Breaking down the 3 winners and 3 losers from the Lions’ preseason finale win against the Steelers.
Coming off their first preseason win against the Kansas City Chiefs last week, the Detroit Lions came home for the preseason finale against the Pittsburgh Steelers . No starters saw any playing time as many backups fought for roster spots in their last attempt to show the coaches what they could do for the team.
With the roster cut deadline on Tuesday, August 28th at 4 p.m. EDT, time is ticking for 37 people on this roster as training camp is now in the rearview mirror and the regular season starts in just two weeks.
Check out who stepped up and made a final case for a spot, and who might be looking for a new team in our winners and losers from the Lions’ win over the Steelers in the 2024 preseason finale, 24-17.
Winners
Nate Sudfeld
Despite struggling in the preseason opener, and doing fair against the Chiefs, I think Sudfeld will make the 53-man roster come Tuesday. While part of it was due to Sudfeld improving as the preseason and training camp continued, what helped him was the inconsistency of second-year quarterback Hendon Hooker. Hooker had a chance to lock up the job on Saturday, and while he did well, it wasn’t good enough to end the competition.
Sudfeld didn’t even play in the game, which could be a sign that the backup job is officially his. After telling the media that fourth-string quarterback Jake Fromm wouldn’t play in this game, once Hooker was done, it was Fromm who came out to finish the game and not Sudfeld. If Sudfeld had a chance to lose his job, he would have been out there.
Isaac Ukwu
The Lions could use as many pass rushers as they can take and one that has shined in the preseason so far is Isaac Ukwu. He had a good showing on Saturday afternoon, getting a sack and tackle for loss, and forcing a fumble in the second quarter that his teammates would recover.
Ukwu might not make the roster in the end due to needs elsewhere on the team, but if he can make the final 53, he could be a good body to bring in for a few plays while a starter can take a break. If he doesn’t make the roster, the Lions would be wise to bring him back for the practice squad and have him available if they need help.
Front seven pressure
While no starters were in the game, the Lions’ front seven got some pressure on the Steelers quarterback. Linebacker Ty Summers led the team with eight total tackles—two tackles for loss—and sacks (1.5). It wasn’t just Summers creating pressure though, as defensive end James Houston got three tackles and a sack.
Newcomer linebacker Joel Iyiegbuniwe had three tackles and half a sack as well. While it was against backup offensive linemen, it’s still good to see that the Lions’ front seven has some depth that can create pressure.
Losers
Offensive line depth
It seems that every year the offensive line starts the season with an injury and the depth is tested early on. The team had a scare earlier in the week as offensive tackle Penei Sewell suffered an ankle injury in practice—thankfully he is okay and should be good to play in the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams .
With Sewell looking in line to play, the depth won’t be tested just yet and that’s a good thing. Against the Steelers, the offensive line allowed five sacks and struggled to open some lanes for the running backs. No player in the line stood out as the main reason for the struggles as it was a collective unit that wasn’t impressive during the game. Outside of the runs by Hooker, the Lions running backs ran for a total of 94 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns, averaging just over three yards a carry.
Hendon Hooker
While Hooker did well in this game, he didn’t do well enough to lock up the backup quarterback job. He got his first start of the preseason and he had a slow start against the Steelers, and while some of it was due to poor offensive line play—and a lack of running game—Hooker didn’t do himself many favors either.
Some of the sacks were on him as he took too long to get the ball out of his hands, so the offensive line can’t be blamed for all of it. The other issues were with Hooker not completing the simple passes. He finished the game going 12-for-20 for 114 yards with a touchdown and interception, and 10 carries for 93 yards.
This was Hooker’s chance to win the backup quarterback job and I don’t believe his performance was good enough to do that. Hooker won’t get cut, but this game showed that while Hooker has done well, he still needs time to develop and should be the team’s third-string quarterback to start the year.
WR3 Search
The Lions need a clear wide receiver three on the team, specifically one for the X spot, and while Kalif Raymond is a lock to make the roster and is essentially the third-best receiver on the team, Detroit doesn’t prefer him to be. Detroit prefers having a big-body receiver for the X role, but they might have to change their idea with that this season. Nobody on the team stood out in the game against the Steelers on Saturday afternoon, leaving the spot with more questions than answers.
Isaiah Williams did fair with a catch for 17 yards, but his impact was more on the return game, getting three punt returns for 30 yards, and one kick return for 37 yards. He also missed a throw that bounced off his hands and was intercepted by the Steelers. Kaden Davis led the team in receiving with two catches for 27 yards. Donovan Peoples-Jones couldn’t come down with any catches and might be on the outside looking in come roster cut day next week.