Lions' Week 14 Offensive Grades: Offense Disappears in Third Quarter
The Lions were unable to win a second straight game with Darrell Bevell leading the way on the sidelines, falling to the Green Bay Packers Sunday, 31-24.
But, the team, as a whole, still performed at a higher level than it did the last time it played against the Packers, which came in Week 2 when Matt Patricia was still at the helm.
Matthew Stafford had a second consecutive solid game, although he was unable to finish the contest due to a rib injury.
Without further ado, here are my grades for Stafford and Detroit's entire offensive attack after their Week 14 loss to Green Bay.
Quarterbacks: B+
Stafford matched the potential 2020 NFL MVP in Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers score-for-score for much of the contest.
And he also played a clean game of football, throwing for 244 yards, a touchdown and zero interceptions.
He had to exit the contest prematurely in the fourth quarter due to an aforementioned rib injury, and when he did, veteran backup Chase Daniel entered the game.
Daniel proceeded to lead the Lions on a scoring drive that resulted in a Matt Prater 32-yard field goal, which cut Detroit's deficit to seven, 31-24.
Overall, the Lions' quarterbacks contributed a solid performance, and gave the team a chance to pull off the Week 14 upset win.
Running backs: C
D'Andre Swift was back in the lineup, after missing three straight games.
He finished the Wk. 14 tilt with seven rushes for 24 yards and a score, to go along with four receptions and 26 yards, including a 17-yard catch.
It was a slow day for Detroit's backs, as Swift, Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson totaled just 34 yards on 13 carries.
As a whole, the Lions' rushing attack, including a Jamal Agnew 11-yard rush and a six-yard scamper from Stafford, amassed 51 yards and two scores on 15 carries, good for an average of only 3.4 yards per rush.
I'm interested in seeing if Swift will get more opportunities on the ground a week from now against the Tennessee Titans. I think giving the rookie back more carries is the only way in which Bevell will receive an improved output from the ground game.
Swift carries the ball during the second quarter against the Packers.
Raj Mehta, USA TODAY Sports
Receivers/tight ends: C+
It wasn't the prettiest stat day from Detroit's pass-catchers, as slot receiver Danny Amendola led all Lions receivers with 66 yards.
Speaking of pretty, it looked like Marvin Jones Jr. hauled in a big 35-yard grab near the sideline in the fourth quarter. However, it was ruled incomplete.
Although the replay showed that he managed to get both feet down before going out of bounds, upon further review, the officials declared that the call on the field stood, and the should've-been beautiful catch from Jones went for naught.
Jones was limited to four catches for 48 yards and no scores in the contest, while being manned primarily by Packers standout cornerback Jaire Alexander.
T.J. Hockenson hauled in the lone TD catch of the afternoon, tying him with Jones for the team lead in reception touchdowns (six).
Whoever ends up lining up under center next Sunday against the Titans will definitely need more production out of this position group.
Offensive line: C-
It wasn't one of the offensive line's signature games of the 2020 campaign.
The line allowed Stafford to be sacked four times, and did not do a tremendous job of opening up holes for the running game.
Matt Nelson got the first start of his career, and accounted for both some positive and negative moments.
He got beat by Rashan Gary for a second-quarter sack of Stafford, and committed a holding penalty late in the fourth quarter that negated a Daniel rushing TD.
On the flip side, he did make a key block on Swift's second-quarter, goal-line score.
It was an uneven day from Nelson, and he, along with the rest of Detroit's O-line, should be expected to perform better in the team's final three games.
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