The Detroit Lions were home for their penultimate preseason contest against the Washington Commanders, and had a really fun day in front of their own crowd. It was Kids Day at Ford Field, and it was hard to ignore the tiny cheers and jeers that the Lions were getting throughout this contest, making it an even more fun environment.
Ending the game on a very fun note was Jackson Meeks, who punched the ball out of the Commanders' punt returner's hands to force a turnover at the end of the fourth quarter. Their defense, once again, came up big amid a huge stop opportunity, which was the theme on the day.
Their offense might not have been all that explosive, save for a quarterback keeper that resulted in a 50-yard, but they hit their stride in the second half and helped to secure the 17-13 win in the end.
8 takeaways from Lions' fun preseason win against Commanders
1. Detroit has a glut of talent on their defensive line
Take your pick - would you like the human bowling ball that is Skyler Gill-Howard taking reps at defensive tackle, or the death by a thousand cuts offered by the Lions' edge rusher room featuring Aidan Hutchinson, DJ Wonnum, and Derrick Moore? What about another UDFA standout, Eric O'Neill, who seems to hunt and find any gaps possible for tackles for loss or pressures?
It felt like never ending rushing was disrupting the Commanders' offense throughout this game, and it's probably part of why Washington pulled Jayden Daniels so quickly from this contest. Detroit's two sacks don't really tell the story: six tackles for loss and six quarterback hits do. Their starting line has a chance to be something special in 2026.
2. Lions' quarterback room should not be spoken for
Josh Dobbs got off to a shaky start in his first preseason start for the Lions. He had one pick, a fumble, and just took a while to get settled prior to his big 50-yard rushing touchdown. Luke Altmyer, on the other hand, looked alright in his snaps, finishing up with 87 passing yards on 9-13 passing. He did take four sacks, but a lot of that had to do with the Lions' offensive line looking weaker as the game went on.
Both should continue to get the opportunity to battle it out for the QB2 position, although it feels like the Lions are really hoping Dobbs can be their answer at the position. The idea of a UDFA coming in and immediately backing up Jared Goff is tough to stomach, no matter how great he's been in the preseason.
3. Juice Scruggs looked good under center
Scruggs began the game for Detroit under center, and looked pretty decent at the position. Once he was taken out for Seth McLaughlin and Michael Niese, that's when Washington began getting more done up the gut of the Lions' offensive line. Scruggs has been taking reps at center during training camp as of late due to Cade Mays' injury, so seeing him look solid in this position gives you hope as a Lions fan seeking better protection for Goff in 2026.
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4. The RB3 competition might be out of Sione Vaki's hands
On the day, the trio of Jacob Saylors, Raheem Blackshear, and Trayveon Williams had 97 rushing yards and one touchdown courtesy Williams. Saylors continued to pick up where he left off in Week 1 of the preseason, looking explosive and picking up extra yards pretty consistently after contact. The same went for Blackshear and Williams.
Vaki did not suit up in this game, likely because he's ramping back up into action after missing some time in camp. However, if he doesn't get any looks at running back in Week 3 of the preseason, that could be a decent sign that the Lions are content with keeping him with their special teams unit solely.
5. Derrick Moore had a great preseason debut
Moore had an excellent week of training camp ahead of this contest, so all eyes were on the rookie edge rusher to see if that play could translate against another unit. The results: one sack, one quarterback hit, one tackle for loss, and a forced fumble that was recovered by the Commanders. He looked spry, fast, and violent as a pass rusher, although he still needs to work on getting pushed too much past the pocket by blocking linemen.
It's an exciting development for Detroit, as they really need to find consistent help for Aidan Hutchinson up front. Moore, and Wonnum, looked good when on the field to begin the game.
6. Detroit's secondary bailed out by defensive line
You know it's a bad day when even Nick Whiteside, with all the hype around his training camp play, is getting burned in coverage.
The Lions' secondary gave up a few chunk plays throughout this game, with Whiteside and rookie Keith Abney II feeling like the biggest victims of Washington's air attack.
Abney, specifically, got burned a few times and had a tough holding call that was totally avoidable. He's only beginning to get his feet wet outside of Lions training camp, so we can't read too much into this performance, but Detroit's secondary as a whole left a lot to be desired in this one.
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