ALLEN PARK -- The Detroit Lions put a nice bow on joint practices against the Miami Dolphins with another strong defensive showing.
MLive’s Lions beat writer Ben Raven spent the day watching Detroit’s defense after sticking with the offense on Wednesday. We’ll have some offensive observations below, with an assist from MLive’s Jacob Richman.
Detroit’s defensive line had another disruptive showing. Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport were getting home for sacks and pressures, while DJ Reader was holding down the middle, looking like an immovable object.
To help prove that point, most of Miami’s success came without Detroit’s defensive line on the field. The Dolphins started hot with a pair of touchdowns on the first two plays in early seven-on-seven work. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa hit receiver Jaylen Waddle for a touchdown over Lions linebacker Derrick Barnes. Tagovailoa then found wideout Erik Ezukanma for a score over cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, and you could tell the Dolphins needed that, because they celebrated like it was the Super Bowl.
Dolphins quarterback Zach Wilson got a major assist from receiver Tarik Black with the toe-drag touchdown through tight coverage from Lions defensive back Nick Whiteside. The Dolphins added two more scores early in seven-on-seven work, with Waddle scoring on a fade on Ya-Sin, then wideout Tahj Washington beat cornerback Tyson Russel on a quick slant.
However, after that drill, most of Miami’s success was limited to bubble screens, more screens and quick slants. But let’s not get carried away, because Detroit’s defense took over for the next 90 minutes or so of Thursday’s practice.
In the first 11-on-11 work, cornerback Terrion Arnold received a solid amount of snaps in his first day back from a hamstring injury. He did not allow a single catch in coverage on Thursday. Tagovailoa started that session with a quick bubble to Waddle for a big gain, with Amik Robertson appearing to miss the diving tackle attempt.
Davenport notched a sack on the next snap, with him and Hutchinson working against Dolphins tackles Larry Borom and Patrick Paul for most of the day. Hutchinson then got in on the fun with his first sack of the practice, with Reader not far behind. After a couple of incompletions, penalties on the defense and another successful bubble screen by the Dolphins, rookie defensive tackle Tyleik Williams bullied his way through the interior O-line for a sack, negating a big catch by Waddle on Ya-Sin.
On the next two plays, Miami’s run game was stuffed by Reader and Alex Anzalone for no gain, then the linebacker was all over a quick slant to receiver Malik Washington for the instant stop.
The next series pitting the starters for both sides in full-team drills saw the Lions again flex their muscle in the trenches. Hutchinson got home for an instant sack to start, with Reader eating another rush attempt one play later. Dolphins running back Jaylen Wright broke a tackle by safety Brian Branch, emerging from the pile for a big gain.
But Anzalone put the Dolphins back in their place with an untouched sack off the linebacker blitz. Tagovailoa then had a pair of incompletions on back-to-back plays, with Hutchinson forcing a throwaway on the last attempt with another pressure.
Back in the red zone, the Lions found more success with Ya-Sin all over a quick pass to Dolphins tight end Tanner Conner. Branch blew up Wright at the line with a low hit. And the Dolphins got one by on a tipped ball at the D-line as Branch sold out for the pick, but receiver Malik Washington made the catch and scooted into the end zone for the score.
Dee Eskridge, the former Western Michigan standout, had Miami’s play of the day with a fade-route score on DJ Reed in the end zone. The NFL referees on the field called it a score, but let’s just say a red flag would have been thrown for that one.
There was definitely more back-and-forth on Thursday, especially when the Dolphins tapped into their speedy playmakers. But the Lions ended with a strong showing in situational work.
It was 24-20 with 59 seconds on the clock, with the ball spotted at the 48-yard line. Tagovailoa had a pass broken up by Robertson, then Hutchinson had another pressure on a short completion. After a drop by tight end Hayden Rucci, with an assist from Ya-Sin and Anzalone. Branch ended the day with a pass breakup on Black to force the turnover on downs.
**See below for more observations from Thursday’s joint practice with the Dolphins:**
_\--_ Arnold was out there for most of Thursday’s practice. He and Reed continue to look like a perfect fit in this secondary. Arnold went through individual drills, then saw most of the action in full-team drills, his first work since late July -- a good sign, because he looks primed for a breakout.
\-- Veteran Lions receiver Tim Patrick was not dressed for the second-straight practice. All-Pro safety Kerby Joseph was inactive once again, too. Sione Vaki had back-to-back days with a ton of valuable chances. And rookie wideout Dominic Lovett was back after working through an abdominal injury. Mekhi Wingo continues to work his way back from a knee injury, as the second-year defensive lineman was spotted jogging off to the side.
\-- **(Offensive observations from Richman):** Thursday was once again the Amon-Ra St. Brown show as the first-team Lions offense continued to put together great plays in just about every situation. St. Brown scored three touchdowns on red-zone drills, made a big play in the middle of the field in a situational 11-on-11 drive and caught a highly contested throw that also attracted a defensive pass interference call.
\-- Jahmyr Gibbs made a great read in the red zone to squeeze through a gap created by center Graham Glasgow and right guard Tate Ratledge to get to the end zone. David Montgomery got some burst plays thanks to solid blocking by tackle Penei Sewell and connected with Jared Goff for a receiving touchdown, while Vaki ran hard in the red zone for a pair of short-yardage touchdowns, to highlight the rushing attack for the Lions.
\-- The other standout was Jameson Williams. His 50-yard over-the-top touchdown catch after splitting a pair of defenders got the crowd excited, but it was his usage as a decoy that really interested me. He set a great pick on Montgomery’s touchdown, freeing up the running back to get open in the end zone and attracted defensive backs in open play to open up St. Brown on one of his key pickups in the final situational drill.
\-- It was not too chippy on Thursday, save for an early moment after Dan Skipper pancaked Miami linebacker K.J. Britt, planting him into the ground and standing over him. When the Dolphins’ linebacker got up, he brought the 6-foot-9 veteran to the ground and started trying to exchange blows before teammates on both sides separated the two.
\-- **(More from Raven):** NFL referees were out there for the second straight day. They were flag-happy to start the session, hitting the Lions with penalties on three consecutive plays during the first 11-on-11 drill. Whiteside got called for defensive holding. Russell got hit for defensive pass interference, despite the official right on the route not throwing the flag (it came from 20-30 yards away), and it wasn’t clear what the third infraction was. It’s good practice for both the officials and the Lions and Dolphins to have practice enforced like that.
\-- The Lions failed to score on their final situational work of the day. It was the same situation as the Dolphins, with 59 seconds on the clock, down 24-20, starting from the 48-yard line. Goff hit tight end Shane Zylstra twice, including on a shovel pass while on the run with some solid improvisation.
Miami’s Matthew Butler and Minkah Fitzpatrick got home to split a sack off the blitz, putting the Lions in a third-and-16 hole. But Goff went back to his favorite target, with St. Brown gaining 20-plus yards on a deep post, with an assist on the go-route distraction from Jameson Williams. The drive ended with a turnover on downs, though, with Goff failing to hit Kalif Raymond in the end zone from the 19-yard line with 2 seconds left.
If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our [User Agreement](https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/user-agreement.html) and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our [Privacy Policy.](https://www.advancelocal.com/advancelocalUserAgreement/privacy-policy.html)