CINCINNATI – Blocking Aidan Hutchinson every day at practice is a whole lot different than blocking just about every other pass-rusher in the NFL.
Blake Miller found that out in the Detroit Lions’ 16-14 exhibition-opening loss to the Cincinnati Bengals
on Thursday, Aug. 13. After struggling intermittently against Hutchinson in training camp, the Lions’ first-round pick had an overall solid performance against the Bengals, including in two series against Cincinnati’s first-team defense.
“Until I really watch the film, I can’t make a true judgment,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “I’ll tell you this, though, I didn’t feel like my eyes were ever on he or Larry [Borom], and that’s a positive. That’s a pretty good sign.”
Miller started
at right tackle and played 39 snaps, all in the first half, while Borom filled in at left tackle for Penei Sewell.
The Bengals had one first-half sack, when Kris Jenkins Jr. bulled his way past two interior linemen to get to quarterback Josh Dobbs, and Miller allowed two pressures but no quarterback hits on 23 pass-blocking snaps, according to a Free Press review of the game.
As a run blocker, Miller opened a big hole on a 15-yard burst by Jacob Saylors that was nullified by a holding penalty on the back side of the line and had a nice second-level block on a run by Kye Robichaux. He also kicked out to the third level for a block on a bubble screen to Tom Kennedy that was nullified by penalty.
“I can’t give you a very comprehensive grade [until I watch the film],” Miller said of his performance. “There’s some good stuff, there’s some stuff I want to clean up just like any other game.”
Miller spent the early part of Thursday’s game matched with Jenkins and Bengals left defensive end Myles Murphy.
Jenkins shed a Miller block to stop Saylors for a short gain on the Lions’ second offensive series, and Murphy knocked Miller off balance with one of his pass rushes.
But Miller did a good job trading off stunts and said he felt his work against Hutchinson paid dividends against the Bengals.
“Definitely,” Miller said. “I was talking about it the other day, those reps are invaluable. If I do something and it works against him, it’s probably going to work against almost anyone else. So being able to go against him, and then also, too, the reps that I don’t win, be able to learn just as much if not more from those reps, as well. I’ve been so grateful to be able to get as many reps as I have against him.”
Miller said he needs to do a better job of committing to whatever his plan of attack is on a given play.
“Don’t be in that kind of in-between range,” he said. “I think there was plays out there where I was fully committed to stuff and it typically went well. But the stuff where I was kind of in between, those are plays that I’d like − not have back, but improve on.”
Miller said he doesn’t think that’s a product of thinking too much on the field, but as the game continues to slow for him, Campbell expects Miller to improve even more.
“I didn’t feel like we had any issues on the perimeter with those two guys in there,” Campbell said. “So I thought he did a good job, and we’ll tell on the tape, but I thought he handled it. I thought he handled it well.”
Dave Birkett covers the Lions for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Bluesky, X and Instagram at @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Lions OT Blake Miller solid in debut, thanks in part to Aidan Hutchinson
