Lions' 2022 Week 1 Grades: Lions' Coaches Must Improve
Though the Detroit Lions turned their season opener into a competitive battle, their efforts weren’t enough to win against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Detroit scored 14 fourth-quarter points, but the defense couldn’t stop a quarterback sneak by Jalen Hurts on fourth-and-1, with less than 2:00 to play. Ultimately, the Eagles emerged victorious, 38-35, Sunday at Ford Field.
Here are the grades for each position group, based on their performance in the Week 1 loss.
Quarterbacks: C-
Jared Goff led a touchdown drive on the opening series, but struggled through the first half. A low point came near the end of the second quarter when he was mixed up with T.J. Hockenson on an out-and-up, making a throw too early that resulted in a pick-six for James Bradberry Jr.
The second half was much better for the signal-caller, but there were still mistakes sprinkled in. Running back D’Andre Swift made his life easier by making several big plays.
In the fourth quarter, Goff finally found a stride with DJ Chark. He hit the wideout for a contested touchdown grab, and also connected with Amon-Ra St. Brown for a score earlier in the game.
In the end, the final stat line of 215 yards and two scores against one interception, on 21 completions, isn’t atrocious. Yet, there is still plenty of room for improvement, if the Lions are going to reach their full potential.
Running backs: A-
Swift was exceptional from the start for the Lions Sunday, taking his first carry 50 yards to set up the first of two rushing scores for Jamaal Williams.
Sunday ended with the third-year running back totaling a career-high 144 rushing yards, on 15 carries. He scored a 7-yard touchdown on the ground, while also totaling 31 yards on three catches.
Williams, meanwhile, scored two 1-yard touchdowns, and finished with 28 yards rushing on 11 carries. On the negative side, however, he dropped a short pass from Goff in the third quarter.
Wide receivers: B
Drops were an issue all around on Sunday, as Chark and Josh Reynolds each had tough drops in key situations. In Reynolds’ case, the Lions were forced to punt following the drop, ending a key fourth-quarter drive.
St. Brown led the unit in both receptions and yards, hauling in eight passes for 64 yards and a score. He held his own as a blocker, too, with a key hit that sprung Swift on his first carry.
Chark had an impressive second half that reminded fans why he was brought to Detroit. His top highlight came when he hauled in a contested throw in the end zone that trimmed his team’s deficit to just three.
Reynolds had just one catch for 28 yards, with his drop looming large. It’s clear, however, that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has confidence in his wideouts’ abilities to make plays downfield.
Tight ends: B
T.J. Hockenson was an important part of the passing game, but he too had a drop near the sideline. He was also called for holding on a stretch run to his side.
As a pass-catcher, he had four catches for 38 yards. He helped convert a third down on the opening drive, and later notched a 16-yard catch-and-run that set up the team’s first score of the second half.
Backup tight end Brock Wright didn’t catch a pass, but had a nice cut block that sealed an EDGE defender on Swift’s touchdown run.
Junfu Han DFP, USA TODAY NETWORK
Offensive line: B+
The Lions entered the game with uncertainty surrounding its offensive line, though it wound up being a simple fix. Frank Ragnow played center, while Logan Stenberg plugged in for the injured Halapoulivaati Vaitai at guard.
The results were mostly good, as Detroit averaged 6.5 yards per carry on the ground. Goff was sacked only once, which came as the result of a fumbled snap. Outside of that, the unit was mostly clean.
The starters played penalty free, with the exception of Stenberg committing back-to-back false starts. Making his first career start, the Kentucky product had a nice downfield block on a big reception by Swift in the fourth quarter.
Defensive line: D
The Eagles’ running game was a force against Detroit’s young defensive line. In addition to Jalen Hurts’ success scrambling, the trio of Kenneth Gainwell, Miles Sanders and Boston Scott combined for 126 yards.
Hurts gave the Lions plenty of problems. Despite going 0-for-5 on his first drive, he led the team into the red zone, thanks to his ability to scramble. He routinely made defenders pay for getting too far up field, as he maneuvered around and past several pursuing tacklers.
Rookie Aidan Hutchinson finished with one tackle in his debut. He was able to create pressure early on Hurts, but couldn’t corral the speedy quarterback to complete a sack. Isaiah Buggs was perhaps the best lineman defending against the run, using his size to plug lanes and finishing with three tackles and a pass deflection.
Putting pressure on Hurts wasn’t an issue early, but bringing him down was. Detroit deployed a package of four defensive linemen on third downs, but the grouping couldn’t bring down Philadelphia’s quarterback.
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Linebackers: D
Detroit rotated its various linebackers throughout the afternoon, starting the game with Derrick Barnes, Alex Anzalone and Malcolm Rodriguez. Chris Board also played plenty and sped up Hurts into an incompletion during the second quarter.
Rodriguez impressed in his debut, using his physicality to toss around blockers and pursue ball-carriers. He finished with six tackles, including one for loss. Anzalone, meanwhile, had nine tackles, including a TFL in the red zone.
The unit struggled with the Eagles’ RPO game, as Hurts distracted defenders with his ability to run. The Eagles made most of their money with short or in-between passes off play action, with Detroit’s linebackers biting too often on run fakes.
Secondary: C-
Philadelphia acquired star receiver A.J. Brown on NFL Draft night, giving Hurts a true top target. Brown made his presence felt in his debut, catching 10 balls for 155 yards.
Amani Oruwariye struggled as the defender primarily shadowing Brown. Jeff Okudah, meanwhile, defended DeVonta Smith, and didn’t allow a reception on four targets. The former No. 3 overall pick finished with 10 tackles.
When Okudah left the field near the end of the first half, Hurts connected with Brown for a 54-yard pass against Will Harris.
Tracy Walker III recorded Detroit’s only sack attempt on a safety blitz, and finished with 13 tackles. His day ended early, however, as he was ejected for throwing a punch in the third quarter.
Kirthmon F. Dozier, USA TODAY Sports
Special teams: B
Punter Jack Fox averaged 46.3 yards on his four punts, two of which pinned the Eagles inside their own 20. Kicker Austin Seibert wasn’t called upon to kick a field goal, but nailed all five extra-point attempts.
There wasn’t much to speak of in Detroit’s return game. Nobody returned a kick, while Kalif Raymond returned three punts for just 15 yards.
Coaching: D
The toughness and competitive nature that has been a staple of Dan Campbell’s teams was on full display. After facing a 38-21 deficit, the Lions buckled down, and rallied to take the game to the final minutes.
It was the first game in which offensive coordinator Ben Johnson served as the play-caller, and his gameplan was effective. Goff was throwing to open receivers, while Swift and Williams had plenty of room to run.
Johnson wasn’t afraid to call for downfield shots or draw plays in key situations, an indication of his belief in his team.
Defensively, it wasn’t a good story. Coordinator Aaron Glenn didn’t deploy a spy on Hurts, which allowed the middle of the field open for scrambles. Hurts finished with 90 yards on the ground, while creating big plays in the passing game as a result of RPOs.
