Dan Campbell unpacks Lions' NFL preseason win vs. Commanders

The Detroit Lions (1-1) picked up its first victory of the preseason, topping the Washington Commanders (1-1) on Saturday afternoon from Ford Field, 17-13.

Detroit fell behind 7-0 early when Lions quarterback Josh Dobbs was sacked and fumbled. The Commanders' Joshua Josephs recovered the football in the end zone.

But, Dobbs would respond with a 50-yard touchdown run, Lions running back Trayveon Williams had a 1-yard rushing touchdown and Jake Bates tacked on a 37-yard field goal.

Afterwards, Lions head coach Dan Campbell shared his thoughts on the preseason victory:

"We got off to a shaky start, but then overcame it. I thought defense played good football. Really good football, man. Disruptive, got us some stops there and got us back in it and then we capitalized on offense. Really for the most part, third down and fourth down were obviously good for us.

"The takeaway. I thought special teams was a factor in this game. I know it's preseason, but I thought our coverage units were big. We forced penalties. Jack Fox pinning them. I thought the kicks by Bates on the kickoffs were important. He's getting better at them. I just thought guys played fast. Defensively, we were able to play in their territory a ton, keep them backed up. So, that was good. A number of these guys I thought showed up, man, played at a high level. I can't wait to watch the tape. And then there were some that we'll see that weren't as good, but ultimately it's good to win the game," Campbell said in his opening remarks.

Thoughts on the Lions' two quarterbacks

"Man, I thought there was highs and lows. Certainly you don't want to start the game the way we did. Now, that's not all on him. We didn't pick up the protection the way we should and so he gets hit there. But, he got out of it. I thought that run was big. That's something that he is capable of. That was a big third down run for a touchdown. And then I thought when he came back out in the second half because we put (Luke) Altmyer in, I thought Dobbs did some really good things.

"Altmyer, I still think he sees the field really well. There's just a couple of things that got on him. It's always going to be about for him is, man, just playing a little bit faster. Can he play faster? Which, I know he can play faster. He just needs reps. And the more reps he gets, the better he is. It wasn't perfect, but I thought both of those guys did some good things and there's some things to clean up," Campbell said.

On the Lions' young defensive linemen

"Yeah, I mean, we like these guys. There's a lot of promise in that D-line room. There's a lot of guys. We played (DJ) Wonnum for just a tick there and boy I thought he represented. It was good to see with those other guys and got him out of there.

"And then, D Moore. I mean, D Moore hasn't had a ton. Really this last week is what he's gotten in pads because he had that injury, that groin injury. But, that was good to see. Now, I've got to watch the tape and I just know with him—he's another guy, he's a young guy—the more reps he gets, the better he's going to get. So, that was good to see him make plays. And Sun Bleach just continues to make plays. You can feel him out there and he just is relentless. He plays snap to whistle and he's all out. And he's got to be right, you know. He does, because he's not a huge guy. But, he knows who he is and he knows how he has to play and he plays with high effort and he's crafty, man. He's explosive and he's violent," Campbell said.

If the Lions' defense is better prepared to wreak havoc in 2026

"Yeah, well, here's what I would say with that, because we had all this stuff last year and we used quite a bit of it. The difference now is that these guys are in the system and a lot of these things we want to do now that we've been doing and so we're much more evolved, man.

"And I know they weren't playing, like Jack (Campbell) wasn't playing, but Jack's got even a better understanding. And then the guys that did. Man, Rodrigo is another year in this. (Derrick) Barnes is another year in this. Freaking Now is. Tyleik (Williams) is. Wonnum's understanding this system. Our DB's got this thing. (Avonte) Maddox is in there and (D.J.) Reed's in there. It's just we are smarter, we are more evolved, we have a better understanding of time on task with these. Why we're calling them, what we're trying to take away, where the offense wants to go with the ball when you're calling this stuff. And so, I think that's where we've really grown. I know it's early. It's a preseason game, but that's the biggest evolution. Shep's done a really good job and the staff," Campbell said.

On the Lions' running backs room

"Pretty good, huh? I mean, those guys ran hard. They ran hard. It's good. It was good to see. Forty-seven made plays, 25 made some plays, 26 before (injury). He's getting checked. He kind of got dinged there, concussion protocol. But, obviously, 42. I thought they ran hard, man. I thought they saw it and they just kept pushing the pile. It was already interesting. It feels very interesting right now, especially after that performance on some of these guys, so that was good to see.

"I thought we moved them up front with the O-line. There was obviously a few times we whiffed. We didn't target right, but when we were locked in, I thought we moved the line of scrimmage and so that was good. We have a lot of things to clean up. There was still some slop in there that we've got to clean up, but it's a good job of winning the game, man. We played in all three phases and finished that game being able to take a knee and there's no better play in football," Campbell said.

On Jackson Meeks

"I told him the other day. I said, 'Man, you just continue to get better.' He continues to grow. This tight end thing is still kind of new to him. The good news for (Jackson) Meeks is he's strong. You know the athleticism. He was in the receiver room. He was really a big X, so I think we all kind of know what that is.

"But, he's strong and he's willing and he's smart. So, it's just time on task. He's another one. But you see how he attacks special teams. He gives our guys fits in special teams, too. Some of these looks. Whether he's on that team or he's giving, you know, OK, I'm opposite of the ball, we're really talking about punt and I'm on punt rush. Man, he gives our guys fits. So, that was good to see. I thought he did some really good things today. Made some critical plays," Campbell said.

How Lucky Jackson is factoring into the Lions' WR competition

"Room is hard. I mean, that room is very difficult right now because guys are making plays. And you're right, Lucky (Jackson), there again, he does something every day to catch your eye. I feel like he's really grown in that room as a receiver. You saw what you just said there and he does. He makes plays on special teams, and so that's always going to give you a chance here. I hate to say he's quietly just gotten better and better, but there are things about that that feel that way. He continues to kind of make plays. There's nothing flashy about him, but he's a handful in a good way. Between he and 17, I thought (Greg) Dortch made some plays, I thought TK made some plays, (Dominic) Lovett made a couple of plays. It's a strong room. (Tarik) Black.

If Tay Martin's blocking, special teams work overrides the lack of box score numbers

"Oh yeah. Yes. The opportunities he's been given, I don't feel like this is something where, man, he had these glowing opportunities that he didn't capitalize on. I don't feel that way at receiver. I feel like he's made a couple of plays that were there. Now, listen, there were two plays today where his number was called for an explosive and he's open and we didn't get it there. We either missed on the protection. We didn't block the guy who we're responsible for so we're going to have time. So, that takes that away a little bit. But, man, he does all the dirty work, he's pretty smart and there again, special teams. He created another penalty. He just continues to do good things as a receiver and special teams. Yeah, it's hard to ignore him," Campbell said.

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This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Dan Campbell unpacks Lions' NFL preseason win vs. Commanders