Colts @ Lions
Final Score: Colts 27, Lions 17
Writer: Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)
The Lions took a 17-9 lead into the fourth quarter thanks to scores from Godwin Igwebuike and Quintez Cephus. After that, Deon Jackson took over and scored two touchdowns, one through the air and one on the ground, and even converted a two-point play to help tie the game. The most impressive player in this game wasn’t on the offensive side, however – that title goes to rookie edge rusher Kwity Paye, who forced a strip-sack on the Lions’ first drive and kept popping up on the screen the entire time he was in the game. He looks like a legitimate force on the outside for Indianapolis.
Kwity Paye is gonna be a reaallll problem 😤
(via @Colts) pic.twitter.com/mS2B2XbPQC
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 27, 2021
Indianapolis Colts
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
Jacob Eason: 10/14, 74 yards
Sam Ehlinger: 3/3, 63 yards, sack | 1 carry, 14 yards
Brett Hundley: 6/12, 52 yards, TD, INT | 6 carries, 30 yards
Jacob Eason started the game and appears to be the one who will fill in while Carson Wentz is out. I didn’t see him making too many pre-snap reads and his accuracy was no better than average. He was also under pressure often and didn’t get much time to throw it downfield.
He had a few noteworthy plays, however. On his second pass he tried to thread the needle on third down and was nearly intercepted. The Lions had good coverage on the play, so Eason didn’t really have anywhere to go with the ball, but it could have resulted in a turnover. The Colts settled for a field goal on the next play.
He had a nice pass on a third and long, a 15 yard completion while under pressure and throwing off his back foot. The ball was a dart. He displayed impressive arm strength on numerous plays, and this was one of them.
On one of his final throws of the game he threw a beautiful ball to rookie WR Mike Strachan that couldn’t be hauled in. The corner had good coverage on the play and got his hand in there to help break up the catch. It probably could have been caught but it wasn’t an egregious drop. The misconnection stalled out a nice drive and the Colts once again had to settle for a field goal.
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Sam Ehlinger came in for the two-minute drill at the end of the first half and had this phenomenal play to evade the sack and throw a bomb to a wide-open receiver on his first pass.
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Ehlinger impressed with his legs and it’s pretty clear that he likes to play a little sandlot football out there. This long scramble was called back by a personal foul on a blindside block, so it didn’t count in the box score, but Ehlinger appeared to injure his knee on the attempted cut on this play. He got up slowly at the end and was replaced by Brett Hundley to start the second half. It was later announced that he’ll miss 5-6 weeks with a sprained knee, a tough blow for the rookie signal-caller who has showed some promise in the preseason.
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Brett Hundley didn’t really impress me. He has some ability to shake a tackle and evade some pressure, but he has a long windup and accuracy was an issue. He left Benny LeMay out to dry on a short screen where the defender absolutely pummeled LeMay. Here’s Hundley making some defenders miss and turning this near-sack into a long gain.
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Hundley’s lone touchdown throw wasn’t very good. It was a great play by Deon Jackson to go down and get it then tumble into the end zone.
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All in all, Hundley has some work to do.
Running Back
Deon Jackson: 10 carries, 81 yards, TD | 1 target, 1 reception, 3 yards, TD
Benny LeMay: 11 carries, 44 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
Jordan Wilkins: 1 carry, 1 yard
Nobody in this backfield did much in the first half. Jackson had a couple of nice runs, including this one to set up the Colts for the touchdown pass he eventually caught.
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He converted a two-point play early in the fourth and later ran 42 yards for the touchdown.
.@Colts undrafted rookie Deon Jackson sprints 42 yards for the TD! #INDvsDET pic.twitter.com/K3s7bpvfWZ
— NFL (@NFL) August 28, 2021
We know the Colts’ backfield already consists of Jonathan Taylor, Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines, and Jordan Wilkins, but Jackson may have made a case for himself to make the team as the 5th RB.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Dezmon Patmon: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 64 yards
Mike Strachan: 7 targets, 5 receptions, 61 yards
Kylen Granson: 4 targets, 3 receptions, 23 yards
Tarik Black: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 14 yards
Tyler Vaughns: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 8 yards
Ashton Dulin: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 7 yards
Jordan Thomas: 1 target, 1 reception, 6 yards
Benny LeMay: 2 targets, 1 reception, 3 yards
All of these guys are depth receivers and shouldn’t be on your fantasy radar to start the season. Mike Strachan had the attempt in the end zone that he couldn’t hang onto, and otherwise was the most targeted receiver on the team. Nothing he did really stood out that made me go “wow, this kid can really play”, so even in the event of a few WR injuries I wouldn’t rush to pick him up.
