Preseason football has not been kind to the Detroit Lions in recent years. Maybe the regular season will finally be different.
The Lions lost their eighth straight preseason game dating back to August of 2018 on Friday, falling to the Indianapolis Colts, 27-17, at Ford Field.
The Lions finished the preseason 0-3 in their first year under Dan Campbell. The NFL did not have preseason games last summer because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Lions went 0-4 in exhibition play in 2019.
They have not won a preseason game since Aug. 24, 2018, when they beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 33-30.
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Both the Lions and Colts sat most of their starters Friday, though the Lions played better in the first half than they did in either of their first two preseason games, losses to the Buffalo Bills and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Backup quarterbacks Tim Boyle and David Blough led first-half touchdown drives for the Lions, and the defense, with only a smattering of starters playing, held the Colts to three early field goals, including one after Boyle lost a fumble deep in Lions territory on the game’s opening series.
Boyle led a 15-play, 75-yard scoring drive on the Lions’ second possession, capped with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus, before giving way to Blough for the final three quarters.
Blough completed 13 of 21 passes for 117 yards and had one rushing touchdown called back by replay. He threw an interception early in the fourth quarter on a miscommunication with receiver Damion Ratley.
Boyle finished 7-for-9 passing for 53 yards.
The Lions, who did not cross midfield on their final four possessions, used Friday’s preseason finale to evaluate several up-for-grabs roster spots.
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Seventh-round pick Jermar Jefferson ran for 43 yards on 11 carries in the battle for the No. 3 running back job, and keyed the Lions’ 14-play, 75-yard first quarter touchdown drive.
Godwin Igwebuike impressed in his bid for a roster spot, rushing for 25 yards on seven carries and scoring a touchdown for the second straight week.
Veteran receiver Breshad Perriman, who is vying for the No. 5 receiver role, dropped two passes, while Tom Kennedy, the Lions’ leading receiver this preseason, played sparingly on offense.
Cephus finished with three catches for 35 yards, cornerback Corn Elder had a second-half interception and backup safety Jalen Elliott had two big tackles on special teams for the Lions.
Deon Jackson led the Colts with 10 carries for 81 yards and scored two touchdowns as Indianapolis erased a 17-9 fourth-quarter deficit. He clinched the win for Indianapolis on a 42-yard touchdown run with 1:50 to play.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.