Detroit Lions' Week 3 Offensive Grades
It was far from a pretty performance throughout all four quarters for the Lions Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.
Yet, they still managed to pull out the 26-23 victory -- their first win since beating the N.Y. Giants on Oct. 27, 2019.
And Matthew Stafford, the man under center and the leader of the offense, played his best football of the 2020 season.
Without further ado, here are Detroit's offensive grades after its Week 3 victory in the desert.
Quarterback
After a rough first two weeks, Matthew Stafford delivered his first solid performance of the 2020 season.
Everything wasn't pretty, as he threw some balls behind receivers and did take four sacks -- some of which can definitely be attributed to poor offensive line play.
However, he did manage to throw for 270 yards and two touchdowns, and he finished with a season-high passer rating of 119.0.
Also and most importantly, he led the Lions on a 10-play, 70-yard drive that set up Matt Prater's 39-yard, game-winning field goal to end regulation.
It marked Stafford's 29th fourth-quarter comeback -- the most in the NFL since he entered the league in 2009 -- and his 35th game-winning drive -- the second-most by an NFL QB in the same span.
It was vintage Stafford on the last drive (4-of-4 for 62 yards), and it earned him his highest grade of the early season.
Grade: B+
Running backs
Adrian Peterson was responsible for the bulk of the carries Sunday afternoon, rushing 22 times for 75 yards, including a game-high 27-yard long run on his first carry of the game.
Detroit's other backs were basically MIA.
Kerryon Johnson rushed three times for 16 yards, and served as more of a blocker than anything else.
Meanwhile, rookie running back D'Andre Swift failed to record a single carry, and was deployed exclusively as a pass-catcher in the Week 3 contest.
Peterson, who has emerged as the Lions' lead back through three weeks, only averaged 3.4 yards per carry, and rushed for just 48 yards on 21 attempts -- a measly 2.3 yards per rush -- after his opening carry of the game.
It'll be interesting to see if Detroit tries to get Johnson and Swift more actively involved in the ground game in Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints.
Grade: C
Wide receivers/tight ends
Sunday was the story of the tight ends.
Second-year tight end T.J. Hockenson continued his steady play, with four receptions for 53 yards. And Jesse James -- where have you been, man? -- came alive, albeit with three receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown.
It was a smart offensive gameplan put together by Detroit offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. He had mentioned during the offseason that he had talked to James about being more involved in the passing game in 2020, and it finally came to fruition in the Lions' Week 3 tilt.
As for the wide receivers, Kenny Golladay played for the first time this season, and put together a solid performance.
He led all Detroit pass-catchers with six receptions for 57 yards and a score.
Sure, it wasn't a monstrous day for Golladay or any of the Lions' receivers -- no one amassed 60 reception yards.
However, it was good to see Golladay back on the field and to see him and Stafford renew their tremendous connection from a year ago.
All in all, it was a solid day from Detroit's receivers group.
Grade: B
Offensive line
The offensive line sure looked shaky in the desert.
The main culprit: Offseason acquisition Halapoulivaati Vaitai, who made his Lions debut on Sunday.
Vaitai started at right guard instead of at right tackle -- the position he was acquired to play at -- and looked out of place throughout the game.
He was responsible for two of the four sacks the line permitted, and also committed a holding penalty which negated Stafford's beautifully thrown deep ball to Marvin Hall in the fourth quarter.
It was the definition of a forgettable performance from "Big V."
And overall wise, it was the weakest performance this season from the O-line.
Grade: D+
Get the latest Detroit Lions news by joining our community. Click "Follow" at the top right of our SI All Lions page. Mobile users click the notification bell. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @detroitpodcast
