Lions' Week 5 Grades: Offense Lacks Excitement, Defense Steps Up Late
For a moment, it was euphoria.
The Detroit Lions, showing the grit and guts of their head coach Dan Campbell, came back to take a one-point lead, after looking dead in the water for the better part of 60 minutes.
Exactly 37 seconds of game time later, all of it went down the drain.
Detroit was handed its second gut-wrenching, 19-17, loss in three weeks, this time at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions went down after fighting hard, yet were unable to overcome another slow start.
Here are the positional grades for the Lions after their Week 5 loss.
Quarterbacks: D
Jared Goff leads the league in fumbles, with six. He coughed up that sixth fumble with the Lions on the move in the second quarter. With Detroit on the outskirts of field-goal range in the third quarter, Goff fired an ill-timed interception that killed the drive.
Although he nailed the most important throw of the day, on a 2-point conversion pass attempt to KhaDarel Hodge, Goff once again showed his limitations. There is little downfield action to speak of with the former Los Angeles Rams QB at the helm, and the turnovers have become tougher to justify.
For the third straight game, the Lions went without a first-half touchdown. It’s becoming a broken record, but the Lions need better production from the quarterback position in order to be successful.
Running backs: B+
When the Lions' offense needs big plays, the best place to get them is from the running backs. Between D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, the Lions get plenty of production game after game.
On Sunday, Swift was once again over 100 yards of total offense on 17 touches, while Williams was the leading rusher. The Lions, if they want to continue to be competitive, need to establish their identity on the ground.
Both backs have been proficient in both the running and passing game. Should this continue to be the case, look for them to get even more touches as the season goes on.
Wide receivers/tight ends: C-
The receivers get a passing grade but not much more. The Lions are incredibly limited in the downfield passing game, as mentioned earlier. And, Sunday’s game further proved that.
Goff has proven he struggles with having to make a bunch of tight-window throws, which puts the responsibility on the receivers to create separation. T.J. Hockenson was also quieted by the Vikings' defense, with just 22 yards on two catches.
Amon-Ra St. Brown had another nice day, with seven catches for 65 yards. Yet, Quintez Cephus was sidelined with a shoulder injury that may be serious. If he’s unable to go for a while, it will be another blow to this offense that is struggling to stay healthy.
Matt Blewett, USA TODAY Sports
Offensive line: C
On any other day, allowing four sacks might warrant a worse grade. However, for a Lions offensive line unit that is playing without two starters, there is a one-time pass.
Evan Brown made his first career start at center, arguably the most important position on the offensive side, and performed well. He battled against that stout Vikings defensive line, and held his own.
It was a rough day for rookie Penei Sewell, though, who allowed two sacks to Everson Griffen. One of those sacks resulted in a fumble. Yet, even Sewell was dealing with an injury that limited him during the week in practice.
Defensive line: B-
With Dalvin Cook out, Minnesota was forced to turn to backup running back Alexander Mattison. The Lions bent but didn’t break against the run game, allowing over 100 yards but no significant big plays.
Levi Onwuzurike and Alim McNeill played like they wanted more snaps, turning in good performances on the defensive interior. Nick Williams also had another decent game.
This is a young unit, but one that can continue to improve. After getting beaten up by the Bears in the run game a week ago, the bend-but-don’t-break mentality was a step in the right direction.
Linebackers: B
The release of Jamie Collins has created opportunities for several linebackers to take on bigger roles. None have benefitted more perhaps than Jalen Reeves-Maybin. Once believed to be simply a special teams ace, Reeves-Maybin made the play of the day, when he stripped Mattison and gave the Lions the ball deep in Viking territory late in the game.
Alex Anzalone also took a step forward in this one, intercepting a pass after a deflection by Tracy Walker. Charles Harris was also a bright spot, getting a sack for the fourth straight game, after not playing in the season opener.
There were still some struggles in pass coverage against Mattison, who had 40 yards and a touchdown on seven catches. Yet, there was progress for a position group that is very young and limited when it comes to experience.
Secondary: B
Aside from struggles with covering Justin Jefferson, the Lions' secondary played well for the most part against Minnesota. Walker had his best game of the season, as did Will Harris.
Walker finished with a team-high nine tackles and a pass breakup, which turned into an interception. Harris finished with five tackles, and undrafted rookie cornerback AJ Parker finished with seven tackles.
As with the linebacking unit, there have been struggles throughout the season. Sunday, though, was a step in the right direction. This group could’ve scored even higher, however, if not for the struggles late in prevent defense.
Special teams: B+
Jack Fox continued to stake his claim as one of the best punters in the game, with his performance Sunday. He averaged 51 yards a punt, with a long of 67 yards. Yet, the punt coverage team couldn’t down a key punt inside Vikings territory late in the game, which resulted in a touchback.
Kicker Austin Seibert, in his first game off the reserve/COVID-19 list, hit all three of his field-goal attempts. One of those kicks was from 52 yards out, the longest field goal by a Lions kicker this season.
