To the extent any preseason games are meaningful (and there’s a strong argument to be made that in 2019, none of them are) the third preseason game is the one that is often treated as the dress rehearsal for the regular season. That means the Detroit Lions are game planning, at least a little, for the Buffalo Bills, and we may get to see the starters for more than just a cup of coffee.
So who are the Lions to keep your eye on this Friday night? Here are five I’ll be watching.
Matthew Stafford
Head coach Matt Patricia has been cagey when asked repeatedly this week if Stafford will see the field against the Bills. Stafford has had a weird camp – unlike in past preseasons, he hasn’t seen a single snap so far in any game, the Lions gave him nearly a week off in the middle of camp, and his performances when he has practiced have been up and down — if it was up to me, I still wouldn’t play him on Friday.
I know Stafford’s breaking in a new offense, and a new center, but the Lions aren’t going to run their real offense Friday even if Stafford takes the field. And what is he really going to gain from playing a quarter (or even two)? At this point, given Tom Savage’s injury, I could make the argument that backups David Fales and Josh Johnson need more reps right now than Stafford does.
Keep Stafford under wraps for another two weeks. There’s simply not a strong enough benefit to exposing him in a meaningless game (even if this is supposedly the most important of the meaningless games).
Brandon Powell
Every time I break out my yellow legal pad and put pen-to-paper on my 53-man roster projection I want to include Powell, and every time I have the hardest time finding a spot for him. Powell is quick with the ball in his hands, can run gadget plays out of the backfield, can return kicks and is the heir apparent, and the only true slot option behind, Danny Amendola. Yet, most times, I still have him beaten out by the likes of Chris Lacy, Travis Fulgham and sometimes even Andy Jones. If Powell wants to cement his spot on the final roster, he needs to show that big-time play-making ability we saw last preseason.
I’ll be watching to see if it happens against the Bills.
Logan Thomas
Silence this time of year, especially for players on the roster bubble, can be good or bad. Sometimes it means they are keeping their head down, and aren’t attracting attention for the wrong reasons. Sometimes though, it means they aren’t making enough plays for anybody to even notice that they are still on the team. I’m not sure which camp Thomas falls into right now.
During OTAs/minicamp, and in the early days of training camp, Thomas made impressive play after impressive play, and he had all but locked down his role as the third tight end behind starters T.J. Hockenson and Jesse James. Yet, while everyone assumes he’s still safe, it’s been seemingly weeks since he’s made any kind of impression.
Thomas has played 22 snaps in the first two preseason games, but unlike Hockenson and James, he hasn’t caught a pass or stood out with any big blocks. He’s just sort of been, well, there — or not, nobody really knows. And that’s the point.
It’s time for Thomas to make some kind of impression.
Mitchell Loewen
Even if you would have asked me before training camp to pick a dark horse to make the Lions, I would have been unlikely to select Loewen, whom the Lions claimed off waivers late last season from New Orleans. Yet Loewen has made the most of his opportunities and provided a pass rush that almost no other backup has been able to muster.
Loewen made the most of his snaps against Houston, and with the likes of Trey Flowers, Mike Daniels and others unlikely to play much, if at all, against the Bills, Loewen will get another chance to shine.
Keep your eye on where the Lions line Loewen up on the defensive line. He’s capable of playing both inside and out, and the more multiple he can be, the more likely it is he finds his way to Ford Field in September.
Andrew Adams
The Lions’ safety room is crowded — so crowded it would not be a surprise to see the team break camp with six safeties. I just don’t know if Adams is going to be one of them. On one hand, there’s no questioning his playmaking ability. He picked off Cam Newton three times in one game last year, and he added another interception against the Texans.
All camp, he’s made big plays, in practice and in games.
Yet, Adams was also burned for a touchdown in Houston, and his tackling was sub-par. There’s no question the Lions need playmakers, and Adams fits that bill. But he’s going to have his fair share of ugly plays too. The Lions will need to ask themselves whether the risk is worth the reward.
I also want to see Adams get more special teams snaps. That’s safety Charles Washington’s bread and butter. If Adams is going to make the team, especially over a player like Washington, Adams will need to at least be passable on special teams. That’s something to watch as the preseason continues.
