If first impressions are everything, I’m thinking Matt Patricia may want a mulligan. The first-time head coach led his team out on the field against the Oakland Raiders for Friday’s preseason opener and it got ugly early. Though the Detroit Lions were only down 3-0 after one quarter, they were getting outgained 118-19.
From there, the game evened out quite a bit. The Lions’ running game was the highlight of the game, with Ameer Abdullah and Kerryon Johnson leading the torch of optimism. The defense stiffened up for a good portion of the game, and the Lions even had a chance to win the game late.