So about that quarterback insurance policy for the Detroit Lions’ Super Bowl hopes — how are we feeling today, Detroit?
Probably not great if you watched Teddy Bridgewater’s debut in Saturday’s 25-7 preseason loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field.
The much-hyped backup was billed as part elite veteran and part Yoda-like mentor ahead of his arrival. But Bridgewater fell far short of living up to that reputation while playing most of the first half wearing No. 50, which coincidentally came darn close to his passer rating.
In six series, Bridgewater was 5-for-11 for 34 yards, with a sack and a fumble, while posting a 52.8 rating. Under his command, the Lions’ offense crossed midfield just once and never reached the red zone. The longest play he generated was a short pass to Craig Reynolds that went for 10 yards.
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What did Bridgewater have to say about his outing? Not much — he was dressed and gone before reporters entered the locker room.
In this case, I would say silence speaks volumes. Bridgewater has a reputation for being calm and stoic, but a little fire and frustration in his belly wouldn’t hurt after this outing.
At least head coach Dan Campbell had something to say about his vaunted vet, though you may not love his assessment.
“Yeah, I thought Teddy was solid,” he said. “Look, there’s always going to be stuff to clean up, but in my head it was always about just getting him in a flow. Let’s get him in there, let’s get him used to how we run our offense, our cadence, our formations, our shifts, our motions, and just go play a little bit.”
To be fair, Bridgewater only took part in his first practice with the Lions on Monday. So preseason perfection, especially while playing without any starters, was never a realistic expectation. But Bridgewater certainly could have played better.
“And look,” Campbell said, “there’s some throws you wish you had back, a couple things. But also I thought he made some really good throws, too. We probably had probably had three drops there that could have been for conversions. I thought it was solid.”
For the record, I’m not too down on Bridgewater. I don’t think Tom Brady could have one week of practice with a new team, play with backups and do much more than Bridgewater did Saturday. Bridgewater was sacked on the opening play, when linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson went unblocked off the edge, hit Bridgewater and helped former Lions defensive tackle Jeremiah Ledbetter get the sack.
That amounted to a 9-yard loss. Two plays later, on third-and-15, left tackle Germain Ifedi was called for a false start. That led to third-and-20 from the Detroit 22, with Jags rushers licking their chops. Bridgewater showed off his scrambling ability by avoiding two sacks on the play before he threw the ball away.
Bridgewater’s fumble wasn’t his fault, either. On second-and-8 near the end of the first quarter, he faked a quick screen pass to his left, then turned around for a handoff to Craig Reynolds. But undrafted rookie center Brad Cecil whiffed on Ledbetter, who made a great dive and stripped Bridgewater. Jags linebacker Caleb Johnson recovered the ball and returned it 33 yards to the Detroit 28.
Nate Sudfeld relieved Bridgewater near the end of the first half on a 2-minute drive that started at the Lions’ 6 and ended with an interception. Sudfeld didn’t fare much better than Bridgewater. He was 9-for-18 for 80 yards with one touchdown, one pick and a 57.6 rating. Sudfeld and Bridgewater led the offense to a measly 131 yards.
“You know, I just I don’t think the details were there all around,” Sudfeld said of the offense. “I think we were a little flat with energy, but I think yeah, a lot of fixable stuff.
“But yeah, just got to put it together. It’s also preseason. You know, we’re not game-planning. No excuses or anything. We got to put more drives together and be efficient as an offensive unit.”
But even Sudfeld had good things to say about Bridgewater, who’s a lock to beat him out for the backup job.
“Yeah, Teddy’s been great,” he said “Obviously he’s got so much knowledge. As a veteran quarterback, has a ton of experience. He’s really fun to be around, just kind of a fun personality really. People are drawn to him, keeps things light.”
Bridgewater did show his strong arm on a couple of back-to-back deep sideline passes. But Trinity Benson dropped the first and Chase Cota’s 11-yard catch on third-and-9 was reversed after Jaguars coach Doug Pederson won his challenge.
Bridgewater also missed an easy third-down conversion on the second series when he threw behind tight end Brock Wright on a shallow crossing route.
“It’s just unfortunate that we couldn’t really help him, like the supporting cast today,” Cota said.
Cota is an undrafted rookie who has looked good recently. He caught a goal-line touchdown pass from Sudfeld and had a nice 28-yard punt return Saturday. But he mentioned the other part of Bridgewater’s game that’s a lot harder to assess: leadership.
“Like yesterday,” Cota said, “I know when we were doing our last walkthroughs, he went out and he knew everything and he was talking us up and he was excited to give us an opportunity.
“So I know he’s confident and even though today, you know, might not have been the best for the offense, I know he’s gonna keep that confidence.”
There’s little doubt a vet like Bridgewater will keep his confidence, even after a disappointing debut. But just in case, the Lions should make sure they keep Jared Goff in bubble wrap for the rest of the preseason.
Contact Carlos Monarrez: cmonarrez@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.