Lions-Bills Unsung Hero of the Week: Tim Boyle toughs it out

Boyle took a beating but hung in there against a brutal Buffalo defense.

Preseason games are meaningless in some respects, but for a guy like Detroit Lions quarterback Tim Boyle, it’s an opportunity to stake his claim as the team’s backup in the competition with David Blough. Nonetheless, he seems to have the edge right now, and the one thing players try to avoid in preseason is injury.

For Boyle, injury was not enough to take him off the field Friday night. Whether that was motivated by a desire to cement himself as QB2, or just to tough it out for the team, Boyle continued to show out in spite of the constant pummeling of the Buffalo defense.

While Boyle certainly has something to gain by getting more good film, there’s also something to be said about risking lower performance by playing injured. However, Boyle opted to continue toughing it out Friday night and it proved fruitful as the night went on. The stat sheet may only say one sack endured by Boyle, but he also took two “roughing the passer” penalties like a champ.

Things were rocky to start for the second team offense, but Boyle found his stride and got plenty of looks for the backup skill players, particularly Tom Kennedy. Between the first two drives of the second half, Boyle targeted Kennedy six times, paving the way for Kennedy’s team-leading 46-yard night.

After the heavy tape job, Boyle may have had the throw of the night to Kennedy, though the receiver technically didn’t catch it:

There’s a lot to evaluate when factoring in offensive line play and more in the backup quarterback competition. However, Boyle certainly left no doubts Friday night about his toughness.