Rapids.

Play by play: Brandon Gaudin

Color analyst: Devin Gardner

Sideline reporter: Dannie Rogers

Stream

All preseason games are available to live stream with the NFL+ app on phones or tablets. The preseason games are free of charge on the app.

For preseason games only, fans can also use the Detroit Lions app or visit the team’s website on a tablet or phone. Note that the live streaming will not work on a home PC or laptop.

Listen

The team of Dan Miller on play-by-play, Lomas Brown on color commentary and T.J. Lang as the sideline reporter will handle the radio feed.

The game will be aired live on the Detroit Lions radio network, which features over 40 affiliate stations around Michigan and Northwest Ohio. In Detroit, the game airs on 97.1 The Ticket, the flagship station of the network. The full list of 2022 radio affiliates is available here.

Lions roster by jersey number for the preseason game with the Indianapolis Colts

The Detroit Lions 85-man roster by jersey number for the preseason game with the Indianapolis Colts

The Detroit Lions will play their second preseason game of the 2022 schedule when they take the field against the Indianapolis Colts on Saturday, August 20th at 1 p.m. ET. Unlike the preseason opener against Atlanta, many starters are not expected to play for either team.

That can make identifying who is involved in the action tricky. To that end, here are all 85 players on the Lions’ active roster entering Saturday’s exhibition matchup with the Colts. They are listed by jersey number. Remember, not everyone will play.

10 Lions roster bubble players to watch vs. Colts