Oakland, Calif. — Exhibition openers are rarely pretty and the Detroit Lions’ 16-10 loss to the Oakland Raiders on Friday was no exception.
Look no further than the game's 17 penalties.
But in a week big-name rookies dominated NFL headlines, Lions running back Kerryon Johnson managed to join the party with a promising showing in his professional debut.
Playing stretches throughout the night, the second-round pick out of Auburn flashed the vision and burst the Lions desperately need at the position, leading the team with 67 yards from scrimmage. And that’s not even counting the 57-yard run he had wiped out by a holding call in the third quarter.