KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kicker Jake Bates had his first game-winning field goal as a Detroit Lion with a 43-yarder as time expired to give the Lions their first win of the preseason, 24-23, in Kansas City over the Chiefs on Saturday.
Bates was 4-for-4 kicking field goals in the game (55, 23, 32, 43) and was 1-for-2 on his extra point tries. A walk-off winner should give him a ton of confidence moving forward.
With the Kansas City Chiefs playing most of their starters to begin the game, including MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes, and the Lions opting to sit most of their starters, Saturday was an opportunity for Dan Campbell to evaluate the depth on the team in preseason game No. 2.
It was a much better performance all around for the Lions after dropping their opener against the Giants (14-3) last week.
After trading fumbles inside the Chiefs' 10-yard line with Kansas City holding a slim 23-21 lead late in the game, Detroit's defense came up with a key stop and rookie wide receiver Isaiah Williams had a great 20-yard punt return to set up Bates for the winner.
The defensive reserves played well against Mahomes and the Chiefs' first-team offense to begin the game, limiting them to two field goals (33 & 37) and 112 total yards of offense.
Carson Wentz replaced Mahomes after two series and put the Chiefs up 13-0 in the first quarter, connecting on a 22-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Xavier Worthy after Kansas City got the ball at the Lions' 25-yard line following a Jalon Calhoun fumble on a kickoff return.
The Lions got on the board early in the second quarter on a Bates 55-yard field goal. They added to the lead midway through the quarter with their first touchdown of the preseason, a 61-yard pass from quarterback Nate Sudfeld to wide receiver Kaden Davis. Bates missed the extra point, however, and the Lions trailed 13-9.
A Harrison Butker 56-yard field goal and a Bates 23-yarder right before the half put the halftime score at 16-12 in favor of the Chiefs.
Bates trimmed the lead to 16-15 late in the third quarter on a 23-yard field goal following a 14-play, 75-yard drive orchestrated by Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker.
Kansas City increased their lead to 23-15 midway through the fourth quarter on a 64-yard pass from quarterback Chris Oladokun to wide receiver Cornell Powell. A 7-yard Hooker touchdown run cut the lead to 23-21 late, but the Lions failed to tie it up when Hooker was sacked on the subsequent two-point try.
Bates and the Lions' defense came to the rescue late to secure the win.
QB comparison: Sudfeld started the game for the Lions for a second straight week and was much more efficient this time around. He finished 14-of-27 passing for 196 yards with the touchdown to Davis and an interception. He finished with a 72.5 passer rating and rushed once for a 10-yard gain, playing the entire first half.
Hooker started the second half and played pretty well in just his second NFL game. He completed 12 of his 15 passes for 150 yards and a 108.3 rating. He also rushed five times for 11 yards, including the 7-yard touchdown.
Performance(s) of the night: 1. Rookie running back Sione Vaki had 10 touches (6 rushes, 4 receptions) in the first half and gained 82 yards. He was impressive last week as a runner and really showed off his hands and playmaking ability in space as a receiver (60 receiving yards) this week.
He and Craig Reynolds are in a great competition for the third running spot, but Vaki is certainly making a case through the first two preseason games and his performance in camp to be a player the Lions find ways to get on the field outside of special teams.
2. Williams finished with six receptions for 71 yards and also averaged 13.7 yards on three punt returns.
Next week: vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m., Sat., Aug. 24
