The Detroit Lions‘ preseason is over, mercifully. An uninspiring, underwhelming effort culminating in a 26-7 loss to the visiting Houston Texans inside Ford Field put a cap on the four-game exhibition season. Houston outgained Detroit 399 to 186, with the Lions running just 36 offensive plays as the Texans dominated both sides of the ball.

The Lions intent was more about evaluating players at various positional battles much more than efforting to win the game. Several Lions on the roster bubble had an opportunity to make one last push to make the 53-man roster. Some succeeded, while others flopped in their final preseason trial.

Here’s what I took away from the game inside Ford Field in real time.

Trench warfare did not go in Detroit’s favor

Most NFL games are won in the trenches, and this one was no exception. The Texans offensive line, playing zero starters, largely walloped the Lions second-team defensive front. Up the gut, Detroit’s interior tackles struggled to hold the line or get off blocks. Houston has some serious position battles of its own on the offensive line, and those guys collectively put their best feet forward. The Lions could not match the intensity or the power very well

It might have been worse on the inverse matchup. The Lions lack of depth across the offensive line has been an issue all summer, and it really showed in a negative way against the Texans. I’ll get into more specific players below, but just in general, the depth and strength of the Texans reserve line, by and large, blew away the Lions at both the second- and third-team levels.

That development is the antithesis of Lions football under Dan Campbell. Even in the first season of the regime, Campbell’s Lions have always played with a certain toughness and snarl. That was largely absent on both sides of the ball in Saturday’s preseason finale.

Players who stepped up

Despite the negative outcome, there were a few Lions who legitimately impressed against the Texans. It starts with the new backup quarterback.

Kyle Allen–In two drives, Allen completed all five of his pass attempts for 66 yards and a touchdown. That TD was a picture-perfect deep throw to Isaac TeSlaa, capping a game where Allen recorded a perfect 158.3 rating. The only negative was a sack where he had instant pressure in his face. It’s not even a competition for No. 2 anymore; Allen has seized the role of being Jared Goff’s backup and has built confidence with every appearance.

Trevor Nowaske–After the game, Dan Campbell gushed over Nowaske’s “cerebral” performance. Playing MLB quite a bit instead of his usual SAM role, Nowaske was everywhere. His read-and-attack style was quite effective, and Nowaske’s closing speed from the middle of the field to the sideline was great to see. Any notion that Nowaske might have been on the roster bubble should be trashed faster than the replay of the second half of this one for casual fans.

Loren Strickland-Strickland tied with Nowaske for the team lead in tackles with nine. And like Nowaske, the young safety showed impressive burst to the ball and football geometry. There were a couple of dives at receivers’ feet that were risky attempts, but they ended in tackles for Strickland. He also had a couple of strong special teams reps, which is vital for reserve safeties in Detroit.

Tyson Russell-Russell, an undrafted rookie cornerback, came away with Detroit’s only takeaway. No. 35 picked off a pass that Texans wideout (and ex-Lion) Quintez Cephus juggled around and ultimately popped into Russell’s hands. It’s the kind of effort play the Lions like, as Russell was initially beaten but didn’t quit. His run defense, a feather in Russell’s cap all summer, was strong, too.

Jacob Saylors-The UFL’s leading rusher amongst RBs capped off his strong impact after arriving midway into training camp. Getting increased reps with Sione Vaki sidelined, Saylors led the Lions in rushing (32 yards on 9 carries) and receptions (3 for 27 yards). He’s a bigger back who continues to prove very difficult to tackle but also quicker than you might expect. Add to that a fantastic block on the opening kickoff return by LB Grant Stuard, and Saylors did everything he could to stick on the Lions practice squad if he doesn’t get offers elsewhere.

Players who did not step up

Hendon Hooker-Even given the benefit of the doubt in playing with guys who might not even make a practice squad, Hooker was once again disappointing as the third-team quarterback. A terrible interception is the standout error, as it probably should be. Hooker forced an inaccurate throw into double coverage that got picked by a third defender in the area. His poor decisions and lack of confidence in his own ability reared ugly heads a few too many times. His six drives gained just 90 yards and failed to score.

Kingsley Eguakun-Competing to be the backup center, Eguakun got blasted backward by nondescript Texans DT Tommy Togiai for a very easy sack on Allen on the Lions’ first drive. No. 65’s inability to withstand interior power was a real problem all afternoon. He creates zero movement in the run game too often, and that was especially true vs. Houston. His competition for reserve IOL spots didn’t impress either, which might be Eguakun’s saving grace. Might…

Brodric Martin-Martin had been making a late surge with some solid practices and a nice preseason performance (sans his penalties) against Miami. It did not carry over into Saturday’s game. Martin got pushed off his mark and couldn’t get off blocks well enough. He failed to initiate a single tackle.

Nick Whiteside-10 days ago, I had Whiteside as a very likely addition to the Lions’ 53-man roster. A so-so game against Miami sullied that, and Whiteside’s performance at cornerback against the Texans all but ended the notion. The Texans quarterbacks picked on No. 38 early and often. He really struggled to stay with his mark when the Texans ran out of a stack formation or ran tandem routes. One very nice edge-set against the run.

Isaac Ukwu-Containing the edge in the run game is a huge deal for Detroit’s defense, something the coaching staff constantly preaches. This was not a good day in that department for Ukwu, who lost too many individual battles to offensive tackles who might not make another team’s practice squad. It would be different if Ukwu were effective rushing the passer, but he was invisible in that aspect against Houston too.

Zach Cunningham-In keeping with the theme of positional responsibility, Cunningham had a couple of plays at linebacker where he got fooled or guessed himself into the wrong hole. Cunningham feels safely on the roster, but this was not a great final impression for No. 52 against his old team.

Erick Hallett-The versatile defensive back did not have a strong game. He was consistently a step late or a count slower than he needed to be while playing zone coverage, and he got blown up on two separate Houston run plays, including the touchdown on the ground. In a game where Strickland stood out and Ian Kennelly had some positives, that’s not good news for Hallett in his quest to avoid having his roster bubble chances popped.

Quick hits

–LB Ezekiel Turner left the game with a lower leg injury. He was on crutches in the locker room, and Campbell called his injury “significant”.

–Houston bagged three sacks (1 against Allen, 2 against Hooker) on 19 dropbacks. All three sakcs featured multiple Lions offensive linemen losing their battles on the play.

–Long snapper Hogan Hatten made a tackle on a 61-yard Jack Fox punt and was once again perfect on his snapping duties. He’s quietly become a big asset as he enters his second season.

–Grant Stuard’s only kick return was a beauty, racing right up the gut for 44 yards and nearly taking the opening kickoff to the house. Good blocks from Jacob Saylors and Trevor Nowaske aided his path.

–Dominic Lovett didn’t record a catch and had a missed run block and a missed blocking opportunity on a kick return that led to poor field position. The rookie WR did force a fair catch on punt coverage with an excellent rep, but the little things the Lions want from their receivers, Lovett didn’t do consistently.

–Aside from the Isaac TeSlaa TD grab, the loudest the crowd got was when the Western Michigan hockey team was introduced in the first half. The Broncos won the NCAA Frozen Four last season with a lot of homegrown talent.

–The locker room cleared out very quickly after the game. I walked over with a group immediately following Dan Campbell’s press conference and there were no more than 10 players still in the locker room.

–The Lions end the preseason 1-3, beating Atlanta in the game shortened by Mo Norris’ injury.