Jared Goff addresses Detroit Lions’ offensive cohesion at practice
At a joint practice with the Miami Dolphins on Thursday, Aug. 14, Lions quarterback Jared Goff addressed how his team’s offense has been progressing
The Detroit Lions lost their third preseason game of 2025.
The Lions faced off against the Miami Dolphins Saturday, Aug. 16, at Ford Field in Detroit, and lost 24-17 despite a valiant effort at the end of the game. The broadcast is available locally on WJBK (Fox-2).
The Lions and the Dolphins have been facing each other in a pair of joint practices this past week at training camp in Allen Park, the first taking place on Wednesday, Aug. 13 and the second on Thursday, Aug. 14. Both practices were marked by Lions’ domination with both the offensive and defensive units.
The Lions lost their first preseason game 34-7 to the Los Angeles Chargers at the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on July 31. The Lions’ second preseason game, against the Atlanta Falcons on Aug. 8, was suspended after safety Morice Norris was taken off the field in an ambulance following a frightening in-game head injury.
One of the biggest questions coming into the game is the backup quarterback positional battle between 2023 third-round draft pick Hendon Hooker and veteran Kyle Allen, a race that so far looks to have Allen ahead. Lions starter Jared Goff has so far not seen any action during the preseason.
We’ll have updates and live coverage for today’s Lions’ game right here:
Lions vs. Dolphins preseason game live updates
This section will be updated throughout the game.
It looked like Hooker saved his best drive for last, making multiple connections down the middle of the field in a hurry-up offense to get the Lions into the red zone. He also escaped broken protection, rushing through multiple defenders for a key first down.
But with the ball on Miami’s 13-yard line, Hooker’s pass was intercepted at the line of scrimmage by cornerback Ethan Robinson. Dolphins kneel down and win.
Despite an impressive 7+ minute drive, the Dolphins couldn’t quite get into the end zone on what could be their last possession of the game.
A 22-yard field goal from Jason Sanders makes it a 7-point game. Can the Lions march down the field for another touchdown-scoring two-minute drill like they did in the first half?
It seems like the Dolphins have a real quarterback competition on their hands.
Backup Zach Wilson threw for over 150 yards in the first half, but also made a few errors that cost the Dolphins some momentum. Meanwhile, third-stringer Quinn Ewers, while not looking as flashy as Wilson, has made a string of impressive third-down throws in the second half, adding two passing touchdowns this game.
Conversely, it seems the Lions have less of a battle for the backup quarterback position. Barring injuries, there’s a very strong chance Kyle Allen will start the season as Jared Goff’s backup.
Not a football update, but a cool moment in the stadium.
During an official timeout, a stadium cameraman caught a young Lions fan sleeping on camera, to which the AV team brought up graphics on the scoreboard encouraging fans to “get loud.”
Which they did — and to the delight of the crowd, the fan woke up, saw that he was on the jumbotron and shook his head in disgust.
The Dolphins are still up 21-17.
The Dolphins once again take the lead on an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Quinn Ewers to receiver Theo Wease Jr. It’s Wease’s second touchdown of the game.
Now we’ll get to see if Hooker can orchestrate a come-from-behind drive like Allen did in the first half.
The Lions defense has done an exceptional job pressuring Dolphins’ quarterback Quinn Ewers, as the rookie quarterback has completed 3-of-6 passes for 13 yards after entering the game after halftime.
Unfortunatley for the Lions, Hooker has essentially been a non-factor in the passing game, recording more sacks taken (two) than completed passes (one). If there’s a bright side to Hooker’s performance, it’s the escape he made on the third-down play in the red zone that could have led to his first touchdown of the preseason. If only it stood…
Hendon Hooker’s 10-yard touchdown run on third down in the Dolphins’ red zone was negated by a holding penalty by Gio Manu. Hooker then found Jacob Saylors on a short pass, but finished 11 yards short of the first-down marker. Kicker Jake Bates knocked in a 33-yard field goal to once again give the Lions a lead.
It seemed as if the Lions were taking the ball out of Hooker’s hands during the drive, calling for running plays on the first five plays of the possession. Hooker was finally given a chance to pass on that third down play, however — escaping the pass rush and scampering towards the end zone on the nullified play.
The Lions lead 17-14 with less than five minutes left in the quarter.
