For the second straight week, Detroit Lions quarterback Hendon Hooker was soundly outplayed by fellow backup signal-caller Kyle Allen.
Allen got the start against the Miami Dolphins after Hooker saw the first reps last week and he completed 14-of-17 passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
Hooker entered in the second half and completed just 6-of-13 passes for 61 yards and no touchdowns to one pick, which came on the final drive of the game when the Lions had an opportunity to tie it up.
Now, it's fair to point out that Hooker was let down by his teammates on a few plays, but that isn't enough to erase the fact that Allen was far better.
After the game, head coach Dan Campbell made it very clear who he prefers as the QB2 behind starter Jared Goff with one preseason game left to play.
“He’s playing better,” Campbell said of Allen. “I would say right now if you had to go in with a No. 2 (quarterback) right now who would you trust more? Yeah, I would trust Kyle more because he’s proven more after these two games.”
This is obviously terrible news for Hooker, but not just because he's on track to lose the backup quarterback job.
It remains to be seen if the Lions will carry three quarterbacks, but if not Hooker will be the odd-man out and would get cut if they don't.
The Lions only kept two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster in 2024 and didn't add a third until near the end of the regular season when they signed Teddy Bridgewater, who is now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
It would be hard to blame the Lions if they end up cutting Hooker. He doesn't look any better than the quarterback we saw last preseason and you could argue he's actually worse.
There is no way the Lions can depend on Hooker if Goff were to get hurt, and he has not shown enough to justify using a roster spot on, either.
As a result, the Aug. 23 preseason finale against the Houston Texans might be the last time we see Hooker playing snaps for the Lions.
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