5 takeaways from Detroit Lions' preseason Week 1 loss to New York Giants

The Detroit Lions opened up preseason play on Thursday night against the New York Giants . Both teams were sloppy for much of the night, as is expected in the first preseason game. Ultimately, the Lions fell to the Giants by a score of 14-3.

The Lions were anemic on offense for much of the night, but there were a few notable performances. The defense also had an up-and-down night, but a few players probably helped out their roster standing with strong performances.

Overall, the Lions finished with just 228 yards of total offense and struggled to get much going. Nate Sudfeld struggled mightily and a late-game injury cut Hendon Hooker’s promising showing short.

Let’s dive into the five main takeaways from the Lions’ defeat.

Lions takeaways from preseason opener

Backup QB competition tightens

As mentioned above, Sudfeld did not have the best performance. The veteran QB completed 13-of-24 passes for 96 yards and an interception. Sudfeld was also sacked four times and looked uncomfortable all night.

Hooker came into the game for the second half and immediately energized the unit. The former Tennessee Volunteer completed 5-of-9 passes for 36 yards and also led the team in rushing with 34 yards.

Unfortunately, Hooker was taken to the blue medical tent during the fourth quarter and Sudfeld finished out the game. While Hooker was more impressive than Sudfeld, an extended absence could slow his momentum.

That said, there's no question that Hooker at least closed the gap between himself and Sudfeld after the latter had been more consistent in practice.

Sione Vaki shines

On the Lions’ first unofficial depth chart , Sione Vaki was listed as the No. 4 back behind Craig Reynolds. After Thursday night, he not only helped solidify his spot there, he might have begun making his way up to No. 3.

With almost no facet of the Lions’ offense flowing on Thursday, Vaki was a bright spot. The fourth-round pick took four carries for 29 yards, and his 15-yard scamper along was enough to outproduce every other running back. Meanwhile, Reynolds carried the ball four times for just 11 yards.

Jake Bates gets much-needed confidence boost

Much has been made recently of kicker Jake Bates’ struggles in practice. The kicker has missed a ton of kicks in camp, and some have started to wonder if the team would consider bringing in some competition.

Well, on Thursday, Bates got one chance to prove himself and he did just that. In the first quarter, Bates nailed a 53-yarder to open up the scoring. Unfortunately, Bates didn’t have anymore chances in the game, but 1-for-1 from 53 is a good start.

Offensive line was shaky

The Lions' offensive line allowed four sacks on Thursday. The unit also struggled to get much push in the run game, which is concerning because the offensive line had also been struggling in that area in camp.

Obviously, the line will look better when the starters are playing. It’s not the best sign, though, when the backups don’t appear ready to step in. Colby Sorsdal in particular got beaten badly off the edge a couple of times.

Isaiah Williams shines, Maurice Alexander disappoints

Isaiah Williams is a UDFA who is trying to stick on this offense. With the offense as a whole struggling on Thursday, the receivers didn’t get too many opportunities to stand out.

Williams made the most of his opportunities, though. The Illinois product caught all four of his targets and gained 34 yards. The receiver also returned two kicks for 56 yards, showing an ability to help out on special teams, as well.

Maurice Alexander is another wide receiver vying for a roster spot. Unlike Williams, however, Alexander did not put his best foot forward.

The wide receiver put the ball on the ground on his first punt return, and failed to call for a fair catch on his second, leading to him taking a big hit and losing the football before he was ruled down. Alexander was also targeted three times and only came down with one catch.