The Washington Commanders squared off against the Detroit Lions in their second preseason matchup and lost, 17-13. Here are five takeaways from the game.

1. The defensive starters balled out.

The Commanders brought out their starters for their second preseason game, and there was some serious intrigue about what the group would look like in their first game scenario of the preseason. They were only out there for a handful of plays, but it was enough to show they are a different unit compared to a year ago.

Washington's starting defense was fast, physical and versatile. There was movement at the line of scrimmage and tight coverage in the secondary. It created several problems for quarterback Josh Dobbs, who only completed one pass in the Lions' first two series.

Even more impressive was how opportunistic the Commanders were when it came to attacking the football. The team struggled with creating turnovers in 2025, ranking near the bottom in the category ahead of only the New York Jets. That appears to be a thing of the past for the unit, as they added another two turnovers to their total for the preseason. The first came on the second play from scrimmage, when Amik Robertson sprinted into the backfield on a blitz to knock the ball out of Dobbs' grasp. The ball ended up in the end zone as Lions and Commanders tried to recover it, but it was Joshua Josephs who ended up with his hands on it. The next came six plays later. Dobbs rolled to his right to avoid pressure and tried to get the ball to Tay Martin, but Quan Martin, who already had an interception in the preseason, got his second.

The Commanders now have six turnovers in two games. Those won't carry over into the regular season, but it's a good sign of things to come from the starters.

2. Constant pressure on Detroit's quarterbacks.

The backups started to make their way into the game after Martin's interception, and while the turnovers stopped after that, the pressure on Detroit's quarterbacks continued throughout the afternoon.

Whether it was Tyler Owens blowing up a running back in the pocket or D.J. Davidson forcing Dobbs to get rid of the ball early, the Commanders were in the pocket often to make his and Luke Altmyer's lives difficult. The two quarterbacks combined for just 110 yards on 16 completions.

And the Commanders weren't just forcing hurries and pressures; they also got Dobbs and Altmyer on the ground four times. Altmyer was sacked twice on the same drive, including a nine-yard loss from Javontae Jean-Baptiste, who powered his way into the backfield to force a second-and-19. International Pathway player T.J. Maguranyanga also got in on the action, forcing a second-and-long in the second quarter.

In total, the Commanders got five sacks on the Lions' quarterbacks, which is another good sign of how much progress the unit has made this offseason. They struggled to generate consistent pressure on quarterbacks last season, but they appear to be having much more success in that regard, despite players like Odafe Oweh and K'Lavon Chaisson missing the game with injuries.

3. Athan Kaliakmanis looked comfortable.

The Commanders are still deciding whether they need to keep three quarterbacks on the initial roster, and Athan Kaliakmanis is making a strong case that he needs to be the third player in the room.

Kaliakmanis is not like Jayden Daniels or Marcus Mariota in terms of his skill set. He's not the type of player who will make defenders miss or get into the second level of the defense on a scramble. But he does have some solid traits. He looked comfortable running the offense and delivered some accurate throws on the move. He also knows how to maneuver in the pocket to buy himself some time. He finished the day completing 78% of his passes for 162 yards and was not sacked.

But what stood out the most about Kaliakmanis was his ability to stretch the field with his arm, which was not necessarily a highlighted part of his skill set in the draft process. He laid out a pass for Nick Nash down the sideline in the fourth quarter, which turned into a 55-yard gain. He also had another pass to Jaden Bradley in the third quarter that resulted in a 30-yard pickup.

Kaliakmanis is in a battle with Sam Hartman for the final quarterback spot on the roster. He certainly helped himself today, but expect the competition to continue all the way through the preseason finale.

4. Jaden Bradley made the catch of the game.

Bradley has stood out over the last few weeks for his effort and some impressive catches in camp. He might have had his best moment today.

The play came less than a minute into the second half on a second-and-8. Kaliakmanis was under center, and the quarterback had a clean pocket to survey his options. He spotted Bradley sprinting down the sideline, although he had two defenders around him. But Kaliakmanis had done a good job of giving his receivers a chance to make plays, and he was willing to gamble on the rookie out of UNLV.

It was a tough throw in a tight window and an even more difficult catch, but Bradley made it look easy. He made the one-handed snag before falling to the ground, prompting some cheers from the Commanders' sideline.

You can check out the play for yourself. The Commanders' receiver room is crowded, so it's difficult to see how Bradley makes the roster, but he's making a good case for himself. If anything, he could earn himself a spot on the practice squad.

5. Another test down, one more big one to go.

The Commanders have had two major tests this month. They got through the first with a 20-7 win over the Miami Dolphins. Their matchup against the Lions was more contested, but there were some positive signs from the starting defense and some of the offensive reserve players.

They have one more test before final cuts, and it's going to be the biggest obstacle until they play the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.

The Baltimore Ravens have several new pieces on their team as well with a new coaching staff for the first time in recent memory. However, they are still regarded as one of the better teams in the AFC with Lamar Jackson leading the roster. The starters won't get many, if any, looks in the preseason finale on Friday, but they will be the main focus of the joint practice between the two teams on Wednesday. Daniels and the starting offense will square off against the Ravens' defense looking to bounce back from the three-and-out they had against the Lions. There's also hope that most of the starting players dealing with injuries, like center Nick Allegretti, will be back to get a week's worth of work before the regular season.

There will be some difficult decisions for the team heading into Week 1. There are several position battles raging right now, and for those on the roster bubble, it will be the last chance for them to make a case to survive initial cuts.