The Detroit Lions' preseason got off to a disappointing start, thanks to a sloppy 14-16 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
There were no doubt bright spots, like the continued surge of EDGE Ahmed Hassanein, but one thing stuck out like a sore thumb -- the left guard position is nowhere near decided.
It's not time to panic, yet. It's only the first preseason game, but it was a rough one for guards Christian Mahogany and Miles Frazier. The two combined for five penalties (two for Mahogany and three for Frazier). There's rarely a good time for self-inflicted penalties, if ever, but the timing of Mahogany and Frazier's penalties were especially poor.
Mahogany's first came on the Lions' second drive, on a would-be eight yard pass from quarterback Luke Altmyer to running back Jacob Saylors for a first down. However, Mahogany was called for ineligible man downfield. The five-yard penalty backed the Lions up to their own nine-yard line. Two incomplete passes later, the Lions punted.
Mahogany's second penalty was a holding call on 1st and 10 on the Bengals' 33-yard line on a would-be 15-yard rush from Saylors. The penalty knocked the Lions out of safe Jake Bates kicking range, ultimately leading to a punt. This was a huge missed opportunity for the Lions as the Bengals had just scored their lone touchdown of the game, so Mahogany's penalty helped stall what was a key and promising response drive.
Frazier, who has been splitting time between guard and tackle lately, had three holding penalties of his own. The first made an already precarious situation worse as the Lions, already having little breathing room on their own 13-yard line after recovering a Bengals fumble, had to move back six more yards due to Frazier's penalty. Altmyer would fumble on the next play, setting up the Bengals TD that the defense had just prevented with their initial turnover.
Frazier's second and third holding penalty came during the same scoring drive in the closing minutes of the first half. The first was one play after Saylors' 27-yard rush to bring the Lions to the Bengals' 22-yard line. The third holding call came three plays later, negating a 20-yard Tom Kennedy reception on 3rd and 19, backing the Lions up to the Bengals' 36-yard line.
The Lions did score their first points of the game on that drive, and even got the ball back quickly enough to tack on an extra three to end the half. Yet, Frazier's two penalties dug the offense into a difficult-to-escape hole at a time when the team could've seized even more momentum entering the half with a TD.
A long way to go in the LG competition
Both Mahogany and Frazier's struggles underscores how the LG competition is far from decided. Entering this first preseason game, neither were listed as the starter at LG in the first official depth chart.
That honor of starting LG went to Juice Scruggs, who is currently nursing an injury and did not play Thursday. Scruggs may instead find himself starting elsewhere on the line, as Cade Mays' broken wrist could thrust him to the center position. Scruggs has nearly as many starts at center (eight) as he does LG (11) in his NFL career, making him the logical fit to fill in while Mays recovers.
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Undrafted free agent rookie Melvin Priestly took on most of the remaining snaps at LG on Thursday, and had a quiet game as far as penalties are concerned. That's an encouraging sign for the "iron man" out of Illinois, who may have earned himself a closer look in the second preseason game.
The other option right now would be Ben Bartch, but given he's currently slated as the backup at RG, it's unlikely the Lions will plug him or someone like tackle Larry Borom in at LG unless desperate times call for it.
We're not there, yet, but if Mahogany and Frazier struggle again, we may be fast approaching that point. The competition is still wide open at LG, and it appears we're still weeks away from finding out who will win it.
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