"Cut Nate Sudfeld": Lions fans gutted after preseason defeat against Giants

It tells you about the impact Dan Campbell has had on the Lions that fans are disappointed that backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld failed to lead them to victory in a preseason game. The long-suffering Detroit supporters have been conditioned over the last season to expect to be in the NFC Championship and aim for the Super Bowl, so any defeat stings.

And losing to a pedestrian New York Giants, also being led by their backups, certainly dampened the mood for a lot of Lions fans. Never mind that this is not likely to be the team that takes to the field on the first week of the 2024 season. Never mind that preseason is to fine-tune the offense and defense and see who deserves to be on the roster. Nate Sudfeld, who was the quarterback in charge, bore the brunt of their ire.

Supporters were quick to go on to X, formerly known as Twitter, to lambast their team's performance. Here are some of the reactions.

Others kept piling on with some of their responses with many sarcastic takes about how Dan Campbell would have treated his quarterback in the locker room abounding. Here are some more responses.

"Here's to hoping Jared Goff has another Ironman season because I do not want to see Nate Sudfeld in a real game."

"BREAKING... Nate Sudfeld has announced his retirement from the NFL... Dan Campbell reportedly ‘choke slammed’ Sudfeld in the locker room at half time resulting in the QBs inevitable retirement."

"Dan Campbell is on my early season shit list for forcing me to watch a full half of “Nate Sudfeld” ball"

Will Hendon Hooker replace Nate Sudfeld on the depth chart?

Hendon Hooker saw some game time and many observers thought that he should be the one to become Jared Goff's backup. Ultimately, that will be for Dan Campbell to decide but the good news is that he has a relatively stable quarterback room.

All of them were there last season. Hendon Hooker joined in 2023 and could be primed to take the second quarterback position. But it does not look likely that would lead to Sudfeld's dismissal since he has been with the Lions since 2022 and brings the knowledge of being on winning teams having won Super Bowl LII with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Whatever happens, though, it remains clear that the Lions' newfound optimism and hope is tied to Jared Goff remaining healthy as their franchise quarterback for the 2024 season.