What happened: The fourth preseason game is a final opportunity for players on the roster bubble to make a last impression on coaches and front office personnel for inclusion on the initial 53-man roster.
There were a few good performances for the Detroit Lions Thursday night in Cleveland, but overall it wasn't enough to put them ahead on the scoreboard as they fell 20-16 to the Browns.
Detroit got second-half touchdowns from quarterback Josh Johnson on a 1-yard run and from rookie tight end Isaac Nauta on a 20-yard pass from Johnson.
The loss dropped Detroit to 0-4 in the preseason.
QB comparison: Who will back up starter Matthew Stafford in Arizona next week?
Tom Savage and Josh Johnson got one more dress rehearsal for the job in Cleveland.
Savage was 5-of-9 passing for 33 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He finished with a 63.7 passer rating. He was pressured early and often as the Lions struggled to contain the Browns' defensive front. He was sacked on the first play of the game and three times total in the first half, and was pressured about a half a dozen times total.
Johnson started the second half and led the Lions on their first scoring drive culminating with that 1-yard run. Johnson finished 9-of-15 passing for 157 yards with a touchdown pass for a passer rating of 133.0. He rushed four times for 17 yards.
Good and bad:
The good: Detroit's secondary was pretty good all night with Johnathan Alston and Jamar Summers coming up with second-half interceptions. Detroit could have a couple tough roster decisions when it comes to their secondary this weekend.
The bad: The Lions' backups upfront along their offensive line struggled most of the night. Detroit struggled to get anything going on the ground with just 58 total rushing yards. Lions quarterbacks were sacked seven times and hit another nine times. Detroit's offensive linemen were called for seven penalties totaling 66 yards.
Making a case: There were a couple good individual performances Thursday night that deserve some recognition:
- Rookie wide receiver Travis Fulgham had a nice night leading the Lions in receiving. He caught three passes for 80 yards, including a 52-yarder late in the fourth quarter that set up the Nauta touchdown.
- Brandon Powell had a nice 67 kickoff return in the first half. He also had a 32-yard punt return called back in the first half because of an illegal blindside block on Mike Ford.
- Defensive end Eric Lee was really disruptive coming off the edge. He recorded four tackles, a sack and a defended pass. He also made a terrific tackle for loss on 3rd and short to force a punt.
Injury report: Rookie cornerback Amani Oruwariye left the game late in the second quarter with a left foot injury. He did not return. Oruwariye has seen consistent second-team reps at outside cornerback behind Darius Slay and Rashaan Melvin throughout the preseason.
Up next: Regular season debut in Arizona Sept. 8
