The Detroit Lions continue the preseason at 7:30 p.m. ET Thursday vs. the Washington Redskins at FedEx Field. Here are a couple things to watch for during the game.
Why watch: The starters should theoretically get a little more playing time, but you should watch mostly because there are some depth position battles that should start to shake out. Particularly you're going to want to watch the Nos. 4 and 5 receivers (a gaggle of competitors), George Winn and Zach Zenner at running back and the continuing battle at kick and punt return. Some other individual players to pay attention to are linebacker Kyle Van Noy, quarterback Kellen Moore and if running back Ameer Abdullah follows up his standout debut with another good performance.
Did you know: The Lions snapped a 21-game r0ad losing streak to the Redskins on their last trip to Washington during the 2013 season. It was thought, at the time, to be a turning point for the franchise under former coach Jim Schwartz -- but Washington struggled that season and the Lions collapsed at the end of the year to miss the playoffs, eventually leading to the hiring of Jim Caldwell. Detroit is 11-7 all-time against Washington in the preseason, although the last time the teams played an exhibition game was in 1996, when the Lions won 34-25. One other interesting factoid is Duke football coach David Cutcliffe is bringing the Blue Devils to FedEx Field on Thursday night for the game -- in part to see Detroit rookie Laken Tomlinson along with Washington rookies Takoby Cofield and Jamison Crowder. All three played for the Blue Devils last season.
