ALLEN PARK, Mich. -- The public practices for the Detroit Lions are over and by next week at this time, the team will transition into a regular season mode of operation.

But the franchise held one final public practice Tuesday afternoon before heading off to Washington for the team's second preseason game Thursday night.

Here's what caught our eye in the final public practice:

1. Nevin Lawson is putting things together: He's been mentioned intermittently throughout these observations, but he had another nice play Tuesday during camp, stepping in front of a Dan Orlovsky pass and intercepting it during one-on-one drills. He also had a really good pass breakup on an Orlovsky pass intended for Ryan Broyles in team drills. He's been working with the first group at nickel a lot during camp -- he's in a competition with Josh Wilson there -- but he's also been practicing a bunch outside. He'll have a role on the Lions this season less than a year after a nasty foot injury and he could end up being the team's starting nickel and top reserve cornerback by the time Week 1 against San Diego rolls around.

2. Taylor Boggs continues to impress: Still not totally sure how the interior lineman ends up on the final 53-man roster with Laken Tomlinson, Larry Warford, Manny Ramirez and Travis Swanson in front of him, but he's continuously put together good practices. He was once again dominant in one-on-one pass rush drills as an interior lineman, including an impressive rep against defensive tackle Gabe Wright. He's been mostly going against players who won't be on the roster in a month, but he has driven more players to the ground than any other lineman in camp -- at least from what I've caught.

3. Matthew Stafford looked good again: I didn't watch him in 7-on-7 work, but he once again looked fairly sharp during team drills. He completed 5 of 5 passes during one session including screens, dump offs and more traditional plays. Won't see much more work from him during training camp since the media will get a 20-minute window starting next week, but from what he showed when the public watched, he has the potential to have a good season. It'll just depend if he can translate it into games.

4. Ameer Abdullah's reps were scaled back: The Lions rookie running back didn't have as active a role as normal during Tuesday's practice, but Jim Caldwell said the second round pick is not injured. He didn't give a reason for the decreased workload. This shouldn't be a concern, though, as it likely means the Lions have an idea of what they have in Abdullah but need to see more from George Winn and Zach Zenner, both of whom are competing for roster spots. It wouldn't be surprising to see heavy workloads for both of those players Thursday against Washington. Remember, too, that until Joique Bell returns, Abdullah's role in the Lions' offense could be massive, so keeping him from some hits makes sense.

5. Stephen Tulloch has to be itching for the regular season: The linebacker who missed almost all of last season has been one of the most physical players in practice along with safety Isa Abdul-Quddus. He's continually making hard contact with a running back or receiver and on Tuesday he hit Zenner pretty hard. He didn't see much work in the opener against the Jets and likely won't see a ton Thursday, but Tulloch appears in regular season form already.

6. Interesting moment on the final day: During the individual drills portion of practice, a fan ended up sneaking into a closed-off portion of the practice field that is just open to Lions staff and the media. Wearing a Calvin Johnson shirtsey, shorts and sandals, he watched the tight ends for a few minutes before being escorted back to the area where fans can watch practice. A no-harm, no-foul moment, but somewhat odd to see on the final day of open practices.