There were more lowlights than highlights for the Detroit Lions amid a sloppy 34-7 loss in the preseason opener to the Los Angeles Chargers, but a few players did stand out in a good way.
Offensively, the Lions didn’t put any starters on the field, which can explain how the team only collected 197 total yards of offense. In spite of that, two of the team’s top statistical leaders were very impressive in what they were able to achieve.
Isaac TeSlaa, Detroit’s third-round pick and Dominic Lovett, a seventh-round selection, enjoyed a productive start to their Lions career. TeSlaa showed up with some early catches, posting 46 yards on two receptions. Though he made a couple mistakes, Lovett fought through to finish with five receptions and 31 yards.
Isaac TeSlaa impresses with strong poise during first NFL game action
It was an impressive performance from a couple of players who have shown up consistently during the first weeks of training camp. Seeing them immediately translate plays from the practice field to game speed was notable, and shows why they could have a role during the regular season.
Dan Campbell was happy with what he saw from the duo when the focus was feeding them the ball, and admitted that he expects Lovett to get even better in the wake of some early mistakes.
“(Isaac) TeSlaa made some plays. They both did. I just go back to (Dominic) Lovett, two negative plays. He’s going to learn from those. We wanted to get TeSlaa and Lovett the ball. We wanted to get these receivers some throws, and I wish we could have gotten all those guys some throws. But it was good to see. I did think those two guys showed up.”
Detroit has been searching for wideout depth the last few seasons, and it’s clear with this duo they might finally have a good solution. If TeSlaa evolves into a formidable third option for Jared Goff, that would be significant for the offense. Lovett, on the other hand, doesn’t have as lofty of expectations, meaning the Lions can develop him at their own pace.
It was the strongest performance from a pair of rookie weapons than the Lions have seen in a while, making it very encouraging in spite of a resounding defeat.
Perhaps the most notable element to TeSlaa’s performance is how he never looked overwhelmed, even though he was seeing the ball early during the game. He ran his routes fluidly and looked the part of a high draft pick within his technique and instincts.
TeSlaa himself spoke like a seasoned veteran when he was asked about the speed of the game. Now that he has one contest under his belt, it seems he’s ready to make some strides in his learning.
“Obviously, when you get to this level, everyone’s going to be bigger and faster and stronger. I mean, to a degree, you’re pretty surprised when you get out there (at) just the level of play. Now that I’ve seen first-hand what it’s like, (I want to) just continue to grow every single day.”
There’s no doubt that TeSlaa and Lovett will continue to learn and grow, boosted by this fantastic performance in the preseason opener. At this point, they need only continue to stack practices and games in order to do so.
More Lions news and analysis
