DETROIT — The Miami Dolphins finally traded their views of the Great Lakes for a return near the Atlantic Ocean, and they came back with a 24-17 preseason win over the Detroit Lions.

Now, that’s no indication the Dolphins are anywhere near on par with the Super Bowl-contending Lions. It was mostly backups against backups in Saturday’s exhibition at Ford Field, and Detroit first-teamers certainly showed they have a leg up on Miami in the week’s two joint practices.

But there was a lot to grasp from the week in Michigan and potential for growth for the Dolphins in preparation for the regular season as they have one preseason game left, next Saturday night against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Hard Rock Stadium.

Long road trip over

The Dolphins spent a whopping 11 days in the Midwest,

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