Barry Sanders shares special moment with Detroit Lions superfan
Barry Sanders took the time to talk to Nate Burke, a huge fan of Barry who idolized him as a child. Afterwards, Sanders and Golden Tate posed for a photo.
The Detroit Lions picked up their second straight win of the season on Saturday, beating the Pittsburgh Steelers 24-17 in front of a raucous (for the season) crowd at Ford Field. Hendon Hooker played most of the game, leading the Lions with 93 rushing yards and leading the game-winning drive early in the fourth quarter.
Here are the players who helped or hurt their reputation on Saturday.
Three above
OLB Isaac Ukwu
Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game he was pleased to see “a number of guys that have really stepped up and improved since last week,” and the first player he mentioned in that group was Ukwu, the undrafted rookie from Ole Miss who had his third sack in as many preseason games. Ukwu forced a key fumble on Saturday when he drove Steelers third-string tackle Devery Hamilton into quarterback Kyle Allen, knocking the ball out of Allen’s hands as Allen prepared to throw a pass. Ukwu still has a lot of development to do, but he’s shown enough this preseason to earn his way onto the 53-man roster.
WR Isaiah Williams
Williams is the other undrafted rookie who was impossible to ignore this preseason, and he “showed up again,” Campbell admitted Saturday. Williams cut a route that resulted in a Hendon Hooker interception, but he ran a nice route on his 17-yard catch and showed his ability to avoid a bad pass in the open field on his three punt returns. Williams led the Lions with 11 catches for 123 yards in the test game and showed more consistent playmaking ability than any other Lions receiver in the race for a backup spot.
Quarterback Jake Fromm
The Lions signed Fromm two weeks ago as a safety when Hooker was out with a brain injury, and Campbell said this week he didn’t expect Fromm to play Saturday. But Hooker got enough work in the first three quarters that Fromm played the final two series against the Steelers, and he was impressive in it. He completed 6 of 8 passes for 89 yards and threw nice passes upfield to Jalon Calhoun (to convert a third-and-11) and Jake Funk (which was dropped or would have been a touchdown). Fromm won’t make the 53-man roster, but he took some good shots Saturday that should help him get on a practice squad, either with the Lions or elsewhere.
Three below
Jake Bates
The Lions are willing to accept some teething issues with Bates. That’s part of the price of developing a young kicker. But Bates missed a 30-yard field goal wide right and was assessed two penalties on kickoffs, one for a kick outside the landing zone and another for a kick out of bounds. Those are the kinds of mistakes that can cost a team a game in the regular season, and for a Super Bowl contender like the Lions, it could be the difference between hosting the NFC Championship Game or heading to San Francisco.
MORE BIRKETT: Hendon Hooker’s ups and downs in the Detroit Lions’ 24-17 win over the Steelers – unclear QB decision
WR Donovan People-Jones
Peoples-Jones didn’t play badly on Saturday, but he’s clearly on the ropes ahead of next week’s layoffs and has done nothing to stand out in his pursuit of a job. He didn’t catch any of the three passes thrown his way (though he was free on at least two of those routes) and finished the preseason with two catches for 31 yards in extended playing time. I still think Peoples-Jones is ahead of some others in the battle for the No. 5 receiver job; Daurice Fountain dropped a pass on Saturday. But the Lions will be scouring the waiver wire and transfer market for reinforcements this week.
S Ifeatu Melifonwu
Melifonwu is on this list only because concerns about his availability have increased. Before last week’s preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs, Melifonwu was treated for a hamstring injury. He started that game and played 38 defensive snaps, giving him the third-most action on the team. He then did not practice at all last week and missed Saturday’s game. Melifonwu has a long injury history, and Campbell offered a concerning outlook on his future on Saturday. “Not sure,” Campbell said. “He’s been out for a while. We feel like it’s not long-term yet, it’s a while away. I’m not so sure about that. I don’t know when we’ll have him back or if he’ll be back, what the timeline is.”
Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
