They Came In Like Roaring Like Lions But Left Quiet Like A Mouse

By Mark Halpern

Yesterday the Lions squared off against the Colts and what looked like a promising start only to fizzle like a campfire. The Lions started many first-stringers except those of Goff and Swift and Hockenson. The lions have felt that Goff has had enough time in the preseason to get ready. By my account, he has thrown in one game. Not to stay, he won’t come firing out in week one and perform as he did in Los Angeles.

The Lions started 4th-year veteran Tim Boyle to get him some action, and he was pretty accurate during this game, going 7/9 for 53 yards and a touchdown but did have a costly fumble in the opening drive. Quinton Cephus was the recipient of the pass. As for the running game, not much to talk about as Jamar Jefferson lead the way with 43 yards on 11 carries.

David Blough came in and was below average, throwing for 117 yards and an interception. Mind you, none of the first team receivers nor the second tier were in, but when this is your last week, and you are vying for a sport, you must take every advantage in front of you and do what you can with it.

The Lion’s defense looked like the kittens they are. They were only able to put up one sack, a few quarterback pressures, and only one take away which came during mop-up duty. This team better start getting their act together because in 2 weeks, the season starts, and if they play like this, then 0-17 could happen. I expect Goff to work out some issues, and we all hope that Swift is ready for the season.

The Colts know who their starting core is on the other side of the ball, and they didn’t want to risk an injury to a first-stringer starter. Some players made their cases on why they should remain on the team. Running back Deon Jackson ran for 81 yards on ten carries and a touchdown. We know Carson Wentz is in line to start but, Jacob Eason has had a quiet preseason but pretty much a flawless one. If Wentz shows that he hasn’t fully recovered or is plain awful, they have a competent backup, unlike some other teams in the NFL.
Cut down week begins next week for all the teams to hit 53 members. I will give a rundown of the depth chart in the next segment and give my predictions for the year.