Lions vs. Commanders takeaways: Has Detroit fixed its pass rush?

· Yahoo Sports

The Detroit Lions (1-1) found the win column on Saturday afternoon, toppling the Washington Commanders (1-1) from Ford Field, 17-13.

Visit mwafrika.life for more information.

In the Lions' lone home preseason date, 50,042 fans were treated to a terrific defensive day by Detroit and just enough offense.

There's a lot to dissect from the win that was, so let's dive right into some key takeaways:

Lions' pass rush is improved

Detroit's two biggest goals this offseason were to retool its offensive line and to bolster its pass rush. The Lions traded up to selectMichigan EDGE Derrick Moore in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft. Detroit also drafted Skyler Gill-Howard in the sixth round and signed DJ Wonnum in free agency.

All three of those moves look like great ones from Lions general manager Brad Holmes.

Wonnum dumped Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels for a sack on the Lions' first defensive possession. Moore had a pressure on the opening series as well and then this strip-sack fumble of Sam Hartman.

If you really dissect that Moore sack of Hartman, you'll see Gill-Howard driving a pair of Commanders linemen backwards, creating the opportunity for Moore to chase down Hartman.

This needs to translate over to the regular season, but there's reasons for optimism that Detroit has found Aidan Hutchinson some pass rush help along its defensive line.

The backup quarterback job is still up for grabs

Josh Dobbs and Luke Altmyer appear primed to continue battling for the backup quarterback job through the Lions' final preseason game next Saturday at the Indianapolis Colts. Neither has truly separated yet.

If anything, Dobbs might have lost the job based on his performance against the Commanders. Dobbs turned the football over on each of the Lions' first two possessions while operating with the Lions' first-team offensive line (minus left tackle Penei Sewell).

It wasn't all Dobbs' fault. Lions left tackle Larry Borom got beat on an inside move, leading to the mistake, but Dobbs had a pair of options in Brock Wright and Tyler Conklin in the respective flats. Instead, Dobbs held on to the football and was crunched by former Lions defensive back Amik Robertson, who jarred the football loose.

After a scramble for the football, the Commanders' Joshua Josephs ripped the football away in the end zone for a fumble-six. Then, on the ensuing possession, Dobbs forced a football late across his body and was intercepted by Commanders safety Quan Martin.

Dobbs would finish 7 of 12 passing for 74 yards. Altmyer finished 9 of 13 passing for 86 yards. The undrafted rookie showed some moxie, extending plays and finding pass-catchers to keep drives alive. Altmyer also didn't have the benefit of operating with the Lions' top O-line.

Still, Altmyer can continue to process faster.

It's also worth tipping the cap to Dobbs for battling back after his rough start, including his 50-yard touchdown run.

Lions' running game was the difference

Along with Dobbs' 50-yard touchdown run, Lions running back Trayveon Williams found the end zone on a 1-yard plunge and finished with 36 rushing yards on 10 carries.

Jacob Saylors added 32 rushing yards on six carries, Raheem Blackshear had 29 yards on 11 rushes and Jabari Small ran for 16 yards on three carries.

It all added up to 169 rushing yards as compared to the Commanders' 35 rushing yards. Ultimately, that was the difference on Saturday.

There's certainly still plenty of questions that the Lions need to answer up front. But, for a Detroit franchise looking to rediscover its mean streak along the offensive line, Saturday was a positive step in the run game.

For more Lions coverage, follow us on X, @TheLionsWire, and give our Facebook page a like. Follow Josh on X, @JoshOnLions

This article originally appeared on Lions Wire: Lions vs. Commanders takeaways: Has Detroit fixed its pass rush?

Read full story at source