Wide receiver Dominic Lovett recovered a fumble on the Lions punt after another three-and-out from the Lions’ offense. Dolphins’ punt returner AJ Henning muffed the punt that led to Lovett’s recovery.
Since the fumble recovery occurred during a fair catch, the Lions could not advance the ball (but still started the drive on the Dolphins’ 27-yard line).
Dolphins’ third-string quarterback Quinn Ewers, a rookie out of Texas, found wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. for a 15-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14.
Ewers is in the game for Zach Wilson, who finished the first half going 15-of-23 with 151 yards and a touchdown.
Rookie edge rusher Ahmed Hassanein exited the game with trainers holding his right arm early in the third quarter. The extent of his injury is unknown, and it is unclear if and when he will return.
Hassanein was the Lions’ sixth-round draft pick out of Boise State in the 2025 NFL Draft and is projected to be the first Egyptian to play in an NFL game.
Lions quarterback Kyle Allen finished the half completing 14-of-17 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, registering a 136.3 passer rating. It’s the second-straight preseason game he’s recorded two touchdown passes in a game.
Hendon Hooker is now in at quarterback for the Lions, but immediately led a three-and-out deep in Lions’ territory, absorbing a big sack in the process.
The Lions finished strong with a last-minute touchdown in the first half, but it wasn’t looking very pretty before that.
Before the start of their final drive of the half, the Lions had more penalty yards (55) than passing yards (54).
That’s emblematic of the team’s performance: strong plays negated by costly penalties.
The Dolphins haven’t been much better in that regard, however. The Lions have a significant edge in rushing yards as they’ve limited Miami rushers to just 5 yards on the ground, but the score remains tied at seven at the half.
Linebacker Grant Stuard leads the team in tackles with four, but also had a costly facemask penalty that allowed a Dolphins’ drive to continue into the Lions’ red zone. Edge rusher Isaac Ukwu has the biggest defensive play of the game so far, with a fourth-down sack that gave the Lions the ball back and prevented a Dolphins’ scoring opportunity.
The Lions ran a brilliant two-minute drill, completing the long drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass in the left corner of the end zone from Kyle Allen to wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.
With the touchdown, the Lions take their first lead of the game, now up 14-7.
On a fourth-and-four from the Lions’ 9-yard line, edge rusher Isaac Ukwu got his hands on Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson again — but this time, his sack counted.
The Lions force the turnover-on-downs deep in their own territory with less than two minutes left to play in the half.
A big sack from Lions edge rusher Isaac Ukwu on third down was negated by a facemask penalty on linebacker Grant Stuard, allowing the Dolphins to continue their drive from the Lions’ 37-yard line.
The Dolphins have the ball with a third-and-4 on the Lions’ 9-yard line at the two-minute warning.
Kyle Allen, who entered the drive with only 18 yards passing, found Lions receiver Jackson Meeks on an 11-yard touchdown pass on fourth down in the red zone to tie up the score for the Lions. He found Isaac TeSlaa on a 13-yard pass earlier in the drive on a 2nd-and-9 for his best pass of the game so far.
Lions running back Craig Reynolds added 12 yards on four carries on the drive, while running back Jacob Saylors got his first action of the game with 15 yards on three carries.
The Lions started to move the ball a bit better in their final possession before the quarter ended, but couldn’t get much going offensively before that.
Running backs Sione Vaki and Craig Reynolds combined for nine total yards on four carries, while Kyle Allen, fresh off a two-touchdown performance against the Falcons last week, is averaging only three yards per attempt while completing four of six passes.
The Dolphins are up by a touchdown with one quarter in the books.
An 11-yard pass from Dolphins’ quarterback Zach Wilson to receiver Dee Eskridge opens the scoring, with the Dolphins now up 7-0 after completing the extra-point attempt.
The Dolphins drove 80 yards in 12 plays over six minutes of game time for the first touchdown of the afternoon.
On third-and-one from the Lions’ 48, Dolphins’ running back Jaylen Wright rushed up the middle, appearing to be tackled before he reached the first-down marker.
However, the referees called for a virtual measurement — the first one in the history of Ford Field — that showed Wright had reached past the first-down marker by inches.
Not even halfway through the first quarter, the Lions have recorded 30 penalty yards on four penalties, punting on both offensive possessions.
At least punter Jack Fox is showing a powerful leg, recording a 45-yard punt and 63-yard punt so far.
