Grades: Lions Frustrate Davante Adams, Hunt Jimmy Garoppolo
Despite struggles on offense, the Detroit Lions dominated most of Monday night's win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Jahmyr Gibbs totaled 189 all-purpose yards, the defense notched six sacks, and the Lions ultimately moved to 6-2 heading into the bye week with a 26-14 win.
After a lackluster performance last week against the Baltimore Ravens, the Lions once again proved that they are worthy of consideration among the league's best.
Here are grades for each position group based on performance in Monday night's game:
Quarterback: B
Jared Goff was lights out for the first half, completing 20-of-26 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown. However, his second half began poorly as he tossed a pick-six to Marcus Peters.
On the interception, he threw late in the direction of Amon-Ra St. Brown. The wideout had already turned up field, while Goff's throw was directed toward the sideline. Peters stepped in and took the interception all the way back to the end zone.
The passer was hurt at times by drops, such as ones logged by Jameson Williams and Kalif Raymond. However, on each the ball placement wasn't ideal.
Though his performance wasn't perfect, he remained poised. After the pick-six cut the Lions' lead to two, he answered by leading a touchdown drive that would seal the win.
Running backs: A+
Jahmyr Gibbs announced his presence on the national stage Monday with 189 all-purpose yards. He logged a career-best 152 rushing yards on 26 carries, becoming Detroit's first 100-yard rusher since Kerryon Johnson posted 158 in 2018.
He showed exceptional burst and fearlessness at the point of contact. On multiple occasions, he logged yards after contact and made several defenders miss.
On his touchdown run, Gibbs burst through an open hole, making a defender miss and then winning the race to the end zone. It was the highlight of an exceptional night.
Craig Reynolds also provided pop with 74 rushing yards on 17 carries. He provided a perfect compliment behind a strong performance from the offensive line. The Kutztown product did lose a fumble in the red zone, though the call was highly disputable due to an inability to see definitively whether he was down by contact.
Wide receivers: B
St. Brown went over 100 yards for the third straight game despite dealing with illness throughout the weekend. His 44-yard catch in the first half was a highlight and led to a field goal.
Jameson Williams had a drop on his first target and lost six yards on his first reception. However, he responded well in the form of a 22-yard catch late in the first half.
Kalif Raymond had two catches for 24 yards but also logged a drop on an open crossing pattern.
Josh Reynolds, who has been a model of consistency, fumbled on his only reception of the game.
Tight ends: A
Sam LaPorta broke a record in the first half with his 41st reception, which passed Charlie Sanders for the most receptions by a rookie tight end in franchise history.
He scored the team's first touchdown late in the first half, breaking a span that saw the team settle for field goals on three trips to the red zone. In total, he accumulated eight catches for 57 yards and a score.
Brock Wright and James Mitchell also got reps. Wright finished with one catch for five yards, while Mitchell did not have a target.
Offensive line: A-
Down three starters, the Lions put on a blocking clinic. They paved the way for the team to gain 222 yards on the ground despite being down their starting center and both starting guards.
Graham Glasgow, who is having a resurgent season, played admirably as the center. It marked the third different position he's started at in the first eight games, as he's also logged starts at both guard spots.
Colby Sorsdal made his first career start, while Kayode Awosika made his second of the season to anchor Detroit's guard spots. Sorsdal was flagged for holding in the second quarter.
The line struggled at points with Maxx Crosby, who was left unblocked on the back side of certain plays as part of the zone blocking scheme. Still, the Lions were able to keep the talented defender in check and steamroll their opponent on the ground.
Defensive line: A
The Lions notched six sacks and made the pocket uncomfortable for Jimmy Garoppolo. Alim McNeill got to him twice, while Julian Okwara got to him once in a strong effort up front.
Aidan Hutchinson recorded two hurries and narrowly missed on a safety in the fourth quarter. Together, the line limited Las Vegas to just 80 yards on the ground.
Rookie Brodric Martin made his NFL debut, recording one tackle in the game.
Linebackers: A
Alex Anzalone recorded two sacks and a tackle for loss to continue his superb start to the year. Jack Campbell, meanwhile, continues to grow at the linebacker position.
The rookie has continued to see plenty of reps and held his own with four tackles. Derrick Barnes, meanwhile, notched two tackles and a forced fumble.
Secondary: A
Jerry Jacobs and Cam Sutton faced a tough test with Las Vegas' pair of talented wideouts in Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. This test was passed with flying colors.
Meyers and Adams had just one catch apiece. After the game, Adams was frustrated after he and Garoppolo failed to connect on a pair of passes on which the wideout was wide open.
Elsewhere, Kerby Joseph recorded his first interception of the season and rookie Brian Branch added six tackles. Tracy Walker III recorded a sack in the fourth quarter.
Special teams: A-
Riley Patterson did a plethora of the scoring, making each of his first four field goal attempts. One of them was a 52-yarder that serves as one-yard short of his career-best.
However, Patterson also missed a 26-yard chip shot on his final attempt of the game.
Detroit nearly struck gold on a kickoff when DeAndre Carter muffed the return and was tackled at the 3-yard line.
Jack Fox punted just once for 48 yards. In the return game, Khalil Dorsey took two kicks for 31 yards while Raymond returned two punts for 18.
Coaching: B
The Lions bounced back strongly from last week's humiliating loss. The defense, in particular, was superb in rattling Jimmy Garoppolo.
The run game stood out on offense, as Gibbs had a career day. However, the struggles in the red zone were noteworthy. Detroit scored just one touchdown in the red zone and was forced to kick field goals on its first three trips to the red zone.
Defensively, Aaron Glenn's secondary did an excellent job containing the passing attack and did equally well putting pressure on the quarterback.
Detroit will enjoy its bye week before a pivotal showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers.
