Lions' Week 3 Grades: Offense Performs, Campbell's Poor Decision Proves Costly
The Detroit Lions came up short in a close loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
After controlling the game for the majority of Sunday afternoon, the Lions squandered opportunities, and ultimately lost, 28-24, to their NFC North rivals in a heartbreaker Sunday.
Here are the grades for each position group, based on their performance in Sunday’s loss.
Quarterback: B
Jared Goff continues to look both efficient and comfortable in offensive coordinator Ben Johnson’s scheme. The signal-caller finished 25-for-41 for 277 yards, a touchdown and a late interception in the loss.
Goff completed three separate fourth-down passes, rifling completions to Josh Reynolds and Amon-Ra St. Brown in clutch situations. He also showcased mobility and extended plays when his protection broke down.
His interception came on a desperation throw, as he heaved a deep ball in the direction of DJ Chark that was picked off by Josh Metellus. That play served as a disappointing end to what was otherwise a solid display by Detroit’s quarterback.
Running backs: B+
D’Andre Swift remained banged up, and carried the ball just seven times for 31 yards. He limped off the field at one point, but remained in the game. He totaled just 46 yards of offense between rushing and receiving.
In Swift’s absence, Jamaal Williams stepped in as the main ball-carrier. The sixth-year running back battled his way to 87 yards rushing and two scores (on 20 carries). Additionally, he caught three passes for 20 yards.
The BYU product scored touchdowns of two and 13 yards, and was hit for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the second.
Williams converted one fourth down, but was stuffed short on another in the fourth quarter. He was also tackled for loss on two consecutive plays, before rushing for 14 yards on a third-and-long on Detroit’s second-to-last offensive drive.
Detroit totaled 139 yards on the ground in Sunday’s game, a sign of efficiency despite the limited production of Swift.
Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY Sports
Wide receivers: B
The drop issues that had plagued the Lions’ wideouts throughout the first two games were absent. Josh Reynolds notched a season-high in production with 96 yards, which is the most he’s had in a Lions uniform.
Reynolds converted two fourth downs, with catches of 16 and 15 yards. Meanwhile, St. Brown converted another, highlighted by a hurdle near the goal line. For the first time this season, St. Brown was held without a receiving score, as he finished with six catches for 73 yards.
Jeffrey Becker, USA TODAY Sports
DJ Chark was also a formidable target, finishing with three catches for 46 yards. Kalif Raymond also caught a 4-yard pass.
Tight ends: B-
T.J. Hockenson notched his first touchdown of the 2022 season, on a 5-yard out route. Yet, his overall production was once again limited. The fourth-year pro finished with just 18 receiving yards (on three catches).
Hockenson struggled to get open, and had just four targets on the day. Shane Zylstra was overthrown on his only target.
Offensive line: B+
Down two starters once again, the Lions' offensive line continued to produce run lanes. In total, the Lions notched 139 rushing yards in the loss, behind two backup guards in Evan Brown and Dan Skipper.
Penei Sewell had plenty of good moments, including paving the way for Williams’ fourth-down conversion. However, the unit missed a key block on Williams’ second fourth-down rush in the fourth quarter, that caused him to be tackled for a loss.
The unit prevented Goff from being sacked. The pocket wasn’t always clean, and Goff had to maneuver at points. Yet, the group kept the signal-caller upright, despite being without two key pieces up front.
Defensive line: D
After an excellent day against Washington, rookie Aidan Hutchinson was notably absent from Sunday’s stat sheet. The rookie recorded just one quarterback hit and finished without a tackle in the loss.
The defensive line failed to record a sack, as the only takedown of Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins came from linebacker Alex Anzalone. Charles Harris notched the unit’s only tackle for loss, while Michael Brockers had a pass defensed.
In addition to Cousins’ time in the pocket, Minnesota’s run game gashed Detroit’s defense. Dalvin Cook finished with 96 yards rushing before leaving with an injury, and backup Alexander Mattison totaled 28 yards and a score on seven carries.
The lack of pressure and inability to neutralize the run made Sunday a day to forget for Detroit’s defensive line.
Linebackers: C+
Alex Anzalone led the Lions in tackles and produced the only sack in a solid effort. The veteran linebacker had 10 tackles and sacked Cousins on a delayed blitz in the fourth quarter.
Rookie Malcolm Rodriguez continued his upward trajectory with eight tackles, seven of which were solo stops. Chris Board added four tackles.
Some of the struggles against the run fall on this unit, however, as Anzalone and Rodriguez both missed tackles at points against Cook.
Secondary: F
Jeff Okudah had another solid performance. The third-year corner locked down Justin Jefferson, one of the NFL’s top young receivers, limiting him to just 18 yards on three catches. That effort will be overshadowed by the struggles of his cornerback counterpart Amani Oruwariye.
The Penn State product was called for six penalties in the afternoon, a number of them being illegal contact penalties against Minnesota’s Adam Thielen. Theilen finished with 61 yards and a touchdown on six catches and would have totaled more had Oruwariye not committed penalties.
The biggest news out of this game, however, is that starting safety Tracy Walker III went down early with an injury. Following the loss, head coach Dan Campbell said the injury didn’t look good for the fifth-year safety.
Cousins threw for 260 yards against the Lions’ secondary, with the biggest play being a 28-yard scoring strike to K.J. Osborn that came as the result of a missed coverage by slot cornerback Mike Hughes.
Special teams: D
Austin Seibert missed two field goals, including a key 54-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter. His first miss came at the conclusion of the team’s first drive, as his 48-yard attempt bounced off the upright.
Jack Fox punted three times, averaging 44.7 yards per. His second two attempts were both low line drives. Just one of his punts pinned the Vikings inside their own 20.
Coaching: F
Campbell will have his decisions questioned over the next week. The head coach elected to go for it on six different fourth downs, with four resulting in successful conversions. Yet, his decision to kick a field goal late in the game will haunt him.
With the Lions leading by three points, with 1:14 remaining in the game, Campbell elected to try for a 54-yard field goal, rather than roll the dice one more time. The field goal went wide right, and Minnesota promptly drove 56 yards, in three plays, to win the game.
After the game, Campbell admitted he regretted the decision, and Goff said he wished he had been more adamant about wanting to try and convert the fourth down.
Campbell’s decision-making didn’t win over any fans. His aggression is what has led him to be revered by many. But, the choice not to do so late in the loss ended up costing his team in an otherwise valiant effort.
