5 rapid reactions from Lions' preseason victory in Kansas City

The Detroit Lions rallied from a 13-point, first-half deficit to beat the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs in the second preseason game for both teams. Here are five quick reactions to the game. 

● Nate Sudfeld got the start at quarterback, facing the daunting task of leading Detroit's second-team offense against Kansas City's defensive starters. 

Sudfeld operated reasonably well in the opening quarter, completing 6-of-8 passes for 38 yards, and got better as those starters went to the bench in the second frame. He did have a critical error, throwing an ill-advised interception, but also had a long touchdown toss to Kaden Davis and led a lengthy scoring drive to end the first half. 

Despite those positives, it feels like Hendon Hooker closed ground in the competition for the backup job. Shaking off a rocky possession to begin the second half, Hooker put together two lengthy scoring drives, showing steadily improved decision-making and accuracy as the game progressed. 

As a rusher, Hooker was judicious, wisely sliding on a scramble up the middle, and bailing from the pocket on third-and-goal from the 7-yard line, managing to get across the goal line for a touchdown. 

He ate a couple sacks, one on third-and-1 and another on a late-game two-point try that could have tied the score. And it's difficult to say with certainty, but he appeared to have bad placement on a botched handoff that Bam Knight fumbled in the red zone, which was recovered by the Chiefs. 

Yet given another opportunity by his defense, plus a quality punt return by rookie Isaiah Williams, Hooker was able to put the finishing touches on the comeback with one more completion, setting up a game-winning field goal from Jake Bates. 

There was a lot more to like than dislike with Hooker's second preseason performance. He finished his day 12-of-15 for 150 yards. 

● It's getting difficult to not get caught up in the hype being generated by Sione Vaki. 

The wildly inexperienced rookie running back got a chance to showcase his receiving chops against the Chiefs, which proved particularly potent during that two-minute drill at the end of the first half. For the series, he hauled in four balls for 59 yards before the offense stalled deep in the red zone. 

In addition to his pass-catching prowess – which Vaki described as his current strength during an interview earlier in the week – the rookie runner churned out 22 yards on six carries, mostly operating between the tackles. In that same interview, he identified those inside, "dirty" runs as the biggest area where he needed to improve. 

Craig Reynolds' experience and reliability likely keep him ahead of Vaki on the depth chart for the time being. There's just so much more experience needed for the rookie who logged a mere 42 carries on fewer than 100 offensive snaps college, but, at this rate, Vaki is going to push his way into a role on offense earlier than most reasonably expected. 

● Coming into the matchup, I had cornerback Khalil Dorsey and veteran linebacker Ben Niemann making the roster. I feel even more strongly about that opinion after this game against the Chiefs. 

Niemann was the first man in on the tackle during the game's opening kickoff, and he was a regular presence around the ball on defense during the first half, finishing with five stops. 

Dorsey, meanwhile, showed up on coverage. He was in the back pocket of receivers when the Chiefs took deep shots, and he's a fundamentally sound tackler in the open field, finishing with five tackles, as well. That included a slick read-and-react for a loss of yardage. 

● The wide receiver competition took an unexpected turn with the top contenders, Daurice Fountain and Donovan Peoples-Jones, struggling to make an impact, while fringe candidates Davis and Williams gave the team's decision-makers more to consider. 

Davis had some negative moments, slipping on one route and not looking for the ball on another, but that 61-yard touchdown will be a lasting memory from the matchup.

Williams, meanwhile, paced Detroit's pass-catchers for the second consecutive game, coming up with six receptions for 71 yards on eight targets. 

Williams did fumble a punt, while trying to do too much, but ended up getting the last laugh with a 20-yard return that set up the game-winning field goal. 

● It's tough to know what to make of Bates. He made all four of his field goal attempts, including the game-winner and a big blast from 55 yards that got the Lions on the board early in the second quarter, but the relatively inexperienced kicker also missed an extra point wide left. 

This is representative of what we've seen in practice, albeit this was a more consistent showing. Bates has a monster leg, and when he gets all of it, he can easily convert from 60 yards and beyond. 

That's not new information, because he put it on tape during his time in the UFL. But there's still enough inconsistency with his game that he's leaving the door open just enough for the team to keep a close eye on the waiver wire prior to the start of the regular season. 

My guess, at this point, he sticks. It’s a pretty wild swing, but I went from 50/50 to 85/15 based on this performance. Missed PAT aside, it’s difficult to imagine this showing not helping his case.