Even though the stakes of a preseason game are low, a win feels good nonetheless. The Detroit Lions defeated the Washington Commanders in their second preseason game with a modest 17-13 score line. There has been promise on both sides of the ball, but an equal number of questions still up in the air.<\/p>\n
A fair number of Lions starters saw action on Saturday, yet that was more of a tune up for the regular season. Where things got interesting was the state of the reserves. Some of them mixed in with starters, while others only got late-game snaps. Regardless of when they entered the game, these backups played like their jobs depended on it\u2014because it did.<\/p>\n
Which players took a hit to their stock after the Commanders game?<\/p>\n
Previously: 5 Lions who helped their roster chances vs. Commanders<\/a><\/p>\n McLaughlin had an impressive preseason debut against the Cincinnati Bengals last week, but his game took a notable step back against the Commanders. Washington\u2019s interior was giving him fits throughout the game through a speed, power, or a combination of both. While he was only credited with allowing one sack, he did a subpar job keeping the pocket clean for either Joshua Dobbs or Luke Altmyer as both quarterbacks were forced outside far too many times.<\/p>\n Worse yet for McLaughlin, he had a string of bad penalties that would normally kill a drive. On third-and-5, he double clutched a snap which led to a false start by Miles Frazier, then subsequently false started himself on the next play. The Lions lucked out with a 20-yard defensive pass interference penalty on the ensuing play, but that does not excuse the mistakes\u2014turning a third-and-short into third-and-long is something that cannot happen.<\/p>\n McLaughlin saw a sizeable number of snaps due to Michael Niese\u2019s injury<\/a>, so he will likely hang onto the backup center position behind Juice Scruggs if Niese misses time. However, given how perilous his roster spot is, he needs a rebound in the Lions\u2019 final preseason game. Because Tate Ratledge could be a game-day emergency center, having a backup on the active roster is not a pressing need\u2014McLaughlin has to earn it.<\/p>\n Last week, I said that Luke Altmyer\u2019s roster chances took a hit<\/a> because he failed to capitalize on an opportunity to elevate himself in the QB2 battle. This week, I will ding Dobbs for a similar reason. While credited with two turnovers, the only one that was truly his fault was the interception. However, that interception was an absolute mess. Despite good protection from the offensive line, Dobbs had happy feet and wound up rolling outside the pocket. He stopped, planted, and pulled the trigger on a cross-body pass with a rusher in his face and sailed it into the arms of a defender. To add insult, he had Tay Martin wide open underneath (in his field of view as well) and could have connected for an easy first down\u2014additionally, Martin\u2019s nearest defender was a linebacker, so he had the matchup advantage to turn it into an even bigger gain. A veteran should not be making decisions like that.<\/p>\n Dobbs redeemed himself with a 50-yard touchdown run (with Martin and Tyler Conklin providing pivotal blocks to spring him) on the next drive, flashing his elite athleticism. That being said, his ability as a runner was always a known commodity. I was personally hoping to see more from him as a passer, and his production thus far has been modest. Through two games, neither Dobbs nor Altmyer have seized the backup quarterback spot.<\/p>\n