Lions' Week 16 Grades: Tim Boyle Starts in Place of Goff, Comes Up Short in End

The Lions once again came up empty in Week 16.

Traveling to Atlanta, Dan Campbell and the Lions fought for 60 minutes behind backup quarterback Tim Boyle. In the end, the team fell short, with Boyle throwing an interception on the Falcons’ 1-yard-line with 0:33 remaining.

Detroit falls to 2-11-1 following the 20-16 loss, while Atlanta improves to 7-8. Here are SI All Lions’ positional grades following the loss.

Quarterback: D+

Boyle stepped in when starter Jared Goff tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. It was the second career start for the Eastern Kentucky product. He finished 24-for-37 for 187 yards, a touchdown and the costly interception in the fourth quarter.

The fourth-year quarterback performed much better in his second start than in his first, a 15-for-23 performance that resulted in just 77 passing yards and two interceptions. On Sunday, he was unspectacular but efficient.

The tough part for Boyle was his inability to get the ball downfield. He struggled to air it out vertically, instead opting for short passes throughout the afternoon. His touchdown pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown went for 27 yards, but there was a significant amount of work done by the rookie receiver after the catch.

The Lions’ signal-caller falls just short of a passing grade, as a result of his inability to get the job done. After the Lions were handed a gift when Jalen Reeves-Maybin stripped Russell Gage, Boyle threw a pick deep in the red zone, while looking for a heavily covered receiver.

Running backs: C

Although the team was once again without D’Andre Swift, Jamaal Williams returned to action after missing two games. This took some of the workload from Craig Reynolds, who was underwhelming after two straight solid performances.

Williams did what was needed of him, averaging 4.1 yards per carry and finishing with 77 yards on 19 attempts. He proved himself as the necessary workhorse back, though he was kept quiet for most of the afternoon.

Reynolds finished with a measly 29 yards on 11 carries. Despite the struggles on the ground, he did catch three passes, and made himself useful in other ways.

Godwin Igwebuike did not carry the ball after two straight games with a fumble, and rookie Jermar Jefferson was inactive upon Williams’ return.

Wide receivers/tight ends: B-

Detroit’s pass-catchers made the most of their situation, finding ways to be effective with a backup calling signals. The biggest story remains St. Brown, who has made a late push to become the top option in the receivers room.

The rookie from USC finished with nine catches for 91 yards and a score, which required an impressive second-effort and some help from teammate Josh Reynolds. Kalif Raymond and tight end Brock Wright each caught three passes, though neither did much after the catch and finished with a combined 16 receiving yards.

Reynolds had two receptions for 36 yards, and continues to be a reliable threat stretching the field, though not much of that was done against the Falcons. KhaDarel Hodge hauled in a fake-punt pass from punter Jack Fox, and Tom Kennedy caught two passes for 16 yards.

Offensive line: B-

The effort from the Lions up front was not the same as it was a week ago, when the team pummeled the Cardinals. However, the unit was solid for most of the afternoon. The group did not allow a sack on Boyle’s 34 pass attempts, and it surrendered just two hits to its signal-caller.

The downside was the penalties, as Taylor Decker and Jonah Jackson were each hit with a false start penalty. Jackson’s seemed to be crucial, as it came on a fourth-and-1. Yet, Campbell wasn’t fazed, and called for a fake punt on the following play.

The Lions held the ball for 16 more minutes than the Falcons did, and much of the credit for that goes to the offensive linemen. However, there were also key blocks missed on runs that could’ve helped to spring either Reynolds or Williams for big, pivotal gains.

Defensive line: B-

After starting with a bang, the defensive line was rarely heard from again. The unit got three sacks on the Falcons’ opening drive, two of which came from the defensive line. Alim McNeill and Austin Bryant each got to Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan within the game’s first six plays.

The Lions did a good job against the run, holding running back Mike Davis to just 28 yards on seven attempts. However, it struggled to get home for much of the day, and Ryan felt little pressure making throws.

Defensive end Charles Harris was exploited in coverage late, getting beaten by tight end Hayden Hurst for what wound up being the game-winning touchdown pass.

Linebackers: B+

Without starter Alex Anzalone, Jalen Reeves-Maybin showed he is capable of being a steady presence in the middle of the team’s defense. He finished with eight tackles and a forced fumble on the Falcons’ penultimate drive, which gave the Lions a chance to win the game.

Derrick Barnes registered his first career sack on the game’s first play, chasing down Ryan on a scramble. Reeves-Maybin and Anthony Pittman, who finished with five tackles, each broke up a pass.

Secondary: C+

Rookie cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu was introduced to do-it-all receiver Kyle Pitts early on, as Pitts beat him for a 35-yard gain. Other than that, the Syracuse product was good in coverage after getting the start for Amani Oruwariye. With the latter done for the season, the rookie will get plenty of looks in the season’s final two games.

Will Harris also started at cornerback, playing out of position because of all the injuries to Detroit’s corners. He was beaten by Gage for a first down on a third-down play, but held his own for most of the afternoon.

Dean Marlowe recovered Reeves-Maybin’s forced fumble, and finished with three tackles. Tracy Walker III, meanwhile, had four tackles.

Pitts had the big day, gashing the secondary with six catches for 102 yards. Nobody else, however, made too much noise.

Special teams: B

Fox averaged 54.5 yards on his two punts, and dropped one inside the 20. But, the story for him will be the 21-yard connection with Hodge on a fourth-and-6 in the second quarter. With the completion, he became the highest-passing punter for Detroit since Tom Skladany in 1980.

Riley Patterson remains perfect on the year, hitting three field goals and making his lone extra-point attempt. He’s now seven-for-seven on field goals and eight-for-eight on extra points.

On his lone punt return, Raymond raced 19 yards to set Detroit up with good field position. Meanwhile, Igwebuike went for 25 yards on the only kick return attempt he got.

Coaching: C+

Campbell continues to improve as a play-caller with the help of Ben Johnson, the team’s tight ends coach who has become the passing game coordinator. The team had creative play designs, as St. Brown and Raymond both took handoffs and lined up in the backfield on occasion.

The head coach helped himself with the decision to fake a punt in the second quarter. However, the decision to kick a field goal down seven late in the fourth quarter, while deep in Atlanta territory, was questionable. Down 20-13 with 2:38 remaining, Campbell elected to end a 17-play drive with a field goal, rather than risk going for it on a fourth-and-6.

The decision paid off in some capacity, as Reeves-Maybin forced a fumble on the ensuing drive. However, the team ended up losing the game on Boyle’s interception. Campbell defended his decision to kick in his postgame press conference.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn designed yet another effective scheme, but the Lions' secondary caved in the later stages as the Ryan-to-Pitts connection began to take over. The Falcons scored on four consecutive drives, and ultimately had answers in key situations.

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