{"id":297524,"date":"2025-08-18T08:17:23","date_gmt":"2025-08-18T08:17:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/297524\/"},"modified":"2025-08-18T08:17:23","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T08:17:23","slug":"detroit-lions-defeated-by-dolphins-in-penalty-plagued-preseason-game-updates-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/297524\/","title":{"rendered":"Detroit Lions defeated by Dolphins in penalty-plagued preseason game: updates recap"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DHPLIDYPAVG7HEU7MSXUB7K3RI\">Final: Dolphins 24, Lions 17<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"NDRCQNDDN5C5FKNBZBQZJBFFKE\">The Lions get most of their offense in the second quarter with a pair of solid scoring drives led by quarterback Kyle Allen. Rookie receivers Isaac TeSlaa and Jackson Meeks feature as well as second-year edge rusher Isaac Ukwu. But penalties defined the day as the Lions committed 13 infractions for 86 yards in what was another preseason defeat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"3JL5HEB6AZA25NOCQRMGAGE7JU\">4th Quarter<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"ODISSNSAIJCSVCCW2PKILDZYOE\">0:22 &#8212; And the game-winning drive comes to an end as Miami\u2019s Ethan Robinson jumps in front of Hendon Hooker and picks off his throw from point-blank range. That\u2019ll finish things off at Ford Field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"CSJPEY3T65FERNFB3ZZRS3GCWE\">0:27 &#8212; The Lions are driving. Jackson Meeks gets a pair of catches for 20 yards and Hendon Hooker finds Ronnie Bell for a key first-down conversion. After picking up another first on a scramble and completing to Meeks again, Hooker has the Lions in the red zone.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"ZM7WA3TKLRC73PQMEKDVOQDPU4\">1:50 &#8212; The Dolphins rip off six plays of 10-plus yards on an impressive 92-yard scoring drive that milked most of the time left on the clock. A key stop on third-down will leave just under two minutes for the Lions to try and tie or win the game after Jason Sanders knocks through a 21-yard field goal. Dolphins 24, Lions 17<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"HFOWADFFCBBGNNYO5CT2VNKTY4\">9:43 &#8212; Lions offense stalls out again. Receivers aren\u2019t getting much separation and running game hasn\u2019t been consistent enough to convert on late downs. Detroit punts from around midfield.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"PXMITMSCHFD7DDGBR7VDDN775I\">12:16 &#8212; The Dolphins retake the lead as Quinn Ewers and Theo Wease connect for another touchdown. Only six plays needed for Miami to go 55 yards and put another six on the board. Dolphins 21, Lions 17<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"ZHLDXOC3CBAIRE3DO2M7OVIP7E\">3rd Quarter<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"QURGE6ATBVCNPGVILYXGIFIIJU\">0:00 &#8212; A pair of penalties tank Detroit\u2019s drive fairly quickly. Hendon Hooker made a nice play on third down to move the chains, but that got wiped away after a penalty. Miami has the ball back and already driving into Lions territory after a 23-yard pick up for Theo Wease.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"7PPIPUWRPFGJPPB7SNLNVL37HM\">3:11 &#8212; Fourth three-and-out forced by the Lions defense today gets the ball back for the offense again. When Miami has started in its own end in the second half, they have netted one yard in two drives.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"DKR4ST3JTFF4VCH4GJTZLXSMCQ\">4:53 &#8212; Another slow drive looked out of steam, but a muffed punt recovered by Dominic Lovett gave the Lions another shot deep in Miami territory. A 10-yard scramble touchdown by Hendon Hooker was called back for a holding penalty and the Lions settle for a 33-yard field goal by Jake Bates. Lions retake the lead. Lions 17, Dolphins 14<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RLNFTDROERBEHHL4GNB6U3UPJU\">10:36 &#8212; Miami caps off a quick scoring drive with a 15-yard touchdown throw from Quinn Ewers to Theo Weaase. Dolphins tie it up after a Jason Sanders extra point. Lions 14, Dolphins 14<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"MSSFU4TEBBD7FCGF4Q6CDD73DM\">10:56 &#8212; Rookie D-lineman Ahmed Hassanein exits the field after being looked at by medical personnel. Favoring his arm as he walks off the field and straight to the locker room in the third quarter. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"3XEPYWNKWBEJJKDRSTQXCZED3U\">12:22 &#8212; Not much going for the Lions with Hendon Hooker at quarterback. A second-down sack set Detroit deep in their own end and just run on third down to avoid risk. A strong punt return from AJ Henning sets the Dolphins up at the Detroit 36.