Defense, electric punt return spark Lions in preseason-opening win over Giants

Detroit — If you are a fan of offense, Friday's preseason opener between the Detroit Lions and New York Giants probably wasn't for you.

The contest at Ford Field, which largely centered around backups battling for playing time and jobs, wasn't pretty. Then again, preseason games rarely are.

But after struggling to successfully move the ball most of the night, a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Lions third-string quarterback Adrian Martinez with 1:51 remaining proved to be the difference in the mistake-filled matchup, securing the 21-16 victory.

"I was impressed because I thought he (Martinez) was really composed," Lions coach Dan Campbell said. "I thought he handled everything very well. You don’t know what to expect. We see him every day in practice and we’re hard on him, but man, I thought he commanded the huddle. I thought he ran the offense. I thought he was efficient. I thought he was unfazed and that’s what you want out of your quarterback. … I mean he was on it. I was impressed."

BOX SCORE: Lions 21, Giants 16

The true highlight of the night was a 95-yard punt return by receiver Maurice Alexander, who twice spun out of the grasp of defenders to find daylight and spark the Lions' second-half rally. As he neared the goal line, Alexander did a front flip into the end zone, where he was swarmed by teammates, both those who had been blocking on the play, as well as several coming off the sidelines.

"It definitely felt good," Alexander said. "It was just a little crazy because all week I was telling them, 'I'm going to get a touchdown. I'm going to return (one for) a touchdown.' When it happened, they already knew because we had talked about it, so they were just excited."

Additionally, Detroit's defense was stellar, particularly on third down, helping the team overcome some turnover woes earlier in the game.

"I thought for the most part we had pressure all day," Campbell said. "Now there are things we got to work on. We’re still behind the quarterback on some (plays), but all in all, certainly, we created enough pressure to create some problems for them offensively."

Things got off on the wrong foot immediately when the Lions turned the ball over on the game's first snap. Eyeing a deep shot to speedy receiver Jameson Williams, quarterback Nate Sudfeld was hit as he threw, resulting in the ball being knocked off its intended trajectory and into the waiting arms of Giants safety Jason Pinnock.

The Lions turned it over their second possession, as well. This time it was on downs after rookie tight end Sam LaPorta couldn't hang on to a fourth-down throw that would have extended the series.

On the plus side, Detroit's defense handled those field position woes well, forcing the Giants to settle for a pair of field goals. Rookie defensive back Brian Branch even managed to get the half-packed home stadium on its feet, delivering a huge hit on a short pass near the line of scrimmage and showcasing the high-level football IQ that's been on display throughout training camp.

The Lions managed to trim the early six-point deficit in half, despite some continued struggles for Williams, who ran a different route than Sudfeld anticipated on one snap and dropping a deep ball just shy of the end zone.

Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs was the driving force on the possession, running the ball five times for 22 yards and adding another 18 yards on a reception. That set up a 39-yard field goal for Riley Patterson.

Battling some defensive struggles for the first time, Detroit allowed New York to put together a long drive after cornerback Will Harris was flagged for a facemask infraction and Romeo Okwara jumped offsides on fourth down, extending the series. But the unit settled down in the red zone with more contributions from first-year players. Linebacker Jack Campbell and defensive tackle Brodric Martin came up with short-yardage run stops on third and fourth down to end the threat and get the ball back to Detroit's offense.

Receiver Antoine Green, a seventh-round pick, provided an early spark after the possession change with a 24-yard catch-and-run on a slant, but things stalled quickly, leading to a punt.

Disaster struck on Detroit's next drive when Sudfeld looked for Williams deep again, but the throw was high and behind the receiver. The receiver made almost no effort on the errant ball, resulting in another interception, this one by safety Dane Belton.

"He’s trying to squeeze a ball in there to Jamo (Williams)," Campbell said. "It was high and hot and then Jamo got squeezed in the middle, so it’s really on both of them. But we hate to discourage throwing those daggers into the field. We want him to launch them. He did that and it didn’t work out."

The Giants needed just one play to cash in with third-string quarterback Tommy DeVito connecting with tight end Tommy Sweeney over the coverage of linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin for a 14-yard touchdown, extending the lead to 13-3 late in the second quarter.

The Lions looked poised to cut into the lead before the half, but faltered once again. Sudfeld completed four consecutive throws for 64 yards, including a 32-yarder to tight end James Mitchell, but a fourth-and-goal toss to Dylan Drummond was broken up by cornerback Cor'Dale Flott to leave the deficit 10 points at the break.

Despite kicking it off to open the second half, the Lions grabbed the lead with 11 unanswered points in the third quarter. It started with Alexander's electric 95-yard return, capped by a successful 2-point conversion on a pass to Williams.

Then, after the defense forced a three-and-out, the offense marched 51 yards on 13 plays before settling for a chip-shot field goal from Parker Romo to put the Lions up, 14-13.

The sides briefly traded punts with brothers Julian and Romeo Okwara each ending Giants' drives with sacks on third down before New York was able to break through. The Giants drove into range for a 47-yard Graham Gano field goal with 7:59 remaining to retake the lead.

But the Lions finally proved able to respond, thanks in no small part to a pair of 15-yard penalties against the Giants. Leaning heavily on running back Benny Snell, who was signed a day earlier, the Lions marched into the red zone, setting up Martinez's go-ahead plunge.

With a chance to answer, the Giants once again ran into an Okwara buzz saw, as Julian secured his third sack of the night. And on fourth-and-14, DeVito's prayer was intercepted by Lions safety Brandon Joseph.

jdrogers@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @Justin_Rogers