The Detroit Lions have not said it officially, but actions have shown first-round pick Taylor Decker is going to be the team’s opening-day left tackle. And in his first NFL game action, he looked like every bit of the rookie he is.
Decker and the Lions’ offensive line played more than the rest of the offensive starters, but in one drive protecting Matthew Stafford, Decker gave up a strip sack to James Harrison and was beaten another time to allow Stafford to be hit. The play before that, Decker was flagged for a holding call that nullified a first down.
“A good guy for our young left tackle to go up against,” Stafford said of Harrison during an interview on Fox 2 in Detroit.
Decker had some bright spots in the Lions’ 30-17 win over Pittsburgh on Friday -- there were some rushing holes opened on his side. And when Stafford did have time to throw, Decker held the pocket well. But it was clearly a growing game for Decker, and it likely gave an idea of what to expect from the rookie early on. Some good stuff, but a whole lot of learning that is going to force Stafford to improvise or take more hits than he’d like.
QB depth chart: Starter Matthew Stafford played one series and looked good both when he had protection and recognized when to run. He was hit three times -- two of them hard -- in one series. Dan Orlovsky handled the rest of the first half and was hit-and-miss, throwing a pick-six and also leading a couple of long drives. Rookie Jake Rudock played the whole second half and looked better than he has during camp, completing 8 of 11 passes for 72 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Maybe that player could start: Most of the starters seem set at this point, but Zach Zenner continued to impress, gaining 24 yards on seven carries while catching three passes for 32 yards and absorbing hits well. He could be the team’s power back.
Who got hurt? Reserve linebacker Zaviar Gooden was injured in the third quarter and taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion. The Lions already are thin at linebacker with DeAndre Levy on the non-football injury list and Jon Bostic carted off during practice Wednesday.
A surprise player who impressed: It was in the fourth quarter, but rookie Dwayne Washington might have inserted himself into the kick return conversation with a 96-yard return for a touchdown. Washington is in an interesting position for a roster spot, in part because of some ball security issues, but his athletic ability is intriguing. That was a strong first statement to try to make the 53-man roster.
When it was starters vs. starters, the Lions looked …: OK. Stafford appeared in control of the offense and his connection with Marvin Jones carried through to the preseason opener. The offensive line was a bit rough, though. Stafford was hit three times in one drive, including the sack/fumble after a poor Decker block. The defense looked fine, although with key Steelers out and the Lions down four starters as well, it wasn’t a completely accurate representation. Strong safety Rafael Bush made an impression while he was in. Defensive end Devin Taylor looked sharp against the Pittsburgh No. 1 offensive line, single-handedly ending a drive with a first-down sack and a stop on a run on second down.
One reason to be concerned: The offensive line. Besides Decker’s aforementioned struggles, Stafford also was drilled by an unblocked rusher up the middle. Not sure what the assignments were, but Larry Warford was left blocking no one on the play. The Lions invested a lot in their offensive line -- right now two of the three picks, Joe Dahl and Graham Glasgow, are on the second team -- to help protect Stafford better. Based on what we saw when starters played starters, there’s a lot to work on before the regular season. The second unit didn’t look that much better, although both Glasgow and Dahl did flash positively at times.
Kyle Van Noy makes a statement: Of all the potential starters for the Lions, Van Noy received the most snaps. The Lions had the third-year pro moving around a bit at linebacker with the No. 1 and No. 2 defenses and on special teams. After a few rough plays early, he ended up with three tackles and stuck with plays when he read them.
Key players sit out: Running back Ameer Abdullah, who has been wearing a red no-contact jersey all training camp while recovering from shoulder surgery, was in street clothes. So was tight end Eric Ebron, who has an ankle injury, and receiver Andre Caldwell, who has an undisclosed injury. Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata and cornerback Darius Slay also sat out the game, but dressed.
