Grades: Lions' Explosive Offense Overshadowed By Penalties

Tight ends: C

The Lions' tight end depth took a hit with the injury to Kenny Yeboah, but the tandem of Shane Zylstra and Zach Horton are still making for an intriguing position battle for the third and presumably final roster spot.

Detroit got a nice look at Horton, as he played 72 percent of the snaps in Saturday's game. He was more involved in the passing attack, with two catches for 15 yards, but also was whistled for holding at one point. Zylstra played less of the snaps and did not get any targets.

Offensive line: C+

The Lions got two tackles back in the mix with Dan Skipper and Jamarco Jones both returning. The overall effort from the offensive line was sloppy, as there was a plethora of whistles throughout the afternoon.

Giovanni Manu, who entered at tackle at halftime, was the guilty party on a holding call that negated Hooker's touchdown run in the third quarter. The team does have some nice offensive line depth, as veterans Netane Muti and Kayode Awosika could help along with Skipper and Jones in the event of an injury.

While it wasn't the cleanest effort, the Lions should walk away from this game feeling solid about the depth they have at their disposal up front.

Defensive line: C+

The defensive line was able to get some pressure on Zach Wilson throughout the first half, but struggled to get to Quinn Ewers after the intermission. Isaac Ukwu had two sacks on the afternoon, but one was negated due to a facemask on linebacker Grant Stuard.

Outside of Ukwu and the occasional contributions from Nate Lynn, the pass-rush was largely stagnant. Lynn had a tackle for loss, though, and Lions' defensive interior did a decent job of stifling the Dolphins' run game.

Linebackers: B

The Lions have plenty of depth at the linebacker position, as the likes of Ezekiel Turner and Grant Stuard bring veteran depth to the group. The issue may be just how many of the options can make the roster, as there's a case for each of the players to have a spot when the team breaks camp.

Turner had nine total tackles Saturday, while Stuard had four solo tackles and a forced fumble. While Stuard's facemask penalty negated a sack, he has proven to be a player the Lions can rely on in multiple aspects of the game. Behind the starting trio of Barnes, Anzalone and Campbell, the Lions should feel quite confident in what they have.

Secondary: B-

The Lions' secondary bounced back in a big way after some ups and downs against Atlanta. Specifically, Erick Hallett was much better. He paced the defense with three pass breakups, including one in the end zone to stifle a Dolphins drive.

Nick Whiteside continues to impress as well, deflecting one pass and making four combined tackles. Luq Barcoo and D.J. Miller each had two pass breakups as well. Safety Loren Strickland had four total tackles, while Ian Kennelly had two assisted stops.

Special teams: B

Jake Bates connected on his only field goal attempt of the afternoon to remain perfect, while Jack Fox boomed seven punts that averaged a gross over 50 yards. When the Lions are strong on special teams, they are incredibly difficult to beat.

Detroit's special teams also benefited from the presence of Sione Vaki, who is expected to be a core special teams player on multiple units.

Coaching: B

The Lions look to have found their backup at this point, as the decision to start Kyle Allen paid off with 14 first-half points. Allen looks much more comfortable in the offense than Hooker has through the first three preseason games.

Ultimately, the Lions' depth players weren't able to squeeze out the victory, but Detroit should feel pretty solid following this week as they dominated the joint practices between these two teams.

The Lions' starters passed the test, and while they weren't able to emerge victorious, the Lions and coach Dan Campbell should feel good about where they're at heading into the preseason finale.