Michael Rothstein, ESPN Staff Writer 7y

A sign of a good things or a mirage? Lions' defense dominant vs. Jets

DETROIT -- The New York Jets are not a good football team. Their offense was putrid. The defense -- when the starters were in -- was not much better. And it leads to an easy question for the Detroit Lions: How much of the first half of the team’s 16-6 preseason victory over the Jets can be read into as promise and how much is facing a team that flat stunk Saturday?

The answer for Detroit is likely in the middle, but the three-and-out extravaganza by the Jets' offense and the pressure the Lions got on quarterback Christian Hackenberg are things for Detroit to build on. The real gauge might come in Friday's third preseason game, when starters typically play more and defending Super Bowl champion New England comes to town.

QB depth chart: Matthew Stafford played a little more than a quarter and looked sharp during his three drives, completing 8 of 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. At least one of the incompletions was a drop, too. Jake Rudock played the equivalent of a half, completing 8 of 13 passes for 84 yards and one interception. Brad Kaaya got the final quarter-plus of work and completed 4 of 7 passes for 38 yards. The depth chart remains the same: Stafford, Rudock, Kaaya.

When it was starters vs. starters, the Lions looked ...: As mentioned previously, the Lions were dominant defensively. They held the Jets to 3 -- yes, 3 -- yards of offense in the first quarter and should have had at least one turnover. Offensively, Detroit was OK. Stafford was strong and moved the ball well after some initial struggles. His touchdown pass to Marvin Jones Jr. was on point, and Jones got good separation on New York corner Morris Claiborne. That’s the type of play the Lions are hoping for from Jones this season.

One reason to be concerned: The offensive line. If the Jets have a strength, it is their defensive front. And the Lions' offensive line had its issues there. Stafford was hit a few times as he threw or a step after. There was also a stretch during which Rudock had the first-team offensive line (other than right guard T.J. Lang) in front of him and the Jets' front -- which included some second-teamers -- still ended up in the backfield. There’s not much scheming done for these games, but it’s something to keep an eye on. There were flashes of Detroit doing well on the line -- particularly left tackle Greg Robinson -- but some of the inconsistencies showed.

“I thought we did some good things there in the first quarter when Matt was in,” Lang said. “Obviously, we got to protect the quarterback a little bit better, but [we] scored 10 points in one quarter, so not a bad job for us.”

That guy could start: Most of the Detroit starters are set, but with TJ Jones suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter Saturday, that could open up a bigger opportunity for rookie receiver Kenny Golladay to nab a starting role right away. Golladay didn’t have the high-impact game he did in the preseason opener (one catch, 6 yards against the Jets) but after getting some first-team work during the week in practice and on Saturday, this is a bigger chance for him heading into the third preseason game if Jones’ injury is at all serious.

Rookie watch: Jamal Agnew stood out in the second half. Even when the cornerback allowed a completion, he was right there in coverage. The fifth-round draft pick had a team-high six tackles and broke up one pass. He also got a couple of reps as a punt and kick returner, as he’s in the thick of that job. Linebacker Jarrad Davis had a couple of tackles and continued to show good instincts. Golladay had one catch for 6 yards. Jalen Reeves-Maybin showed good instincts and sideline-to-sideline speed for a linebacker and continued to be active on special teams. Tight end Michael Roberts caught both of his targets for 29 yards.

Kasey Redfern is pretty good: No, Redfern won’t make the team unless Sam Martin somehow doesn’t return from the non-football injury list, but he’s shown an active leg throughout training camp practices and in his first two preseason games. There’s no question he has the leg and accuracy to be an NFL punter; it just is unlikely to be in Detroit. Redfern had six punts for 266 yards (44.3 average) against the Jets, with two inside the 20-yard line.

Looking for a sleeper for a roster spot? Check out Steve Longa: One of the byproducts of Brandon Copeland's season-ending pectoral injury is the possibility of another linebacker spot opening up on the roster. Longa has a real shot at it. He’s been active during camp but impressive in games, particularly on special teams. He’s often the first one down the field on kick coverage and both caused and recovered a fumble Saturday that was negated due to Detroit being offside. He also had a special-teams tackle and got some work with some No. 1 units. He would be the team’s fifth (or sixth) linebacker if he makes it, but he could develop into a core special-teams player.

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