Detroit Lions
| Preseason Week 1 | Preseason Week 2 |
Quarterback
David Blough: 13/21, 117 yards, INT, 2 sacks | 4 carries, 14 yards
Tim Boyle: 7/9, 53 yards, TD, sack, fumble (lost)
Tim Boyle started this game and looked average at best. He was strip-sacked by Kwity Paye to end the first drive and nearly threw an interception on the Lions’ second series when an edge rusher came in unblocked and Boyle had to get rid of the ball in a hurry. He ended up hitting Amon-Ra St. Brown in the back with the pass, as neither he nor the defender were looking at the QB. If the DB had his eyes on Boyle it would have been an easy pick-six. There was also a near interception on his other incompletion where the defender simply dropped it. Otherwise, it was just dump-offs and short passes for Boyle, nothing special.
David Blough has looked better than Boyle pretty much all preseason long. Their game through the air is similar – average accuracy, some good throws but also some bad throws. The main difference between the two? Blough is a pretty good scrambler. Check out this first down conversion where he evades pressure and makes a defender miss.
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Later on the same drive he had this great play to evade the sack and run the rock for what was initially called a touchdown but later called back upon review. I was impressed by Bough’s poise and toughness on a few occasions, which could be why the Lions like him as much as they do.
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His lone interception was a very bad pass that was clearly behind the receiver. It was actually a pretty good catch by the linebacker, who just kind of found the ball in his hands while hustling to cover a wide-open receiver.
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In an emergency if Jared Goff gets hurt, Blough may have some fantasy relevance in Superflex leagues thanks to his rushing ability but he’ll have to overcome the turnovers.
Running Back
Jermar Jefferson: 11 carries, 43 yards | 1 target, 1 reception, 5 yards
Godwin Igwebuike: 7 carries, 25 yards, TD
Dedrick Mills: 4 carries, 21 yards | 4 targets, 4 receptions, 46 yards
Craig Reynolds: 4 carries, 9 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 10 yards
Jermar Jefferson once again showed some impressive shiftiness and the ability to make defenders miss. He also showed some ability in pass protection, successfully picking up an edge rusher on a play that allowed Tim Boyle time to throw a deep ball that was nearly intercepted. Jefferson isn’t great at running with power and asserting his dominance over a defender, as he often falls backward when tackled. He is, however, very good at dancing around in a hole to gain some extra yards, as well as waiting for a hole to develop in order to break a handoff for a longer gain. He’s got some ups, too.
The rookie Jermar Jefferson 😳
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) August 27, 2021
His instincts weren’t always great, however. The most notable example was this play where Kwity Paye didn’t hold the edge and helped tackle Jefferson on the far side of the field. I would have loved to see Jefferson recognize that the edge was open, cut back, and take this one for a long gain.
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He was used as a three-down back in this game and showed that if something were to happen to both D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, he has the talent to step in and be a lead back. He wouldn’t be someone I would jump at in a typical 12 team league, but there is plenty of potential here.
Godwin Igwebuike contributed both as a runner and as a kick returner. He’s a former safety who has bounced around the league a bit but he has probably earned a spot on his team thanks to his versatility. He took the opening kickoff for thirty yards, making a defender miss and showing good feet, however the play was called back on a penalty so it didn’t count on the stat sheet. He doesn’t have top-end speed, which was displayed on a carry around the edge where he just quite couldn’t get past a defender who was able to pull him down from behind.
What he does have, however, is heart and toughness. Check out his touchdown run.
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Two notable things on this play. First, check out the block by #14 Amon-Ra St. Brown to open up the hole and give Igwebuike a chance. That’s exactly what you want to see out of your rookie slot receiver. Second, Igwebuike takes a beating but keeps his feet moving enough to give him a chance to lunge the ball over the goal line for the score. I’m sure head coach Dan Campbell will replay this over and over to show off the stellar effort by both players.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Breshad Perriman: 3 targets, 1 reception, 6 yards
Quintez Cephus: 3 targets, 3 receptions, 35 yards, TD
Amon-Ra St. Brown: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 4 yards
Geronimo Allison: 4 targets, 2 receptions, 25 yards
Darren Fells: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 20 yards
Brock Wright: 1 target, 1 reception, 11 yards
Breshad Perriman was a huge disappointment in this game. He had two poor drops – one that went right through his hands on a free play on third and seven, and another that bounced off his hands and then his body on a second and long. Both passes should have been caught by the Lions’ de-facto number one receiver. He’s always had problems with drops in his career and it would not shock me if Jared Goff decides the headaches aren’t worth it and targets his other options more often.
Update: Perriman has been cut by the Lions.
First of many cuts this week is a notable one: Lions have released WR Breshad Perriman, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 30, 2021
Quintez Cephus went to the ground to make a catch on the opening play of the game, and also made a nice catch and run for the touchdown on the next drive. He has also had some issues with drops but he looked better in this game. He still has some intrigue as a waiver wire pickup in redraft leagues should he start flashing in the regular season.
Rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown didn’t do much in this one. His first reception was on a quick screen to the right side, but the defense was all over it and St. Brown lost five yards on the play. It wasn’t his fault. He also saw more run at punt return and made the aforementioned great block on Godwin Igwebuike‘s TD run. He’s a football player through and through and you should be targeting him on draft day.
— Ben Brown (@BenBrownPL on Twitter)