The Lions captured their first exhibition season win, beating the Falcons in Atlanta on Friday night. Detroit’s 17-10 victory came in a game halted early due to a serious injury suffered at the start of the fourth quarter by Lions defensive back Morice Norris, who was motionless on the field for several minutes before leaving in an ambulance.
The two teams agreed to not continue playing, and the officials called the game with 6:19 to play after the Falcons snapped the ball to start the clock and let it run. It’s a terribly sobering and somber way for a football game to end, and it’s the biggest takeaway of the night.
These are real people playing this game. Norris had his mother in the stands. The outpouring of emotion from both teams’ players and coaches reflects the humanity and brotherhood of the NFL. Our prayers are with Norris as we attempt to focus on the football that was played to that point.
Here’s what I took away from watching the game broadcast in real-time on Friday night.
Run defense is legit
Detroit’s defensive front has largely dominated practices all summer against the Lions offense when it tries to run the ball. There was some chicken vs. egg conversation about whether the defense was indeed that great, or if the work-in-progress offensive line was making them look better than they are.
They are indeed that great, based on how they suffocated the Falcons run game. Atlanta gained 22 yards on 11 carries. The longest one gained eight yards, and that was the play in which Norris suffered his injury. Detroit allowed 4 yards on 7 carries in the first half. No, that’s not a misprint…
Tyleik Williams made his Lions debut and played a nice part in the dominance up front. End Al-Quadin Muhammad and linebacker Trevor Nowaske each chipped in tackles for loss, while linebacker Zach Cunningham had two massive hits and tackles right at the line early on in the game.
Kyle Allen looked great
Allen started the Hall of Fame game at quarterback and was dogged by two interceptions that (rightfully) overshadowed some decent play otherwise. On Friday night, he came in after Hendon Hooker sort of emulated Allen’s performance–some impressive plays but two unacceptable lost fumbles.
Allen got things heated up quickly with a gorgeous deep pass to rookie WR Jackson Meeks. This is Allen’s first play of the game (technically second, the first was wiped out by a penalty):
Three full drives, three Lions scores with Allen under center. Completing 7-of-8 passes for 120 yards and two TDs, Allen showed command of the offense and confidence in his own abilities, even while under heavy pressure on a couple of attempts.
Sloppy special teams
Last week’s game began with Lions LB Grant Stuard fumbling away the opening kickoff. This week’s game began with Lions rookie safety Ian Kennelly aligned illegally on the opening kickoff, a penalty that gave the Falcons the ball at their own 40-yard line to start.
Kennelly’s gaffe was one of three penalties committed by the Lions special teams units on the night. Even when they stayed legal, coordinator Dave Fipp’s return units were not sharp. Tom Kennedy got rolled immediately on one punt return attempt where it appeared at least three Lions players lost their blocking assignments. RB Jabari Small had nowhere to go on his kick return attempt either, netting just 17 yards.
At least Jake Bates was good. The Lions’ second-year kicker nailed a 57-yard field goal, matching his Falcons counterpart from Atlanta’s first drive.
Top of the draft class looked ready
Keeping with a prevailing theme from training camp, the Lions’ first three picks in the 2025 NFL Draft all looked impressive in the win over Atlanta.
First-round DT Tyleik Williams made a notable contribution to the run defense (see above). T.J. Lang said it well on the Lions broadcast feed: Anytime a defensive lineman ends a run play with two offensive linemen with their hands on him, that’s a victory. Williams didn’t do much as a pass rusher in his two drives, but some of that was because Falcons QB Easton Stick got the ball out very quickly on most of his attempts.
Tate Ratledge, Detroit’s second-round pick, started at right guard. He had a couple of nice run blocks, showing good punch and leg drive. Need to watch more tape to get a better feel for the offensive line play in its entirety, but the first impression was a good one.
Third-round wideout Isaac TeSlaa played last week and was again in the starting lineup. TeSlaa caught his first touchdown, a great grab on a corner fade route in the end zone. TeSlaa’s ability to extend out his long arms and snatch the ball well away from his body made what could have been a contested catch situation a much easier touchdown, sticking both feet inbounds nicely, too.
Quick hits
–The starting offensive line (L-R): Giovanni Manu, Kayode Awosika, Trystan Colon, Tate Ratledge, Mason Miller
–First impression was that Manu played reasonably well, though that’s for deeper film study over the weekend. Miller, who has not had a good camp, looked completely overmatched from the very first snap. Colon made his presence felt as a run blocker before briefly exiting with an arm injury.
–Offensive tackle Justin Herron was prepped to start, but he suffered an arm injury during pre-game warmups that saw him leave the field with his right arm in an air cast. Signed last weekend, Herron had quickly overtaken both Manu and Miller on the offensive tackle depth chart.
–Brodric Martin had his best game in a Lions uniform. The big DT was in the Falcons backfield three plays in a row, showing quickness off the snap and strength in his shoulders to stay clean. He did get flagged for roughing the passer, too high. In dire need of a good night, Martin delivered.
–One defensive play that really got me fired up: 3rd-and-7 from the DET 41 and the Lions bring extra pressure on Stick, who delivers a quick pass to WR Dylan Drummond. Safety Rock Ya-Sin read it the whole way, understanding that Stick would check to that option. Ya-Sin arrived almost at the same time the ball did and smothered Drummond for a 1-yard gain, forcing a punt. Exactly how DC Kelvin Sheppard drew it up–they practiced it last week.
–Drummond was once in Lions camp, back in 2023, and flashed some ability that year. The Eastern Michigan product caught all eight balls thrown his way on the night, several of which came at the expense of CB Dicaprio Bootle.
–TeSlaa was flagged for offensive pass interference on a play where he set a pick. Was it technically illegal? Probably. Watch any random 49ers game or Rodgers-era Packers game and you’ll see what TeSlaa did on that play at least 20 times, and it never gets called.
–DB Erick Hallett did not have a good night in coverage, and that continues a trend for Hallett. He had a very good first few days of camp playing both free safety and outside CB, but that momentum has cooled. This game didn’t appear to help No. 36.
–RB Sione Vaki did not play due to a hamstring flare-up, according to the broadcast.
–RB Jacob Saylors impressed with his hard-charging running, notably on a 4th-down conversion just ahead of Allen’s TD pass to Meeks. Saylors led the Lions with 35 yards on 9 carries. Both he and Jabari Small have impressed in camp and in preseason games despite no realistic path to making the roster with the top four (Gibbs, Montgomery, Reynolds, Vaki) effectively set in stone.
–DE Nate Lynn bagged Detroit’s only sack on the night, and he was consistently disruptive. No. 57 has had a strong summer and really stood out in Atlanta.
–Really grateful the teams agreed to end the game the way they did. Asking them to continue playing in an exhibition game was not likely to produce a quality product, aside from the humane realization that it was the right thing to do to honor Norris.
This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Quick takeaways from the Lions preseason win over the Falcons
Reporting by Jeff Risdon, Lions Wire / Lions Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
