After the first preseason game, neither Kyle Allen nor Hendon Hooker looked like particularly intriguing options at quarterback. While Allen moved the ball a little better against the Los Angeles Chargers, his two interceptions were bad enough that it was hard to ignore. After the game, our staff still gave the unanimous edge to Hooker in our Roster Bubble Watch predictions, because he remained the higher-ceiling player and general manager Brad Holmes tends to stick with the players he drafted.
However, Friday night’s game against the Atlanta Falcons has undoubtedly shifted the conversation. Hooker had a great opportunity to create some distance from Allen—getting the start for the first time this preseason—but he did just the opposite. Hooker completed 7-of-10 passes for just 38 yards, and he fumbled the ball away twice. For the second straight game, Hooker failed to lead Detroit on a single scoring drive, and after his second fumble, the Lions opted to pull the third-year quarterback rather than giving him a shot to finish the half.
When Allen took over, everything changed. The veteran quarterback looked poised, accurate, and utilized his mobility better than Hooker. The Lions went on to score on three straight drives, and Allen finished with a perfect 158.3 passer rating after completing 7-of-8 passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
So where does that leave the backup quarterback battle now? Is Allen comfortably in the lead? Is the competition completely over now? Or does Hooker have enough time to bounce back and make his case for the job? More importantly, can Hooker put a pair of bad performances behind him and start stacking a couple of good practices and games?
We discuss this and a lot more on this week’s PODcast. Here are other topics on this week’s show:
Listen to the entire episode in the Spotify embed below or on whatever your favorite podcasting app is by searching “Pride of Detroit.” And while you’re there, make sure to leave a rating and review. We’re going to start reading the most thoughtful and best reviews on the show!
You can also catch the PODcast on video by heading to our Twitch or YouTube pages. There, we have a bunch of bonus content in between segments that includes more Lions talk, and typically a topic or two unrelated to Lions football. This week, we talk a little Shedeur Sanders (not much), gambling in the preseason, and bungled Righteous Felon reads.
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