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"I6IGUAJFHRCWXNK2AQA6YMPWQE\">14:12 &#8212; Lions defense has little trouble out of the half, forcing the Dolphins to go three-and-out with quarterback Quinn Ewers taking over under center. Hendon Hooker in at QB for Detroit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"H6PATYPELVH6NPOIPEJAV62ODI\">Halftime: Lions 14, Dolphins 7<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"NHMXXAB5BVEVFNJYHCRUM5L2FU\">It was looking rough for the Lions early in the half, racking up more penalties than first downs for most of the first 30 minutes. However, back-to-back great drives ending in touchdowns from rookies Jackson Meeks and Isaac TeSlaa put the Lions out in front.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"CC55YJVBVNEWFDHOGD62BLMRXM\">2nd Quarter<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"O6SEB5EPRRDTJA5ED2CP3L3WY4\">0:30 &#8212; Lions run their two-minute offense starting from their own 17-yard line and show some stellar execution. Still in their own half, the Lions go for a gutsy 4th and 3 and Kyle Allen hits Isaac TeSlaa to pick up a first. Jackson Meeks got open in the middle of the field for a 27-yard gain. TeSlaa finishes off the drive with a heavily contested 18-yard touchdown catch in the end zone. Lions 14, Dolphins 7<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"YKFWWEFCCNCALOQGWV36EX3LCI\">1:50 &#8212; A red-zone stand from the Lions gets an exclamation from Isaac Ukwu, who comes charging in for a fourth-down sack. Lions get another chance just ahead of halftime to take the lead after stalling out the Dolphins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"ZMTPMJHAYRCIRFQV4KC4SQ2N6Q\">7:00 &#8212; The Lions put together their best drive of the day behind nice completions to Jackson Meeks and Isaac TeSlaa and some hard running from Jacob Saylors. Dan Campbell decides to go for it on 4th and 7 in the red zone and Kyle Allen finds Meeks wide open for a touchdown. Level game at Ford Field. Lions 7, Dolphins 7<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"NTEQJT3LRJA4ZA257N2UBQKVDE\">13:00 &#8212; Recently-signed cornerback Allan George and Luq Barcoo make back-to-back interventions on passes from Zach Wilson to force a quick punt out of the Dolphins. Kyle Allen leads the offense back out, beginning on the Lions\u2019 37-yard line.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"BT6FESPP2ZG7HJY63GVRUXBHT4\">13:40 &#8212; A pass from Kyle Allen goes through the hands of Dominic Lovett on third down and the Lions are forced to punt again. Detroit only has 34 total yards to this point in the game.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"TYWYXK3H75F73KK5QEON2P7NIQ\">1st Quarter<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"M5VWZOJ5KVBJDD5AD2DFEDIHLM\">1:24 &#8212; The Dolphins offense is heating up under Zach Wilson. Picked up three first downs before converting a 27-yard screen on third down to get in the red zone. Former Western Michigan receiver Dee Eskridge finds the end zone on an 11-yard crossing route to put Miami ahead in the first quarter. Dolphins 7, Lions 0 <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"LQMHDMAGTNB7XPNFTB2PDZKXKU\">7:59 &#8212; Another holding call negates a big run from Craig Reynolds, this time from Zach Horton. It looked like the Lions were going to move the chains after Kyle Allen scrambled to find Isaac TeSlaa along the sideline for a first-down, but Allen waited too long to make the throw and had crossed the line of scrimmage. Punt from the Lions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"4KJNRMC7LBAPLD3W3GBVUAQVCU\">9:38 &#8212; Zach Cunningham brings the pressure on third down against Zach Wilson to force an errant pass and an incompletion. Lions defense forces a three-and-out and take back over on their own 31. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"GBVO4IGCDRAUNDLEE7FTR6LKFQ\">11:28 &#8212; No Tyleik Williams with the first defensive unit on the field. He\u2019s seated on the bench, not holding his helmet. Looks unlikely he\u2019s heading in anytime soon.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"HT4FR6NOWJHOBDMV372PARFDGA\">11:28 &#8212; A holding penalty wipes out a 32-yard run from Craig Reynolds that would\u2019ve put the Lions in the red zone. Instead the Lions are forced to punt. Sione Vaki delivered a big hit on the return man and forced out a fumble, but the Dolphins recovered.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"6OZHIM3LCRACTHWMMEFYPVUDFQ\">After a 23-yard return by Grant Stuard, Kyle Allen leads out the Lions\u2019 offense. No rookie Tate Ratledge and he\u2019s just been standing on the sideline without a helmet.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"CT75GVSHHFF4JL3C7MMGSMFP5Y\">15:00 &#8212; Miami wins the toss and defers. Lions will start with the ball in their home preseason debut.