DETROIT — Consider the New England Patriots’ preseason opener a rousing success.
The Patriots should be feeling good about their developmental quarterback, young wide receivers and pass-rush depth after Thursday night’s 31-3 win over the Detroit Lions.
Now the Patriots have to hope injuries to wide receiver N’Keal Harry and tight end Matt LaCosse aren’t serious.
Here’s who stood out most.
WR JAKOBI MEYERS
The Patriots undrafted rookie wide receiver hauled in six passes on eight targets for 69 yards with two touchdowns. There’s a reason he’s been playing on the Patriots’ first-team offense as of late in training camp.
Consider Meyers firmly ahead of first-round pick N’Keal Harry on the Patriots’ wide receiver depth chart.
Meyers did have a drop in the first quarter but he more than made up for it.
WR MAURICE HARRIS
Harris caught three passes on five targets for 27 yards with a touchdown. One of Harris’ incompletions appeared to be a missed defensive pass interference call, while the other was deflected by the Lions.
QB JARRETT STIDHAM
Stidham shined in his first NFL game action, going 11-of-19 for 139 yards with a touchdown. Dare we say it was the most impressive preseason debut for a Patriots rookie quarterback since Jimmy Garoppolo in 2014.
OLB DEREK RIVERS
The Patriots’ pass rush absolutely dominated the Lions’ offensive line. Rivers led the way with two sacks.
OLB CHASE WINOVICH
The Patriots’ third-round pick stood out in his return to Michigan with 1.5 sacks himself. He also was in the backfield on another sack.
Danny Shelton, Terez Hall, Byron Cowart (.5 sack), Jamie Collins, Ja’Whaun Bentley and Shilique Calhoun also got on the board with sacks.
CB KEION CROSSEN
Crossen was targeted twice and broke up both passes. He’s in competition with Duke Dawson for a roster spot and certainly set himself apart Thursday night.
Crossen left for the locker room early with an apparent injury.
Cornerback JC Jackson also had a pass breakup, while outside linebacker John Simon intercepted a pass.
Cornerback Duke Dawson was the only Patriots player who had a really rough night. He let up two long catches and was called for holding.
