Week 1 of the NFL preseason continues on Friday, as the Falcons and Lions will do battle in Atlanta. Detroit is currently a 3.5-point road favorite in this game on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the total is set at 32.5 points. Below I give my preview, prediction, and pick for this NFC clash.
Lions Preview
The Lions are coming off a stellar 2024 campaign, finishing as the No. 1 seed in the NFC and securing a first-round bye. Expectations were sky-high heading into the playoffs, but their postseason run came to a crashing halt in the Divisional Round. Detroit was stunned by the Commanders, giving up 45 points in a lopsided loss that abruptly ended what had been a promising year.
Looking ahead to 2025, the Lions will face some key changes despite returning most of their core roster. Both coordinators — Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn — departed for head coaching opportunities, leaving head coach Dan Campbell with new play-callers on offense and defense. The most notable roster turnover comes along the offensive line, where longtime center Frank Ragnow retired and veteran right guard Kevin Zeitler signed with the Titans in free agency. Still, Detroit retains all of its top skill-position players on both sides of the ball. Most notably, star EDGE Aidan Hutchinson is set to return after suffering a broken leg in Week 6 against the Cowboys last season.
As for Friday’s game, the starters aren’t expected to see much — if any — playing time, so we should once again get an extended look at both Hendon Hooker and Kyle Allen, similar to what we saw in the Hall of Fame Game last week.
Falcons Preview
It’s a new era in Atlanta, with Michael Penix Jr. officially taking over as QB1 while veteran Kirk Cousins slides into a backup role. Penix made a strong impression in his three starts to close out the 2024 season, highlighted by a standout performance in Week 18 against the Panthers, where he threw for 312 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns.
He’ll head into the 2025 season with a fully intact supporting cast, as Bijan Robinson, Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Kyle Pitts are all back in the fold. The Falcons also locked up right tackle Kaleb McGary with a two-year extension earlier this week — a significant move, not only because of McGary’s impact in the run game, but also because he protects the blindside of the left-handed Penix.
As for Friday’s game, don’t expect to see Michael Penix Jr. or the rest of the first-team offense. Head coach Raheem Morris opted to give the starters extensive work during Wednesday’s full-team scrimmage instead. Kirk Cousins will also be held out, which means we’ll likely see a heavy dose of Easton Stick and Emory Jones under center against Detroit.
Best Bet
The Lions looked downright dreadful in last week’s 34-7 loss to the Chargers, getting torched by Trey Lance in the process. That said, Lance is a former first-round pick with real upside — and I don’t have nearly the same level of confidence in either Easton Stick or Emory Jones to replicate that kind of performance.
While Hendon Hooker flashed a few encouraging moments, neither he nor Kyle Allen looked particularly sharp, and with both teams rolling out second- and third-stringers, I’m expecting a low-scoring affair in this one.
I just don’t believe the quarterback play will be good enough in this game to generate a lot of points, so give me the under.