Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants: Preseason opener recap and highlights

Detroit Free Press

Detroit Lions football returned Thursday.

The Lions took the field for the first time Thursday night against the New York Giants for the preseason opener. The Lions started training camp for the 2024 season in late July, and left their home facility this week to practice Monday and Tuesday with the Giants in East Rutherford, New Jersey. This was the first of the Lions' three exhibition games in the preseason before the regular-season opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Sept. 8.

The game kicked off from MetLife Stadium at 7 p.m and be aired on Fox locally and streamed on Fubo.

Check out the recap below.

Lions vs. Giants preseason recap

Lions fall in preseason opener 14-3

The Lions struggled on offense in the first half then couldn't find the endzone in the second to fall to the Giants 14-3 in the preseason opener. The defense was largely solid outside of two drives to close the first half, holding the Giants to 250 total yards and recording one takeaway. Nate Sudfeld played most of the game under center, completing 13 of 24 passes for 96 yards and one interception. Hendon Hooker was 5 of 9 for 36 yards and 34 yards on the ground in a quarter of action but had to leave the game early with an injury after absorbing a big hit.

3:59, 4Q: Lions fail on 4th down again

Another drive for the Lions down the field ended with a turnover on downs inside the Giants' 5-yard line after Sudfeld failed to find Jake Funk on fourth down. Detroit went 84 yards on 11 plays, aided by a long pass interference penalty on an endzone shot.

7:49, 4Q: Connor Galvin carted off with injury

The Lions are getting hit with a brutal string of injuries in the fourth quarter. Reserve offensive tackle Connor Galvin, a 2023 undrafted free agent and practice squad member playing at backup right tackle in the preseason, had to be carted off the field with a leg injury. Jake Funk and a pile of Giants defenders fell into Galvin's legs while he was engaged in a block and he stayed on the ground.

10:30, 4Q: Hendon Hooker leaves with injury

Hendon Hooker's first NFL game action did not last too long. He did not re-enter the game for a third series at the start of the fourth quarter and was shown on the game broadcast with trainers on the sideline before heading to the locker room according to reports from the stadium.

0:25, 3Q: Lions fail on 4th down

The first two drives of the second half ended with punts and the Lions started the third from their own 9. Hendon Hooker led a 14-play, 88-yard drive down inside the Giants' 5-yard line, but he had two incomplete passes on third and fourth-and-goal to turn it over. Hooker completed five of eight passes on the drive and picked up another first down with a scramble. He has 34 rushing yards on four carries through two drives and completely trucked a defender.

Halftime: Lions trail Giants 14-3

It wasn't a pretty half for the Lions reserves, especially the offense, who was held to 87 yards and four first downs. The defense held the Giants in check until the final two drives where they found the end zone via Eric Gray. Nate Sudfeld struggled, completing seven of 15 passes for 40 yards with an interception. The biggest positive of the first half was Jake Bates' successful field goal from 53 yards.

4:49, 2Q: Eric Gray scores again, Giants lead 14-3

The Lions kept the offense on the field for fourth down but Nate Sudfeld was stopped on a quarterback sneak, giving the ball back to the Giants at Detroit's 41. The Giants found the end zone four plays later after a series of gains through the air with a one-yard run from Gray.

9:12, 2Q: Eric Gray rips off 48-yard touchdown

The Giants are on the board. New York had a 91-yard drive in five plays, starting with a 24-yard completion to Gray then Tyree Jackson for 16 yards. At midfield, the Giants gave it to Gray up the middle and he reached the second level, dropped safety Morice Norris with a juke and raced off for the first touchdown of the game.

3:21, 1Q: Jake Bates nails 53-yard field goal

The Lions gained no yards after the interception with three straight turnovers, but it gave Jake Bates an opportunity to attempt his first field goal in a game as a Lion. He hit the 53-yard attempt from the left hash with plenty of room to spare, tucking it inside the left upright. The Lions' offense has 13 yards in three drives.

3:43, 1Q: Brandon Joseph intercepts Drew Lock

Brandon Joseph made the first big play of the game near the end of the first quarter. After the teams started the game with two three-and-outs apiece, Joseph jumped in front of a crossing route over the middle and intercepted a Drew Lock pass from his position at free safety and returned it to the New York 35-yard line.

Pregame notes

Lions coach Dan Campbell said most of the starters will rest in the preseason games to avoid injuries and give opportunities for snaps to young players and those in the midst of a position battle. All of the Lions draft picks are likely to play outside of sixth-round offensive lineman Christian Mahogany, who has not participated in training camp yet due to an illness.

There will still be plenty of intriguing things to watch for despite most of the household names like Jared Goff or Amon-Ra St. Brown getting the night off. Nate Sudfeld and Hendon Hooker will both get plenty of playing time at quarterback, after spending the two weeks of training camp splitting second-team snaps behind Goff.

BATES TIME:These are the 2 biggest things I want to see in the Lions' NFL preseason opener

Hooker, a third-round pick in 2023 who missed all of his rookie season, has talent and a capability to throw on the run but has struggled with accuracy and finding where to throw at times in practice. Sudfeld, who was also out all last season, has been steady in practice but has also had turnovers when facing the Lions defense in camp.

Brian Branch's move to safety also opened up a competition at slot cornerback that has gotten tougher after Emmanuel Moseley went down with a long-term injury. Amik Robertson, rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Ifeatu Melifonwu all expect to be in the competition and could play there in this game, along with other positions in the secondary, as the coaching staff tests different combinations of players.

The defensive line depth will be battling for snaps behind the established contributors of Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill and newcomers Marcus Davenport and D.J. Reader, when he returns from injury. On offense, the coaches are still looking for a wide receiver to step up and fill the third wide receiver role behind St. Brown and Jameson Williams.

On special teams, kicker Jake Bates will be under scrutiny after an up-and-down start to camp. The strong-legged United Football League import has been shaky from range in practice, and coaches stressed at the start they wanted Bates to be tested in as many different situations as possible to see how he responds.

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