Last time the Lions travelled to Arrowhead, they rallied for a comeback win. They did it again Saturday, erasing a 23-15 fourth quarter deficit to beat the Chiefs on a field goal as time expired.
"It wasn't perfect, but overall, it was a vast improvement from last week," Dan Campbell said after Detroit's 24-23 win, which came nine days after an ugly showing against the Giants. "And that's what you're looking for out of each player and the unit in general."
Here are several standouts from the Lions' second preseason game, with the finale coming a week from Saturday at home against the Steelers.
RB Sione Vaki
Unlike several players who saw significant snaps Saturday, Vaki is already a lock for the roster. The fourth-round pick has impressed throughout camp. He built on that momentum against the Chiefs, running hard for 22 yards on six carries. But he really stood out as a receiver, especially on a two-minute drive before the end of the first half. Vaki had crucial catch-and-runs of 20 yards, 11 yards and 12 yards to help the Lions put a field goal on the board.
And he still has so much room to grow as a running back, having just made the switch from safety. If the Lions suffer injuries in the backfield this season, they should feel good about Vaki (and Craig Reynolds) waiting in the wings.
"We already felt like this kid’s going to have the ability to play special teams," said Campbell. "Now it’s like, can you use him on offense? Is there a place? He’s a lot further along in that part of the game than he is just carrying the football, and a lot of that is because he really hasn’t done it, the cuts, the reads, all that.
"But the pass game, I thought he stepped up. The two-minute drive, that was huge, he was making play after play, he’s tired and he keeps going, keeps pushing himself through it. At one point his entire facemark gets ripped off, which I don’t even know how that’s possible. We’re in the NFL. But you felt growth today from him."
CB Kindle Vildor and CB Amik Robertson
We'll lump these two together because they had similar days. They were both culprits on explosive passes in the first half from Patrick Mahomes to Xavier Worthy, but otherwise covered and tackled well. Vildor was sticky in one-on-one matchups on the outside, a continuation of his recent play in practice. This feels rather important with both Carlton Davis III (hamstring) and Terrion Arnold (pec) nursing injuries. Robertson was feisty both in the air and on the ground, playing mostly in the slot. He’s fighting for the starting job at nickel. His physicality will earn him a role in Aaron Glenn’s defense one way or another.
DE Mathieu Betts
The Defensive Player of the Year in the CFL is starting to show why the Lions think he might have an NFL future. Betts had a first-half sack when he burned a tackle with a speed move to the inside and planted Carson Wentz into the turf. He had another quarterback pressure in the second half (though it was wiped out by a holding call in the secondary). The Lions have scaled back his responsibilities after giving him a look at SAM linebacker earlier in camp, and Betts looks better for it. Remember, he's just a rookie.
WR Isaiah Williams
He’s not exactly what the Lions are searching for in the Josh Reynolds replacement, but Williams just keeps making plays. That stood in contrast Saturday to Donovan Peoples-Jones and Daurice Fountain, who possess the physical traits the Lions are seeking on the outside but not so much the production. They combined for just three catches for 20 yards, and Peoples-Jones in particular struggled to get open.
Williams, on the other hand, caught six passes for 71 yards, showing sure hands (save a fumbled punt return) and wheels after the catch. He's not a big target at 5'10 and he plays primarily out of the slot, but what the Lions are ultimately looking for in their third receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams is dependability.
“Honestly, what it is, we just need a reliable staple,” Dan Campbell said this week. “That's what Reynolds was for us. Reynolds was the reliable guy, he's going to be where he's supposed to be, when he's supposed to be there, can play any spot and he'd make a critical catch for you. … You need that steady, reliable (option) when the ball needs to find you because coverage dictates it. Who is that guy? That is important.”
More and more, it’s looking like it might be Williams -- who also had a really nice punt return to spark the Lions’ game-winning drive.
“He is so freaking good!” former Lions receiver Golden Tate said on the TV broadcast.
The dilemma, Campbell said after the game, is, "Man, he is a football player, he is making plays, but we got Saint, we got (Kalif Raymond), and so where does he fit? Some of it may need to be, can we put him outside? What can he do at the Z, is that a possibility? Can he survive out there? But I know this, every challenge he’s had, he’s stepped up and made plays. He came up big again, can’t deny it."
QB Hendon Hooker
Hooker’s worst throw of the day was his first, an overthrow to a wide-open Fountain as he rolled out to his right. He missed just two passes the rest of the way, finishing 12-of-15 for 150 yards. This was the best we've seen his arm. He also used his legs to rush for the touchdown that brought the Lions within two in the fourth quarter. (And he slid when he needed to!) Hooker was partly complicit in a fumbled handoff to Zonovan Knight that nearly cost the Lions the game, but on the whole, this was a significant step forward for the second-year quarterback who looks ready to grab the backup job behind Jared Goff.
"The drive before the winner, we messed some things up, he made a few errors, more than a few, but then he comes back the last drive, puts it behind him, cleans it up, moves the football and learns from it," said Campbell. "That was excellent. Every time he gets a chance to take the reps and grow from it, he’s going to be better off, we’re going to be better off."
Jake Bates
Bates missed an extra point after the Lions’ first touchdown, which didn’t come as a surprise to anyone who’s been watching him in camp. Neither did the fact that he drilled a 55-yard field goal that would have been good from 60-plus and nailed the game-winner from 43 as time expired. He was 4-for-4 on field goals, also connecting from 32 and 23 yards.
He’s not automatic by any means, but Bates has a huge leg and a sense of cool under pressure. The Lions are giving him every chance to win the kicking job after losing Michael Badgley for the season, and Bates, who already has a history of making big kicks at Ford Field, is doing his best to reward them.
"I was fired up, I needed to see that," Campbell said of the game-winner. "And quite frankly, I felt like he would drill that. It’s all the little things. You gotta be careful, but it's like, man, we had this Fowling competition the other day and he's in the championship and he makes two critical throws in crunch time, and no, it’s not kicking, but there’s something about this kid that’s intriguing. He’s got a little bit of confidence to him, he’s got a little bit of something.
"You always memory-bank those things that come up, and then you see what he’s done over the last couple of weeks, it’s encouraging. And believe me, he hasn't arrived. There’s going to be more growing pains that come with this, we just gotta be patient and let him continue to grow."