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"YCLVW3CMSNAYXO4RXO3AWGGC3I\">Pregame<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"46QWNSIEYVFCZBBA3B465G3JJM\">The Lions take the field ahead of today\u2019s game to a raucous reception from the home fans at Ford Field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"MFHQBNHYVFGSRAZ2KDZJYRE25M\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"F4RDXGIG2VELRJA5CODEK5WSCQ\">Rookies Tate Ratledge and Tyleik Williams were both suited up during warmups. The pair sat out the first preseason game but made their debuts last week against Atlanta. <\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"JPICSYDPXZGZDPTVA7JXB5SNBQ\">We\u2019ll see soon how much runway they\u2019ll get in front of the home crowd.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"YQD4PLILSRFTBLBWMYJT6O2SSQ\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"2JKMUO5O2ZASZFLAD65EI22LD4\">Michigan native Isaac TeSlaa will make his first appearance at Ford Field since leading Hudsonville Unity Christian to the MHSAA Division 5 state title in 2018. He arrives at the stadium sporting some vintage Lions gear.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"COIYPW2M3NFZPIZGK6ZYK4UOZA\">The Lions will sport their Honolulu Blue home jerseys for their first preseason game inside Ford Field.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"3VAAWBWYV5F6ZKS5CWVEI7V74Y\">&#8212;<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"CQ3X3B7K6ZHNZFDU2A6ILGCTNI\">DETROIT \u2014 After a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/lions\/2025\/08\/observations-detroits-dl-flexes-muscle-in-joint-practices-against-dolphins.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/lions\/2025\/08\/observations-detroits-dl-flexes-muscle-in-joint-practices-against-dolphins.html\">pair of joint practices<\/a> earlier this week, the Detroit Lions host the Miami Dolphins for their penultimate preseason game of the year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"RPBEFDD5VJCMDFGQPQUDCITDNA\">The teams have seen plenty of each other in the buildup to Saturday\u2019s game. It was also the first time the Lions\u2019 starters got to see a defense that wasn\u2019t their own this preseason.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"ANJ3ZH6THJHYDJ2D2JWQXCTWZA\">But that means the game is going to heavily feature second- and third-string players.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"XKP2EQGI6BC6DMM2AJUNTE37UU\">For the Lions, the battle for backup quarterback will continue between Kyle Allen and Hendon Hooker. Last weekend\u2019s performance against the Atlanta Falcons appeared to give the edge to Allen, but they should both see plenty of action against Miami.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"M2EHWXOMKJEQHFTVN3B6I3FO7E\">Coach Dan Campbell did not name a starter ahead of Saturday\u2019s kickoff.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"KHSAAX6DEREENO7ANGNNOU5WKQ\">Even without starters getting in the game, there are still plenty of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/lions\/2025\/08\/6-players-to-watch-for-detroit-lions-in-first-home-preseason-game.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/www.mlive.com\/lions\/2025\/08\/6-players-to-watch-for-detroit-lions-in-first-home-preseason-game.html\">interesting players to watch out for<\/a> like cornerback Nick Whiteside and D-lineman Keith Cooper Jr. as they try and stake their claim for one of the final roster spots.<\/p>\n<p class=\"article__paragraph article__paragraph--left\" id=\"F7ZYVESPH5DQDFZMO3WZ6GCW7I\">This post will update with inactives, pregame updates, drive summaries, injury updates and more. Follow along throughout the evening.<\/p>\n<p>If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancelocal.com\/advancelocalUserAgreement\/user-agreement.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.advancelocal.com\/advancelocalUserAgreement\/privacy-policy.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Final: Dolphins 24, Lions 17 The Lions get most of their offense in the second quarter with a&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":297525,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2071],"tags":[146,113,2506,7,3185,147,6,31185],"class_list":{"0":"post-297524","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-detroit-lions","8":"tag-detroit","9":"tag-detroit-lions","10":"tag-detroitlions","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-helmet-off","13":"tag-lions","14":"tag-nfl","15":"tag-nflraw25"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115048785303518171","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297524","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=297524"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/297524\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/297525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=297524"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=297524"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=297524"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}