Detroit vs. Washington
Thursday August 20, 7:30 p.m. ET
FedEx Field, Hyattsville, MD

Even though it is preseason, there is no shortage of great storylines. This week the Detroit Lions head to Washington for their second preseason game.

 This week Washington QB Robert Griffin III (RG3) said the he "felt like he is the best QB in the league", much to the chagrin of the internet. In reality Griffin is fighting to remain the starter. The team announced back in January that he would be the team's starter.But, between injuries and inconsistent play after a stellar rookie campaign, there is plenty of reason to be doubtful of the QB.

Washington is coming off of a 4-12 season with rookie head coach Jay Gruden. As a result the team dismissed defensive coordinator Jim Haslett. The team hired Joe Barry as their defensive coordinator and wasted little time upgrading their defense. In April they acquired two-time Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson in a trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Free agency saw Washington sign DT Stephen Paea, DT Terrance Knighton, and CB Chris Culliver.

Everyone is aware that Ndamukong Suh is no longer a member of the Lions. Even though the Lions finished 11-5 in 2014, many pundits have them finishing no better than 3rd in their division and missing the playoffs all together. The Lions added perennial All- Pro defensive tack Hatoli Ngata through a trade. The Lions weren't players in free agency like Washington, but they did upgrade their 3rd WR position by signing veteran Lance Moore. The Lions also made upgrades via the NFL Draft in choosing Guard Laken Tomlinson and RB Ameer Abdullah, in the first two rounds respectively. They also acquired veteran many Ramirez in a draft day trade with the Denver Broncos.

Here a few storylines to watch during the Thursday evening matchup

  •  How much action will RGIII see? Coach Jay Gruden kept Griffin in the game for two series in the team's preseason opener vs. Cleveland. Griffin made a couple nice plays, most notably a beautiful deep pass to Pierre Garcon. All in all it was a typical RGIII performance. Some moments of beauty mixed with moments of pure chaos. Griffin finished the night 4-of-8 passing for 36 yards at just 4.5 yards per pass attempt.
  •  Ross, Broyles, or Jones? One of the more intriguing battles throughout training camp for the Detroit Lions is the kick and punt receiving battle. In addition to returning kicks, these three are battling to be the 5th wide receiver on the depth chart. Ross is the incumbent, who was at the bottom of the league in returns in 2014, was actually productive in a limited role in the passing game. Last season Ross had 24 catches for 314 yards and one touchdown. Ryan Broyles has had injury problems plague his entire career. In 2014 he was healthy and only had two receptions for 25 yards. T.J. Jones is a second year player who spent his rookie season on the PUP list. In the first preseason game vs. the Jets, Jones should flashes on a 24-yard punt return, the best by any Lion in the game. All three players will be fighting hard for a roster spot.
  •  Back That Thang Up : Both teams have competition at the number two quarterback position. In Washington it looks like that the job is Kurt Cousins' to lose.  Cousins completed his first nine pass attempts on his way to completing 12-of-14 pass attempts for 154 yards against Cleveland last week. He also ran a 4-yard touchdown on his first-drive, giving Washington their first touchdown of the night. McCoy was a pedestrian 4-for-6 for 33 yards.

The Lions are giving Kellen Moore every opportunity to dethrone Dan Orlovsky and become the team's number two quarterback. The self-dubbed Mr. August, Moore, has been very successful in the preseason over the past few years. However, he got of to a rocky start in this season's battle when he performed poorly against the Jets last week. Moore went 9 of 17 for 67 yards and an interception. Even the completed passes were bad throws. It isn't clear yet but Moore is expected to be the second quarterback to play against Washington.