What’s being said after Lions close preseason with strong showing in Carolina

The Detroit Lions received a boost from several of their bubble players to close the preseason with a 26-17 win over the Carolina Panthers on Friday night.

Rookie wide receiver Antoine Green caught a 70-yard touchdown pass to end the first half. Making matters more difficult for the team’s brass were the strong performances by Dylan Drummond and Chase Cota. Running back Craig Reynolds was the most consistent offensive player for the Lions in their exhibition finale, looking strong in his quest to reclaim RB3. And those defenders were lights out after a shaky first quarter.

Steven Gilmore played a ton of snaps and rewarded the Lions with his game-sealing pick-six interception in the fourth quarter. And Chase Lucas added an interception of his own, with a diving play at the goal line to steal one from veteran quarterback Andy Dalton. In the defensive trenches, it was electric pass rusher James Houston doing what he does best deep into this game. And Levi Onwuzurike put a nice bow on his comeback attempt, with a notable pressure and tackle for loss and a tight end screen.

Final roster cuts are due by 4 p.m. on Tuesday. MLive will have dueling 53-man roster projections from beat writers Ben Raven and Kyle Meinke to open the weekend. For more, check out our new Subtext service, which directly connects you to one-on-one opportunities with Raven, Meinke and Kory Woods.