Week 14 Grades: Illness and Injury Bug Destroy Chances of Being Competitive
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With so much missing, Detroit didn’t have much of a chance.
Already shorthanded, the Lions took the field Sunday against the Denver Broncos, set to do the best with what they had. The result was a competitive first half, leading to a second-half shellacking.
Several key contributors were inactive to start, with two more leaving the game with injury. It was not ideal by any circumstance.
With the loss, Detroit falls to 1-11-1. Here are the team's positional group grades following the loss.
Quarterback: D
Jared Goff once again struggled to move the offense. After leading back-to-back scoring drives to pull the Lions within four, 14-10, the unit stalled out, and was held scoreless in the second half.
He finished 24-for-39 for 215 yards, a touchdown and an interception. The pick was a costly one, as he misfired on a pass to Brock Wright. Broncos safety Justin Simmons intercepted the pass, thwarting the Lions' last chance at scoring in the final quarter.
Goff also made crucial mistakes that ended a 16-play drive. First, he tripped on a dropback on second-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The following play, he missed Wright. The drive ended when he couldn’t connect with practice-squad tight end Shane Zylstra.
The offense was certainly shorthanded, but its quarterback didn’t help the cause. One bright spot was a 7-yard touchdown to Kalif Raymond on a well-designed fake reverse.
Running backs: C
Without starters D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams, the unit was sapped of its usual production. To combat this, the Lions elevated preseason standout Craig Reynolds from the practice squad. Reynolds joined Godwin Igwebuike and Jermar Jefferson as the only active backs.
The Kutztown product stole the show Sunday, rushing 11 times for 83 yards and catching one pass for 14 yards. He ripped off a 35-yard rush early on the touchdown drive.
Igwebuike, on the other hand, was rendered ineffective. He ran for 25 yards on eight carries, and lost a fumble on the first drive of the second half. Had he not been out of bounds, he would’ve lost a second near the goal line.
Jefferson did not see a significant amount of action in Week 14.
Wide receivers/tight ends: C-
Among the list of inactive players was top target T.J. Hockenson, who missed the game with an injury. This paved the way for another solid showing from rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown, who finished with 73 yards receiving on eight catches.
Outside of St. Brown, it was a quiet day for the wideouts. Raymond scored the team’s only touchdown, but caught just four passes for 31 yards. Josh Reynolds made the most of his opportunities, going for 52 yards on three catches.
In Hockenson’s absence, Wright took over as the main tight end. He caught three passes for 20 yards, and did a good job as a run-blocker. Zylstra, who was promoted from the practice squad, was active for just the second time in his career, and caught two passes.
Offensive line: D+
Down to its third-string center, the Lions' offensive line was a patchwork outfit Sunday. Starting at center was Ryan McCollum, who began the season on the Houston Texans' practice squad.
He didn’t have the best of afternoons, surrendering a sack on the opening drive. McCollum was also called for holding on a third-down conversion attempt.
The guards, Jonah Jackson and Halapoulivaati Vaitai, generated a strong push for Reynolds in the run game, but also struggled to keep the Broncos' pass rush out of the backfield. Goff was sacked twice, and had four passes deflected at the line.
Taylor Decker was penalized for a false start. Penei Sewell, meanwhile, did a good job against Bronco defensive end Bradley Chubb.
Defensive line: F
Denver wasted no time in establishing its run game, bullying Detroit’s defensive line in the process. The Broncos' offensive line, featuring the likes of Dalton Risner, Garett Bolles and Quinn Meinerz, among others, mashed Detroit. Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon combined for 184 yards and three scores.
One bright spot for the unit was rookie Alim McNeill’s first career sack, the only one registered by Detroit’s defense. However, it surrendered 4.7 yards per carry, and did little to stop Denver’s two-headed monster in the backfield.
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Linebackers: D+
Already without so much, the Lions lost Alex Anzalone to injury on the second drive of the game. This loss, paired with that of Julian Okwara and Jalen Reeves-Maybin, depleted the unit of experience.
In stepped Josh Woods, who promptly finished with 13 tackles while handling the responsibilities usually assigned to Anzalone. That’s where the positives end, though, as the rest of the group struggled.
Derrick Barnes was beaten by tight end Noah Fant for a long gain early, and was dragged by Williams for a big gain. Jesse Lemonier gave Denver five free yards at the end of the first half, when he was called offsides on a spike play.
Defensive backs: C
Without Tracy Walker III, the Lions recalled veteran Nickell Robey-Coleman from the practice squad. He was thrust into action early when Jerry Jacobs suffered what appeared to be a serious knee injury on the game’s opening drive. Robey-Coleman had a pass breakup, but also a pass interference.
Will Harris was productive, breaking up a pass while playing the slot corner position. The unit missed Walker, though, as replacement Jalen Elliott was a step late in coverage several times on connections between quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and his tight ends.
Special teams: B
Jack Fox punted just twice, averaging 53 yards per boot. On his second attempt, three coverage men missed tackles, as Diontae Spencer returned the ball past the 20-yard line.
Riley Patterson remained perfect on the year, hitting his only field-goal attempt from 36 yards out. In the return game, Raymond was tackled for a 4-yard loss, after reversing field on a punt.
Coaching: C+
It wasn’t easy for Dan Campbell to coach a team missing 20 percent of its active roster. He tried to make the best of what he had at his disposal, but what he had didn’t end up being very good.
He was his usual aggressive self, going for it on every second-half fourth down. The touchdown to Raymond was an excellent play-call, showing he is developing as a play-caller.
On the defensive side, coordinator Aaron Glenn kept the team in the game for a half by slowing down Denver’s offense after two touchdowns. Yet, he didn’t have an answer in the second half. Then again, it wasn’t easy, missing so much talent on both sides of the ball.
