The Detroit Lions entered the final preseason game looking to get some clarity on a handful of roster spots still up for grabs, but in many ways, the team’s decisions only got tougher in the 26-17 victory over the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium Saturday night in Charlotte, N.C.
Contenders for potential openings at both wide receiver and cornerback delivered playmaking moments in the game, bolstering resumes prior to Tuesday’s deadline for teams to trim their roster to 53 players.
“It was good to see,” Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters after the game. “It was encouraging. That’s what we needed to see.”
At receiver, undrafted rookie Dylan Drummond put a bow on an impressive offseason, pacing the team with five receptions for 46 yards, all in the first half. Moving past missed opportunities in the previous preseason contest, Drummond made plays at all levels, including a diving garb and another catch while blanketed by a cornerback.
But Drummond’s consistency and reliability was overshadowed by a long touchdown he helped create. Running a clear-out route from the left slot, seventh-round draft pick Antoine Green ran a dig pattern underneath. Getting a clean ball in space from quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, Green turned on the jets, racing 70 yards into the end zone late in the first half.
Green, who has had a relatively quiet offseason, added two more catches, finishing the game with 97 yards.
“What was most encouraging was, man, those contested catches we weren’t coming down with (previously), or with defenders around we’re getting these drops, this week, boy, we made plays,” Campbell said. “I thought Drummond made some critical catches and I thought Green really showed up. That catch where he ran through the daggers for the touchdown, that was big.”
On defense, young cornerbacks Chase Lucas, Khalil Dorsey and Steven Gilmore provided turnovers to cap their roster auditions. Lucas delivered a jaw-dropping, diving interception in the end zone to spoil a potential Panthers’ scoring drive near the end of the second, setting up Green’s touchdown.
Dorsey, who also had a 62-yard kickoff return earlier in the game, responded by forcing a fumble on Carolina’s ensuing drive, which was recovered by teammate Brady Breeze. That allowed the Lions to add another field goal before the half, extending the team’s advantage to 20-10 at the break.
“I thought those guys played their hearts out,” Campbell said. “They really stepped up and made plays for us.”
The Panthers, playing most of their offensive starters their first two drives, including No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young, actually jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Starting with the ball, the Panthers drove 52 yards on the opening possession before settling for a Eddy Pineiro field goal.
The Lions got in position to counter behind Dorsey’s kickoff return, but Riley Patterson’s 53-yard, field-goal attempt came up short. With the quality field position after the miss, Young connected with veteran receiver Adam Thielen for a quick 21-yard gain. The quarterback then scrambled 13 yards to convert a third-and-long before connecting with Thielen again for an 18-yard touchdown, besting the coverage of cornerback Will Harris.
Young finished his night 7-of-12 for 73 yards and the touchdown, while adding another 21 yards on three scrambles.
Detroit managed to get on the board with a 57-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by the strong running of Craig Reynolds at the end of the possession. After converting a third-and-short into the red zone, Reynolds popped off another 10-yard gain before slicing across the goal line from 5 yards out.
If there was any doubt entering the night, Reynolds likely locked up Detroit’s No. 3 running back job, rushing for 41 yards and the touchdown with 10 carries.
“Craig has not changed one bit,” Campbell said. “He’s steady and just handles his business. He knows what he’s doing and we have a lot of trust in him. He’s a reliable player. ”
Following a Panthers’ punt, the Lions knotted things at 10 on a short Patterson field goal, taking advantage of a long defensive pass interference penalty drawn by receiver Chase Cota. Unfortunately, the rookie who is battling Drummond and Green for a roster spot, failed to finish the series, dropping a short touchdown pass on a throw that was slightly behind him.
Bridgewater, in his second appearance in a Detroit uniform, was far sharper on Saturday. He completed 13-of-22 for 178 yards, highlighted by the long touchdown to Green.
“I would say I was not surprised by that,” Campbell said about Bridgewater’s outing. “He’ll only get better the more he’s able to be around our system. Man, it was good to see. He was in a good spot, he was in a flow, he had great command of the offense. …I thought he made some big plays today.”
Bridgewater was replaced by Nate Sudfeld to begin the second half, but a knee injury suffered at the end of the third quarter’s opening drive prematurely ended his night, resulting in Adrian Martinez finishing the game for the Lions.
Campbell said the team would know more about Sudfeld’s status on Sunday, but the quarterback could be sidelined for a bit.
The two sides traded punts early in the second half before the Panthers found life behind a 27-yard scramble by third-string quarterback Matt Corral. Running back Spencer Brown took a handoff three of the next four snaps, getting into the end zone of the final one from 4 yards out to cut the Lions lead to three, 20-17, with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
With third- and fourth-stringers taking over, both offenses petered out down the stretch, but the touchdown wouldn’t be the game’s final points. With just over three minutes remaining, Gilmore intercepted a pass from Panthers quarterback Jake Luton, returning it 11 yards for a touchdown.
With his second interception in as many week, Gilmore ensured he remains in the mix for a roster spot along with Lucas and Dorsey. Gilmore gave up a few receptions early in the contest, but finished with four pass defenses in the victory.
Following the positive showings by several players on the roster bubble, the Lions now face some of their most difficult cuts during Campbell’s tenure in Detroit.
“Here we are in year three of what (general manager) Brad (Holmes) and I have done,” Campbell said. “It’s getting that much harder. We’re going to have to let go of some really good players. That’s tough. That’s tough to do. But it also means there’s growth and the talent level has gone up and that’s a good thing for your football team.”
With the preseason in the books, the Lions can now shift focus to the regular season. The team will travel to Kansas City to battle the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs in primetime on Thursday, Sept. 7.
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
X: @Justin_Rogers