DETROIT -- One three-and-out led to another, and then yet another. They nearly took the ball away twice, and dropped Christian Hackenberg twice.

Detroit's starting defense didn't just maul the New York Jets to open a 16-6 exhibition win Saturday night at Ford Field. They did not allow so much as a first down until the second quarter, the most encouraging sign yet they can weather their injuries up front.

Then again, it's the Jets. It'll be interesting to see what Detroit can do next week against an actual NFL team.

Until then, there was a lot to like about the Lions, who move to 2-0 in the preseason heading into next week's dress rehearsal against New England. That includes quarterback Matthew Stafford, who completed 8 of his 10 passes -- and one of the misfires was a drop from Marvin Jones.

But Jones rebounded nicely, catching a team-high four passes and counting a beautiful 5-yard touchdown among them. He ran a fade to the back right corner of the end zone, and tapped both toes before his momentum took him out of bounds.

The play was expertly timed on both ends, something the pair has shown throughout training camp, and it produced Matthew Stafford's first touchdown pass of the year. He's now completed 10 of his 13 passes in a workmanlike start to the preseason.

Detroit scored twice on Stafford's three series against New York, with Matt Prater adding a 37-yard field goal.

Prater completed Detroit's scoring with field goals of 50 and 25 yards. He was 3 for 3 overall without a miss.

But the real story was the dominance of the defense.

The Lions opened with three straight three-and-outs. Hackenberg dropped back four times in the first quarter, was sacked twice and didn't complete a pass. By the time the second quarter opened, Detroit's defense had actually gained 17 yards of field position whenever New York attempted to pass.

The Jets were outgained 182-43 in the first half, and blanked on the scoreboard until Ross Martin hit a 31-yard field goal with 11:06 left, long after most meaningful players had departed the game.

Here are some observations from the game:

-- Detroit gave most starters about three or four series, but did give four-fifths of the starting offensive line an entire half to gel. Greg Robinson got another start at left tackle, and has separated from the rest in that competition, if there ever really was one. Graham Glasgow, Travis Swanson and Rick Wagner also played two full quarters.

-- Detroit's most surprising starter was T.J. Lang, who got the nod at right guard despite practicing just once in the last week. He still hasn't practiced on back to back days since the pads came on. Other players who made their preseason debuts include cornerback Darius Slay and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.

-- While Robinson has done enough good stuff to win that left tackle job, Cyrus Kouandjio has done just as much to lose it. He didn't play in the opener, and didn't play in the first half of this one. When he did enter the game late, he allowed a sack, then was tagged with a hold. This thing's over, baby. Greg Robinson is Detroit's left tackle until Taylor Decker returns.

-- The win is cool and everything, but the preseason is about trying to stay healthy as much as anything else, and the Lions lost there once again. TJ Jones joined the growing list of banged-up regulars when he suffered a hamstring injury in the first half. He did not return. Jones started the game as the third receiver (yes, over Kenny Golladay), and even got the call over Jamal Agnew at punt returner. He brought back his first attempt for 17 yards on a nifty return, too, though it was nixed by a Charles Washington penalty. Jones continues to look like a slam dunk to make this team -- provided the injury is not a serious one.

-- Jones was the biggest injury in the game for Detroit, although several players did not suit up while nursing their own issues. Running back Theo Riddick, tight end Eric Ebron and safety Tavon Wilson were among the notables who did not play.

-- Jake Rudock followed his strong debut in Indy with a clunker against the Jets. He completed 8 of his 13 passes for 84 yards, no touchdowns and one ugly pick. His passer rating of 48.2 was his worst in six career preseason appearances. His four series ended in two punts, one interception and one field goal.

-- Anthony Zettel started oppoosite Cornelius Washington at defensive end, and was among the last starters still in the game midway through the third quarter. With Kerry Hyder and Brandon Copeland done for the year, plus Ezekiel Ansah still not practicing, Zettel will be at least a key reserve to open the season, if not an outright starter. So Detroit is trying to get the second-year end as many reps as possible.

-- Detroit has struggled to generate turnovers in the preseason, despite a year-long emphasis placed on it. The club finally got its first takeaway in the second half against New York, with Dez Stewart forcing a muffed punt and Robert Tonyan recovering it. Stewart is a receiver who was signed a few days into camp. Tonyan is an undrafted rookie tight end with a good shot to make the practice squad.

-- There was nowhere for Kenny Golladay to go but down after debuting with two touchdowns against Indianapolis, although this was much lower than expected. He was targeted just once after coming off the bench as the fourth receiver, catching it for 6 yards. That's it. These are the types of things you can expect from the rookie receiver -- some thrilling highs, especially in the red zone, followed by some puzzling lows. He's not a finished product yet, even if he's already an intriguing one.

-- NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is in town over the weekend. President Rod Wood said in a radio interview during the game that he would use the opportunity to give Goodell a "soft sell" on why Detroit would be a good host for the draft and Super Bowl. He'll also participate in a Q&A that will be broadcast on the team's website on Sunday.

-- Cornelius Washington killed a man. Here's the evidence.

We got a Baptism!!!

Sir, be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!pic.twitter.com/jPaTBEk3UU — Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) August 20, 2017

-- Eastern Michigan offered a full-ride scholarship to a walk-on wide receiver on the new (and giant) video boards at Ford Field. It was a cool moment for that program.

-- Jim Caldwell has a pregame tradition of shaking every player's hand during stretcihng. And he continued that tradition before this preseason game, even though there are still 90 players on the roster. The coach was running through the lines to get to every hand before time ran out. Say what you will about him as a football coach, but it's easy to see why players love playing for him.