Grades: Lions' Offense Bombs, Jared Goff Regresses
After competing hard for three quarters Sunday, the Detroit Lions failed to capitalize on opportunities to win their Week 7 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys.
Trailing, 10-6, in the fourth quarter, the Lions had the football, facing a first-and-goal situation at Dallas’ 1-yard line. What followed was a fumble, marking the first of four straight drives that ended in Lions turnovers.
The effort led to a 24-6 defeat, dropping the Lions to 1-5 in 2022.
Here are the grades, following the loss, for each position group.
Quarterback: F
Jared Goff’s early season mojo was nowhere to be found, as the Lions' offense went a second straight game without a touchdown. The unit turned the ball over five times in the second half, four of which were attributed to Goff.
The signal-caller only threw five incompletions, finishing 21-for-26. Yet, he only averaged 8.8 yards per attempt, and his longest pass went for 23 yards. He was also sacked five times in the loss.
He threw two costly interceptions, the first on a second-and-2 deep shot on the first drive after halftime. The second came in the fourth quarter, with Detroit down, 10-6, when he was picked off by Jourdan Lewis near midfield.
Each of Detroit’s final two series ended with Goff fumbles, as the result of sacks. The effort was indicative of all of the Lions' struggles, as his inability to take care of the ball hampered the offense’s progress.
Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports
Running back: C-
Once again, Detroit was without D’Andre Swift. Jamaal Williams served as the starter and produced solid stats, but his fourth-quarter fumble ultimately became the turning point of Sunday’s loss.
Trailing, 10-6, Williams fumbled at the goal line. The turnover, which marked the first time in his career he’d lost a fumble, ended a near-8:00 drive, and came one play after a controversial spot left Brock Wright short of the goal line.
Williams finished with 79 yards on 15 carries, while Craig Reynolds and Justin Jackson were limited contributors in relief. Reynolds finished with 12 yards on four carries, while Jackson had just two yards on three carries.
Reynolds was a contributor in the passing game, as well, catching three passes for 18 yards.
Wide receivers: C
Detroit’s wide receivers were held mostly in check Sunday, as just four receivers caught passes from Goff. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught just one pass, and took a hit to the head at the end of the play, which ended his day.
Josh Reynolds, who had been Detroit’s best receiver during St. Brown's and DJ Chark’s absences, was covered primarily by Trevon Diggs, and was limited to just one catch. He was the intended target on Goff’s first interception, which was underthrown.
Kalif Raymond paced the receiving corps with 75 yards, and pitched in 20 rushing yards on two carries, as well. Tom Kennedy caught two passes for 14 yards.
Tight ends: B
T.J. Hockenson and Brock Wright were both major parts of the passing game, as they combined for eight catches. Wright totaled 57 receiving yards, and brought his team within a yard of the goal line in the fourth quarter, when he scampered 17 yards on a screen pass.
Hockenson, meanwhile, caught four of his five targets for 48 yards. He was steady as a blocker, as well, chipping in along with Wright and rookie James Mitchell to slow Dallas’ talented pass rushers.
Offensive line: D
Micah Parsons presented a tough challenge for Detroit’s offensive line. Penalties were an issue throughout the afternoon, as Evan Brown and Taylor Decker combined for four that hurt the Lions’ offensive momentum.
Brown’s first holding penalty negated a third-down conversion by Williams, while he and Decker were later flagged for holding calls during a three-play stretch in the fourth quarter.
Dallas eventually cracked the code, however, as Goff was sacked a total of five times. Each of the Lions’ final two drives ended with strip-sacks. Parsons beat Decker on the Lions’ final offensive play of the game, punching the ball free from Goff.
Parsons was all over the defensive line, and second-year tackle Penei Sewell seemed to hold his own when matched up against the budding star.
Defensive line: C
The Lions looked much improved from prior weeks, holding Dallas to just three first half points. Rookie Aidan Hutchinson looked rejuvenated and finished with 1.5 sacks, splitting one with linebacker Alex Anzalone.
Hutchinson registered three quarterback hits while Alim McNeill notched one and Julian Okwara posted a tackle for loss. However, Dallas still ran for 139 yards led by Tony Pollard’s 12-carry, 87-yard effort.
Dallas’ offensive line controlled the second half, as the Cowboys posted two straight touchdown drives aided by short fields as a result of turnovers. The Lions struggled to get to the mobile Dak Prescott and posted just two sacks.
Rookie Josh Paschal made his NFL debut and posted two tackles. He also aided Jeff Okudah on a tackle for loss by setting a hard edge and forcing Ezekiel Elliott outside.
Tim Heitman, USA TODAY Sports
Linebackers: C-
Alex Anzalone finished with seven tackles and .5 sacks, but committed a crucial pass interference penalty that extended a key Dallas scoring drive.
The linebackers once again struggled in coverage against the Cowboys’ tight ends, as three different options combined for eight catches. Dalton Schultz led the team in receptions with five, posting 49 yards including a 15-yard catch where he beat Anzalone.
Malcolm Rodriguez finished with four tackles including a tackle on special teams that broke up what looked to be a big return for KaVontae Turpin.
Secondary: B-
Prescott was held to just 207 yards passing in his return from a thumb injury. CeeDee Lamb finished with a team-high 70 yards, while Noah Brown had five catches for 50 yards.
Detroit’s secondary had a mostly good day, led by Jeff Okudah, DeShon Elliott and Kerby Joseph. Okudah paced the defense with 15 tackles, while Elliott was second with nine. Joseph, meanwhile, nearly picked off a pass in the second quarter and forced a fumble with the defense backed into its own red zone.
Jerry Jacobs made his season debut and was flagged for pass interference in the end zone, while A.J. Parker spent plenty of time as the team’s slot corner. Amani Oruwariye was back in action, recovering Joseph’s forced fumble and finishing with five tackles.
Special teams: B
Recently extended punter Jack Fox averaged 48 yards on his three punts. Detroit had some trouble covering those punts though, as Turpin ripped off a 52-yard return in the third quarter.
Kalif Raymond had just one punt return for the Lions, a 13-yard dash. Detroit finally found some success in the kicking game, as Michael Badgley hit both of his field-goal attempts.
Coaching: C+
The decision not to challenge the spot where Wright was marked down early in the fourth quarter sparked criticism, though another look at the play showed that the tight end was short. Either way, the turnover on the next play doomed the Lions.
Detroit defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s unit looked much improved for most of the afternoon, though the defense certainly bent and broke at times. The efforts of Okudah and Joseph are reasons for optimism.
On the offensive side, turnovers cast a dark shadow on what was a very quiet day. Outside of two first-half field-goal drives, the unit was rendered scoreless. Goff turned the ball over four times, while losing St. Brown in the first quarter took away plenty of the team’s big-play potential.
The Lions were competitive for most of the afternoon, but crumbled at key moments. Expect the personnel changes teased in recent weeks to continue, as the coaching staff looks to find the best way to use the players it has.
