Breaking down the biggest winners and losers from the Detroit Lions’ preseason win over the Falcons.

This article will talk about which players played well and which did not in the Detroit Lions’ second preseason game.

However, the meaning of post-game critique evaporates when there are bigger things at stake than a game of football.

On Friday night, when Morice Norris suffered a terrifying and serious injury that warranted an ambulance, the Lions and opponent Atlanta Falcons opted to halt play and cancel the remainder of the game—football did not matter in wake of such a situation.

Thankfully, it appears Norris is doing well.

The Lions had some positives and negatives on the field, but Norris’ recovery is what will matter most in the coming days.

Winners

Kyle Allen, QB

After preseason debut in which no quarterback stood out in a positive matter, it was a very different story for the Lions’ next game. Kyle Allen was phenomenal leading the reserves.

After Hendon Hooker exited the game late in the second quarter, Allen was subbed in to spark the offense.

A bomb to Jackson Meeks followed by a crisp touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa did just that, giving the Lions their first points of the game.

The Lions wound up finishing the shortened game with 17 points, all of which came with Allen at the helm.

His shortened day finished with a stat line of 120 yards and two touchdowns, as well as a pair of decent scrambles.

Whereas Hooker looked like a developmental quarterback in need of polish—more on him later—it was Allen that looked like a capable quarterback.

The veteran needs positive tape to catapult his way up the depth chart, and this game was just what he needed.

Al-Quadin Muhammad, DE

Muhammad silenced anyone that doubted his spot on the 53-man roster.

After a very quiet Hall of Fame game from the defensive line, Muhammad showed up early and often for the Lions against the Falcons.

On the first drive of the game, he nearly notched himself a sack, coming just a split second too late on his pressure.

Second time was the charm, as on the next play, he brought down the quarterback for a sack.

During the next defensive drive, Muhammad drew a holding penalty that killed the Falcons’ drive.

After emerging as a reliable substitute last season, Muhammad could play a vital rotational role early in the season.

Showcasing some preseason pop is a positive sign for the state of the pass rushing depth chart.

Isaac TeSlaa, WR

The Lions’ rookie receiver continues to look like the best player on the field.

Though his receiving total was lower than his first outing (two catches for 18 yards), he record his first touchdown of the preseason.

It was a beautiful throw from Kyle Allen, but an even more beautiful display of hands and body control from TeSlaa.

TeSlaa did have two penalties, an illegal block on special teams and pass interference on a pick play on offense, but I would not view those as overwhelming negatives.

For special teams, it is a role he is still growing in to.

As for his blocking, he will learn which plays he can and cannot get away with.

I am continuously impressed with his receiving ability, and he should warrant a spot in the starting lineup before long.

Trystan Colon, OC

The battle for the backup center spot was one to watch, and it was Trystan Colon getting the first shot on Friday. On the field, it was an impressive showing for Colon.

Whereas Kingsley Eguakun struggled in the previous preseason game when working with the top reserves, Colon was playing like the best of the bunch.

He was solid in pass protection and actively downfield on multiple running plays—unfortunately, too many of them were blown up in the backfield when another lineman blew his block.

Colon has put together two impressive film outings, which would normally catapult him to the top of the center battle.

Unfortunately, Colon went down with a wrist injury midway through the second quarter.

The severity of the injury is still unclear and it will be one to watch going forward.

If it turns out to be a minor one, I would say this was a positive outing for Colon.

If it ends up being more long-term, it could be devastating to his roster chances. For now, I am trying to stay positive.

Nate Lynn, DE

For the second week in a row, Nate Lynn was a force as a pass rusher.

In the first half, it was largely him and Muhammad as the first pass rushers off the bench.

Though Muhammad walked away from the first few drives with a sack, Lynn was equally disruptive off the edge.

In the second half, he could finally get on a stat sheet, notching himself a well-earned sack after beating the left tackle with speed and finesse.

Lynn has put together an impressive camp, and he is backing it up in-game as well.

He is doing everything in his power to stake a claim for a roster spot.

The defensive end group is deep for the Lions, but with some concern about Josh Paschal’s status, Lynn could sneak onto the roster.

Even if Paschal returns to full health, Lynn is playing well enough that Detroit might be forced to keep him.

Nick Whiteside, CB

Following the season-ending injury to Ennis Rakestraw Jr., there was ample opportunity for a defensive back to vault their way onto the roster.

Of the contenders, it was Nick Whiteside that stood out the most.

He had a solid one-on-one tackle against an elusive (and former Lion) Dylan Drummond.

Two plays later, he broke up a pass to force a fourth down punt.

He and Rock Ya-Sin (who should be a roster lock going forward) were the more impressive members of the secondary on Friday.

It is difficult to evaluate the entire secondary depth chart due to the game cancellation, but Whiteside should at least get a stock up.

That will not be enough to make the roster on its own, but it is a start nonetheless.

Losers

Hendon Hooker, QB

Hendon Hooker’s time as the sure-fire backup quarterback are over.

Hooker got his shot with the second-team unit, yet the lineup change did little to alleviate his struggles.

Once again, Hooker could not lead the offense to a single point.

He had a pair of fumbles and continues to lack processing ability. Instead, his run-first mentality crept into the playbook.

He had three carries for 27 yards, but a 23-yarder did the heavy lifting for that total.

On his other two carries, he missed his open reads downfield, opting to scramble for minimal gains—both plays came on third-and-long that he failed to convert, as well (the first of which was a fumble).

We assume the original plan was to give each quarterback one half each, but late in the second quarter, Hooker was replaced by Allen, who promptly aired it out en route to a touchdown.

In almost four quarters of preseason action, the Lions have scored zero points with Hooker at the helm.

It doesn’t matter how good Hooker looks in training camp.

If he cannot prove it in a live-game situation, he cannot be trusted to backup Jared Goff. Given how well Allen played in comparison, I think it is safe to call Hooker QB3 going forward.

Mason Miller, OT

Given the circumstances, it is hard to fault the undrafted rookie.

With Dan Skipper and Jamarco Jones inactive, the Lions had just Miller, Giovanni Manu, and Justin Herron.

However, Herron suffered an injury during warmups, leaving just the two raw, inexperienced tackles to man the edge for an entire game.

Manu had his ups and downs, but it was Miller that looked largely out of place.

He was primarily responsible for Hooker’s second fumble, as well as some of the early struggles in the run game—the running backs combined for just 36 yards on 12 first half carries.

The run game improved in the second half, but most of the success was behind the interior trio of Netane Muti, Michael Niese, and Kingsley Eguakun.

Miller still has a decent shot at the practice squad as a developmental project, but it is clear that he needs more seasoning before he can compete against NFL-caliber talent.

Special teams discipline

The special teams blunders continue for the Lions.

On the opening kickoff, the unit was flagged for illegal formation.

Following an Atlanta field goal, the subsequent kickoff return was called back for an illegal block.

On the first punt return of the game, the Lions were flagged twice for holding. Four penalties in just the first quarter!

The Lions would go penalty-free the rest of the way (their fifth penalty was the aforementioned TeSlaa pass interference), so there was some mid-game progress from the unit. The same cannot be said for the return game.

The Lions failed to accomplish much on kickoff returns (averaged 15.3 yards per return on three attempts) or punt returns (Tom Kennedy had two returns for three yards).

On the flip side, the Falcons had two kickoff returns over 20 yards and successfully converted the short kickoff that the Lions have struggled to hit.

The only real highlight from the special teams unit was Jake Bates hitting a 57-yard field goal.

Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp has a lot of work to do to get his crew up to par.