QB Andrew Luck and several other notable members of the Indianapolis Colts did not play in their team's preseason opener on Sunday, and the offense seemingly suffered because of it. On the other side of the ball, Detroits Lions QB Matthew Stafford tossed an interception on his lone series but rookie WR Kenny Golladay cured any Lions' fan's woes with his debut performance.
The Lions, behind two Jake Rudock-to-Golladay touchdowns cruised past the Colts, 24-10, behind an impressive start for the Lions rookie receiver out of Northern Illinois, and their defense. With that, we refocus and give you our PFF exclusive takeaways from the contest for each team.
Top 5 Grades
LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, 84.6 overall grade
Edge Jeremiah Valoaga, 84.5 overall grade
Edge Alex Barrett, 84.0 overall grade
WR Kenny Golladay, 83.4 overall grade
DI A'Shawn Robinson, 82.4 overall grade
Performances of note:
WR Kenny Golladay, 83.4 overall grade
Golladay put pressure on the starters after hauling in all three grabs including two going for touchdowns in a dominant effort. Had a game-best 2.94 yards per route run and a perfect passer rating of 158.3 when targeted.
QB Jake Rudock, 73.5 overall grade
Rudock was the most heavily used of the Lions quarterbacks (36 snaps) and largely kept it simple with only three of his 18 aimed passes going further than 10 yards in the air. Ruddock didn't put the ball in any sort of jeopardy and cemented his status as the chief backup to Matthew Stafford with his adjusted completion percentage of 77.8.
DI A'Shawn Robinson, 82.4 overall grade
Known for his run stuffing ability in college, the former Alabama standout delivered as a pass-rusher for the Lions in this game. Rushing the passer 11 times from his 18 snaps of action, he registered a hit, a hurry and two batted passes for a great pass-rush productivity mark of 13.6.
CB Teez Tabor, 79.6 overall grade
The Lions second-round draft pick was targeted four times from 23 snaps in coverage but didn't allow the Colts to get much production out of that, allowing just two receptions for 10 yards. The former Florida Gator showcased the physical style he was known for in college took, making his presence felt to force incompletions and just a 56.3 passer rating when targeted.
Top 5 Grades
DI T.Y. McGill, 83.8 overall grade
Edge Tarell Basham, 82.1 overall grade
LB Edwin Jackson, 80.7 overall grade
RB Troymaine Pope, 80.1 overall grade
G Adam Redmond, 80.0 overall grade
Performances of note:
RB Troymaine Pope, 80.1 overall grade
Undrafted a year ago, Pope was the best Colts running back on the field on Sunday afternoon, forcing two missed tackles from seven carries and scoring the Colts lone touchdown of the game as time expired. Pope will have to battle for a roster spot in Indianapolis, and did himself no harm with his very respectable 60.7 elusive rating against the Lions.
T Zach Banner, 79.7 overall grade
Banner, the Colts' fourth-round draft pick, isn't projected to start as a rookie, but saw 30 snaps of playing time in the game, and impressed as a pass blocker, allow no pressures on 24 pass blocking snaps. He struggled against speedy pass-rushers in college, but there was reason for optimism from this performance, the third-highest pass block grade of 80.5.
DI T.Y. McGill, 83.8 overall grade
McGill has topped two hundred snaps each of his first two years in the league and displayed a knack for making life awkward for the quarterback. It may be preseason but this continued with a couple of big splash plays, in particular his quick-as-a-hiccup sack of Ruddock after beating Graham Glasgow with 14:21 to go in the second quarter. His pass-rush grade of 82.0 was a team-high.
LB Edwin Jackson, 80.7 overall grade
With Jon Bostic and Antonio Morrison missing, the chance was there to put down a marker in the hot competition for a starting spot at inside linebacker come the regular season. Jackson did his chances no harm with a team-best three defensive stops on his 23 snaps.
PFF Game Ball: Kenny Golladay, WR
*Grades are subject to change
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