DETROIT — Isaac TeSlaa has already cemented himself as a fan-favorite for the Detroit Lions. And if he keeps playing like this, the national attention is about to heat up for the rookie wide receiver.

TeSlaa and fellow rookie receiver Jackson Meeks helped spark the offense after a slow start in Detroit’s 24-17 preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins.

TeSlaa had four catches on five targets for 41 yards and another impressive touchdown. The third-round rookie hit Dolphins cornerback Cornell Armstrong with a stutter-step, adjusted his body in mid-air and made the contested catch for the 18-yard touchdown, just like he did last week in Atlanta.

At this point, it’s safe to wonder how much more action TeSlaa needs in the preseason, if any at all. TeSlaa has been a steady riser and further along in his development than most expected to this point.

He and Meeks had the team’s first touchdowns against the Dolphins, with a fumble recovery on special teams leading to a Jake Bates field goal to put the Lions up 17-14 late in the third quarter.

The Dolphins kept fighting back with rookie quarterback Quinn Ewers under center. Ewers threw his second touchdown of the day to Theo Wease Jr. to take the 21-17 lead early in the final frame. They added a late field goal to extend that advantage to 24-17, with Ewers opting not to run the ball in.

Quarterback Hendon Hooker and the Lions took over at the 39-yard line with 1:42 left on the clock after a nice return by running back Jacob Saylors. This final drive was the best Hooker looked on Saturday. He was firing quick in the high-tempo offense, and fought his way for a tough first-down scramble.

But then he threw an interception with 22 seconds left, with Dolphins cornerback Ethan Robinson leaping to make the impressive game-clinching play.

Now, let’s look at the QB2 battle in Detroit, as there appears to be a clear leader in veteran Kyle Allen.

After a sloppy start in the first half with some high misses and mental mistakes, Allen found his groove for the Lions, looking great in the two-minute drill. Allen’s three incompletions were those high balls for TeSlaa, Tom Kennedy and Meeks. He hit 14 of 17 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns, though, finding his groove when targeting Meeks and TeSlaa to give the Lions a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Hooker took over in the second half. The former third-round pick had another slow start, with the offense going three-and-out and taking a sack near his own end zone on his first series. He can’t take that sack and needs to throw it away. On the next drive, Hooker nearly got stripped while taking his second sack, this time standing like a statue in the pocket with the ball in his hands.

Hooker had a touchdown run erased by a holding penalty on offensive tackle Giovanni Manu. But it was another rough showing for someone who opened camp on a higher note. Hooker was not great, and the Lions didn’t do him any favors in this one, both can be true.

He finished six-of-13 passing for 61 yards with the tough interception to end the comeback attempt.

Hooker and Allen have one preseason game left to leave their mark on the QB2 battle. However, it appears the Lions will likely need to keep three quarterbacks if Hooker remains part of their future.

See below for more observations from Saturday’s game:

— Ford Field had an announced attendance of 47,684 for the first game back here since the divisional-round playoff loss. These Lions are the hottest ticket around, and their fans are all in.

— The first-team offense consisted of QB Allen, RB Craig Reynolds, WR TeSlaa, WR Meeks, WR Tom Kennedy, TE Shane Zylstra, LT Jamarco Jones, LG Netane Muti, C Kingsely Eguakun, RG Kayode Awosika and RT Dan Skipper.

The first-team defense featured DL Keith Cooper Jr., DL Pat O’Connor, DL Chris Smith, EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad, LB Grant Stuard, LB Zach Cunningham, LB Trevor Nowaske, DB Rock Ya-Sin, CB Nick Whiteside, S Ian Kennelly and DB Erick Hallett II

— Speaking of Cooper and Whiteside, I am going to have a hard time leaving either of those players off my next 53-man roster projection. Cooper can play inside and outside on the defensive line. He had a nice pressure and tackle for loss in the first quarter. Whiteside appears to be someone who just gets it in terms of his physicality and aggressive nature in coverage. And defensive lineman Chris Smith is doing his best to earn a spot, too. He’s been a recent steady riser, and showed some burst to stop a stretch rush to the outside in the first half.

— Elsewhere on the bubble, Meeks is doing his best to enter the conversation at receiver. He scored the first touchdown of the year at Ford Field to tie the game at 7-7 in the second quarter, with a major assist from tight end Shane Zylstra. Meeks finished with seven catches for 93 yards and one touchdown. He made a clutch 29-yard catch, then scored on fourth down. Lovett recovered a fumble off a muffed punt, as well, as he’s not going away without a fight.

Meeks, the undrafted rookie out of Syracuse, has been strong in camp, earning more attention, but faces a logjam at receiver. Meeks, Lovett and Ronnie Bell are doing their best to force the Lions into keeping six receivers.

— Top rookies Tyleik Williams and Tate Ratledge did not play on Saturday against the Dolphins. Williams and Ratledge saw a ton of valuable action in the trenches during this week’s joint practices, and each looks ready to roll for the Lions this season.

— My goodness, the referees were too busy opening this game. Through the first quarter alone, the Lions had four penalties and the Dolphins had three. To end the game, Detroit had 13 penalties for a loss of 86 yards and Miami had nine for 60 yards. Someone get those refs a bag of ice for their shoulders.

— It was nice to see running back Sione Vaki out there for his preseason debut. Vaki worked his way into the running back rotation and was back deep with Stuard on kick returns. He ran five times for 30 yards, catching two passes for minus-2 yards. Even though the Lions want more out of him on offense, Vaki remains an elite special teamer. He forced a fumble with a big hit on his first punt-coverage rep and is primed to play a key role on that phase.

— Lions rookie edge defender Ahmed Hassanein left the game in the third quarter. The TV broadcast called it an elbow injury, but we’ll try to get an update from coach Dan Campbell after the game.

— Edge rushers Nate Lynn and Isaac Ukwu, and the team’s feisty secondary, were standouts for the defense. Ukwu had a sack negated by a penalty, then got one back on a fourth-down play. Lynn is just plain active. He’s all over the field, creating pressure, clogging lanes and made a great read to stop a swing pass for a tackle for loss.

Detroit’s defense was all over the ball through some high and low moments, with DJ Miller, Whiteside, Cunningham, Hallett (three), Allan George and Luq Barcoo (two) all rocking pass deflections.

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