Undoubtedly, Jared Goff is the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 quarterback. He earned that status and then some after leading the Lions to the NFC North division crown and the NFC Championship Game in 2023.

Yet, there is some uncertainty about whether the organization possesses a clear-cut No. 2 passer. That question potentially grew even bigger after Detroit’s preseason tilt with the N.Y. Giants Thursday. 

Nate Sudfeld, who played the entirety of the first half against the Giants, looked lost under center for most of the night. His timing and accuracy were consistently off, and there’s no question he hurt his candidacy for the backup job. He ended up finishing the opening half five-of-11 through the air for just 24 yards. It was certainly a performance to forget for Sudfeld.

Meanwhile, Hendon Hooker, the second-year quarterback out of Tennessee, entered the game under center to start the second half. In his first taste of game action as a pro, he definitely looked the part of a dual-threat passer. He appeared confident of his abilities both inside and outside the pocket, and showcased the ability to make a difference with his legs. 

The only problem is that Hooker may have been a bit too run-happy Thursday. The Volunteers product suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter, which came on a play in which he scrambled out of the pocket. 

Lions head man Dan Campbell would like the young signal-caller to be more cognizant of the potential harm he exposes himself to when he takes off and runs. 

“That’s what happens when you run. In this league, at the quarterback position, you are going to take some hits,” Campbell said about Hooker, after Detroit’s preseason opener against New York. “So, you have to be real selective. He’s going to have to learn to be selective. He’s going to need to slide if he is going to use more of his legs. It’s good, it gets you out of trouble. But, that’s the downside of it: You expose yourself to hits.”

Despite suffering the concussion, it was still an all-around solid effort for Hooker. He notably spearheaded a 14-play, 65-yard drive late in the third quarter, on which he recorded runs of 16 yards and six yards while fearlessly taking on multiple defenders. He finished his preseason debut with 36 yards through the air on five-of-nine passing, plus added another 34 yards on the ground.

Hooker is definitely still a work in progress, especially after missing basically an entire year of football in 2023 while recovering from a torn ACL. Among a variety of things, he needs to get better at knowing when and when not to take off and run. It’s an intangible that will help him more easily avoid big hits and subsequently stay in games.

So, Campbell & Co. are likely not going to feel ultra confident if Hooker has to enter a game this upcoming season for a banged-up Goff. However, I’m convinced there isn’t a long list of backup QBs that make teams feel super confident anyways.

Additionally (and most importantly), I believe that Campbell and the Lions’ coaching staff saw enough from the second-year pro Thursday to make the determination that he’s their No. 2 quarterback. 

I saw enough, too, to say that the organization doesn’t need to go out and acquire a backup quarterback. It already has its guy in Hooker.

The Detroit Tigers were nine outs away from completing a combined no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants.

In another bullpen-only game, the Tigers retired 18 of the first 19 batters without allowing a hit in Friday’s opener of a three-game series at Oracle Park. The Giants, though, picked up their first hit on a leadoff single in the seventh inning, facing right-handed reliever Kenta Maeda.

The Tigers crumbled from there, losing 3-2.

“It happens fast,” manager A.J. Hinch told reporters in San Francisco. “Obviously, in close games, there’s a fine line between winning and losing, and it’s usually in the margins.”

The Giants scored one run apiece in the seventh, eighth and ninth innings. In the ninth, the Giants loaded the bases with no outs against right-handed reliever Jason Foley. After that, Mark Canha — whom the Tigers traded to the Giants at the July 30 trade deadline — delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly against righty reliever Shelby Miller.

The Tigers (55-62) have lost back-to-back games in walk-off fashion.

The ninth inning began with a fielding error by second baseman Colt Keith. He booted a ball up that middle that he should’ve easily fielded, allowing the go-ahead run to reach base. Foley imploded under pressure, as the next two batters reached safely with a walk and a hit-by-pitch to load the bases.

That’s when the Tigers called Miller out of the bullpen.

Miller induced a grounder that led to a force out at home plate for the first out in the ninth inning, but he failed to put away Canha after getting ahead in the count. Canha refused to chase and when he got a middle-middle fastball from Miller, he drove the ball to deep left field for a game-ending sacrifice fly.

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Fumbling the no-hit bid

The first hit for the Giants occurred when Tyler Fitzgerald attacked a two-strike fastball from Maeda. He redirected the ball up the middle and into center field for a ground-ball single.

After another single, Fitzgerald scored from third base on a sacrifice fly from Michael Conforto for the Giants’ first run of the game, cutting the Tigers’ lead to 2-1.

What happened in the eighth inning was eerily similar to what happened in the seventh, with another round of back-to-back singles before a sacrifice fly. This time, Canha delivered the leadoff single against Maeda. He came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Patrick Bailey, making it 2-2.

Right-handed reliever Beau Brieske, serving as the starter for the bullpen-only game, worked around a two-out walk in the first inning, but other than that mistake, he was perfect. He registered five strikeouts across three scoreless innings, throwing 49 pitches.

Maeda, a 36-year-old veteran, covered the next 4⅔ innings, allowing two runs on four hits and zero walks with two strikeouts. He owns a 6.59 ERA in 21 games (16 starts), but he has improved significantly since getting reassigned to the bullpen.

Two runs

The Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the second inning, facing left-hander Robbie Ray.

Gio Urshela ripped a double to left field and advanced to third base on a wild pitch when Ray walked Wenceel Pérez, then he scored on Ryan Vilade’s sacrifice fly.

The Tigers increased their lead to 2-0 when Javier Báez cranked a leadoff double, stole third base for his eighth steal of the season and scored easily on a throwing error by catcher Curt Casali.

Ray, the 2021 American League Cy Young winner, surrendered two runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts across six innings, throwing 105 pitches.

The Tigers finished 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position.

“We had plenty of opportunities,” Hinch said. “Part of the goal tonight against Ray was to make him work. Their bullpen was in a really tough spot, and we knew if we could get to them, they were going to have a hard time without the full use of their bullpen.”

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold.

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