The Lions forced a three-and-out on the Dolphins’ offense on their first defensive series of the game. Linebacker Zach Cunningham got pressure on Dolphins’ quarterback Zach Wilson on a third-and-eight, forcing a lofted pass that was almost intercepted.
Despite a 32-yard run from running back Craig Reynolds putting the Lions into Dolphins territory, a holding penalty brought the ball back into Lions’ territory on Detroit’s first drive of the game. One more penalty and a six-yard loss on a failed screen pass later, the Lions punted a few yards back from where they started their opening drive.
The Dolphins start their opening drive on their own 29 yard line after recovering a fumble on the punt return.
The Dolphins won the coin toss and chose to defer their decision until the second half. The Lions will receive the ball to start the game.
In case you missed it, the Lions will be rocking blue jerseys and silver pants for Saturday’s matchup:
Second-year cornerback Terrion Arnold led the Lions’ secondary out onto the field during warmups, fully dressed and giving his teammates a pep talk before running out.
Arnold missed much of training camp with a hamstring injury suffered during an intersquad scrimmage on July 29. However, he returned to practice for the team’s second joint practice with the Dolphins on Thursday, appearing in drills against the Dolphins’ offense.
It is unclear if Arnold will be playing in Saturday’s game.
The Lions’ official X account captured Detroit rookies coming to Ford Field for their first game as Lions, including draft picks Tyleik Williams and Tate Ratledge.
For rookie wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa, this isn’t his first appearance at Ford Field, however. As a high school quarterback, TeSlaa led Hudsonville High School to a state championship in 2018, with the Division 5 championship game taking place at Ford Field.
How to watch Lions vs. Dolphins preseason game
After two joint practices this week, the Lions will take on the Dolphins in a preseason game at Ford Field on Saturday, Aug. 16.
Kickoff:Â 1 p.m. ET.
TV:Â WJBK (Fox-2).
Streaming:Â Fubo.
Radio:Â WXYT-FM (97.1).
The Lions preseason games will be broadcasted on Fox-2, with streaming available on Fubo.
Watch Detroit Lions preseason on Fubo
Fresh off a week that included an unexpected shoutout from pop megastar Taylor Swfit, Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff is still looking for his first in-game action of the 2025 season.
However, he’ll have to wait at least a little bit longer, with Kyle Allen getting the start over Hendon Hooker.
Hooker entered the season as the favorite to earn the backup quarterback position, but has struggled to find consistency in his first two outings. Meanwhile, Allen went 7-for-8 for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the teams’ previous preseason game against the Falcons, essentially pulling him ahead in the race for the backup spot with two preseason games to go.
Based on most recent depth chart.
WR Jameson Williams – 1
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown – 14
LT Taylor Decker – 68
LG Christian Mahogany – 73
C Graham Glasgow – 60
RG Tate Ratledge – 69*
RT Penei Sewell – 58
TE Sam LaPorta – 87
WR Tim Patrick – 12
QB Jared Goff – 16
RB David Montgomery – 5
*rookie
Dolphins first-team offense
Based on most recent depth chart.
WR Tyreek Hill – 10
LT Patrick Paul – 52
LG Jonah Savaiinaea – 72*
C Aaron Brewer – 55
RG James Daniels – 78
RT Austin Jackson – 73
TE Darren Waller – 83**
FB Alec Ingold – 30
RB De’Von Achane – 28
QB Tua Tagovailoa – 1
WR Jaylen Waddle – 17
*rookie
**on PUP list
Lions first-team defense
Based on most recent depth chart.
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson – 97
DL Alim NcNeill – 54**
DL DJ Reader – 98
EDGE Marcus Davenport – 92
LB Jack Campbell – 46
LB Alex Anzalone – 34
NB Amik Robertson – 21
CB D.J. Reed – 4
CB Terrion Arnold – 6
S Brian Branch – 32
S Kerby Jospeh – 31
**on PUP list
Dolphins first-team defense
Based on most recent depth chart.
DE Chop Robinson – 44
DT Zach Sieler – 92
DT Benito Jones – 95
DE Bradley Chubb – 2
LB Tyrel Dodson – 11
LB Jordyn Brooks – 20
OLB Jaelan Phillips – 15
CB Storm Duck – 36
CB Kendall Sheffield – 14
S Minkah Fitzpatrick – 29
S Ashtyn Davis – 21
NB Mike Hilton – 38
You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com