Former Illini quarterback Luke Altmyer and the Detroit Lions were on the losing side of their NFL Preseason road opener against the Cincinnati Bengals.
After getting picked up as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) back in May, it looked as though Altmyer’s playing time would be limited since the Lions already had two veteran QB’s in Jared Goff and Teddy Bridgewater in their depth chart.
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Yet when Bridgewater announced on Aug. 9 via Instagram that he would be officially retiring from the NFL, Altmyer’s chances of touching the field in his first season shot up.
Those buffed-up chances were solidified the day after as head coach Dan Campbell told the media that many starters, including Jared Goff, would not be suiting up in the preseason opener.
“But no, so I don’t see Goff playing. Certainly (Luke) Altmyer is going to take a heavy load and then anybody else we get, we’ll get them up to speed as fast as we can and give them some reps,” Campbell said.
While the Lions decided to pick up Josh Dobbs to replace Teddy Bridgewater, Altmyer was more familiar with the playbook and therefore was under center for most of the offensive snaps.
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Altmyer ended the game with 13/22 receptions, 130 passing yards, a passing touchdown, two interceptions, and a fumble on the Lions’ own four-yard line.
And although those stats might not be something to write home about, what must be brought up is Altmyer’s classic late-game heroics.
Down 16-6 with just a little bit over six minutes on the clock, the Altmyer-led Lions mustered up a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with the former Illinois recording his first NFL touchdown off a 24-yard pass to Tarik Black
Following the touchdown pass, the Lions decided to go for two to make it a one-possession game. A fake handoff up the middle made the Bengals’ defense bite hard enough for Altmyer to show off his wheels and reduce the deficit to 16-14.
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With the Lions’ defense forcing a three-and-out, the ball was back in the hands of Altmyer and the Lions’ offense on their own nine-yard line with 25 seconds left on the clock.
Looking to get into field goal range and with little time remaining, Altmyer fired a deep ball that was just too high for his receiver to catch and ended up recording his second interception of the game.
Although not the result Altmyer wanted, this performance showcased that his calmness in the pocket and his ability to find his reads as soon as they get open transferred perfectly into the NFL and is something he can continue to work on as the preseason carries on
Altmyer and the Lions head back home to host the Washington Commanders on Saturday, Aug. 22 at 11 a.m. CDT
