INDIANAPOLIS — Three Detroit Lions players who helped or hurt their stock in Saturday’s preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts:
Three up
RB Craig Reynolds: Dan Campbell said he wanted to get a good evaluation of his running backs Saturday, and the group did not disappoint, with 148 yards rushing on 28 carries. Justin Jackson deserves mention after running for a game-high 54 yards, but Reynolds appears to have cemented himself as the Lions’ No. 3 back.
He broke a tackle to convert a third-and-4 on the Lions’ opening drive, had two 11-yard scampers and — perhaps most importantly — contributed on special teams, where he joined tight end Brock Wright to make the key blocks on Maurice Alexander’s 61-yard kick return.
OG Logan Stenberg: Stenberg struggled at times during joint practices this week, and he was not at his best in last week’s preseason loss to the Atlanta Falcons. But on Saturday, the third-year guard was one of the standouts of an offensive line that keyed the Lions’ big rushing day. Stenberg had big blocks on both of Reynolds’ long runs and he and Dan Skipper opened a gaping hole for Jefferson on fourth-and-1 on the Lions’ second field goal drive.
With Evan Brown locked into the backup center spot, the Lions could have a tough decision on their hands between Stenberg and Tommy Kraemer for the second backup spot on the interior line.
DL Austin Bryant/John Cominsky: I could have put wide receiver Tom Kennedy here after he caught two touchdown passes and recovered an onside kick, but Bryant and Cominsky deserve mention for their play on defense. Bryant capped an impressive week with a four-tackle performance. He had one sack and a pressure that led to another sack by Cominsky. Cominsky made six tackles, including two for loss, and had a big hand in bottling up the Colts’ rushing game (18 carries, 30 yards). Bryant should be assured of a roster spot by this point, and Cominsky is trending as if he is in, too.
Three down
OT Kendall Lamm: The Lions got pretty good play all around on their offensive line Saturday, but Lamm had a rough go in pass protection. Splitting his time between right and left tackle, Lamm allowed two sacks and at least two more pressures.
On one sack, Lamm did not sustain his block when David Blough stepped up to avoid pressure off the edge. On the other, he got beat cleanly at right tackle. An August signee, he will need a good showing against the Steelers to surpass Skipper for the No. 4 tackle job.
CB Mark Gilbert: Gilbert will need a strong finish to the preseason next week, too, to make the 53-man roster. The second-year cornerback got beat on a 25-yard play-action pass on third-and-7 to keep the Colts’ first touchdown drive alive, then gave up a TD pass to Mike Strachan three plays later. Strachan might have got away with offensive pass interference, but Gilbert drew his own penalty for holding on a punt return in the third quarter.
S Kerby Joseph: I can’t say for sure who had the blown coverage on Dezmon Patmon’s 50-yard touchdown until I watch the all-22 film, but Joseph was lined up over top of Patmon, slot left, on the play and appeared to lose the receiver on an over route. Regardless of whether Joseph (five tackles) made that mistake, Campbell said the Lions must be more communicative in their secondary, and that falls on Joseph and Juju Hughes, who played the entire game at safety. A third-round pick out of Illinois, Joseph is not in any roster danger and played well in the opener last week, but he also was flagged Saturday for intentionally running out of bounds while covering a punt.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.