Grades: Lions Defensive Line Steps Up With Five Sacks Against Jets

The Detroit Lions did enough in clutch moments to earn a much-needed win.

After a long break following their Week 2 loss, the Lions overcame some adversity to emerge victorious over old friend Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets.

Here are grades for each Lions position group based on their performance in Sunday's win over the Jets.

Quarterback: A-

Jared Goff had another magnificient showing on Sunday. He displayed plenty of efficiency, completing 25-of-32 passes for 269 yards and a pair of touchdowns. The veteran showed lots of poise, most notably when he quickly drove the offense for a score after the Jets tied the game.

His first touchdown was a well-placed goal-line fade to Amon-Ra St. Brown, who high-pointed the ball and hauled it in. The second went to Gibbs, who drifted toward the sideline on a swing route and dashed into the end zone.

Running backs: B+

Gibbs once again was leaned on heavily, with 27 total touches including 20 carries for 99 yards. He scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and the game-winner through the air with just over two minutes remaining.

The most impressive play he put on tape Sunday was his 17-yard scoring run, where he evaded multiple tacklers and cut back across the field to outrun the defense. Though he had a long of just 17 yards, he was consistently churning for extra yards.

Sione Vaki carried the ball six times for 26 yards, further cementing himself as the second option ahead of Jacob Saylors. Vaki also had an 11-yard reception.

Wide receivers: B+

The Lions got a huge game from Isaac TeSlaa. Entering the game off to a disappointing start, TeSlaa had three huge receptions in Sunday's game. He converted a fourth-down in the first half with a tough catch going to the ground, which led to St. Brown's touchdown.

His biggest catch came in the fourth-quarter, directly after the Jets rallied to tie the game. He hauled in a crossing route and had a big run after the catch, going 49 yards to put the Lions in the red-zone and set up the game-winning score.

Amon-Ra St. Brown caught his fifth touchdown of the season, but had a quiet day otherwise with four total catches for 19 yards. Meanwhile, Jameson Williams notched 49 yards on four receptions.

Tight ends: B

The Lions utilized their tight ends heavily on Sunday, starting with standout Sam LaPorta. The Iowa product had three catches for 44 yards with a long of 28 yards. Brock Wright also got in the mix with two catches for seven yards.

Detroit elected to make Tyler Conklin inactive, setting the stage for Jackson Meeks to contribute as the third tight end. Meeks made his first career catch Sunday, notching an eight-yard reception.

Offensive line: B

The Lions got two big parts of their offensive line back, as starters Christian Mahogany and Blake Miller returned after missing last week's game due to injury. Both had some big blocks, and the group as a whole held up nicely allowing just two sacks.

One of the sacks came on a safety blitz where the offensive line was outnumbered. Penei Sewell had a solid showing once again, and asserted himself during a late-game scuffle after Gibbs was hit late on his game-winning score.

Defensive line: A-

The defensive line had some success getting after Geno Smith Sunday, recording five sacks. The group was led by D.J. Wonnum, who had a breakout game after a slow start to his Lions tenure. Wonnum recorded two sacks Sunday.

Also getting in on the fun were Alim McNeill, Aidan Hutchinson and Skyler Gill-Howard. McNeill and Wonnum recorded back-to-back sacks to force the Jets into a field goal after a red-zone trip, while Hutchinson and Gill-Howard teamed up for a takedown later in the game.

Detroit also did a good job keeping running back Breece Hall in check. Hall averaged just 2.5 yards per carry, notching 32 yards on 13 carries before leaving with an injury.

Linebackers: B

The Lions got a bounce-back game from Jack Campbell, who notched six total tackles including four solos. He also recovered the game-winning fumble forced by safety Chuck Clark. Meanwhile, Derrick Barnes continued his hot start to the season with eight total tackles with one coming for loss.

Devin White was inactive Sunday, leading to more snaps for Malcolm Rodriguez. The Oklahoma State product delivered two assited tackles. Jimmy Rolder made his NFL debut with White inactive, recording an assisted tackle.

Secondary: C

The Lions had their struggles once again on Sunday in the defensive backfield, with Geno Smith throwing for 321 yards on a crisp 31-for-37 clip. Of those completions, 10 went to Garrett Wilson who tallied 107 receiving yards and a touchdown.

In particular, D.J. Reed was targeted often as he struggled once again. Reed was whistled twice for pass interference, including on Wilson's touchdown when the wideout went through Reed's contact to haul in the score.

On a brighter note, the group did come up big late in the game. Chuck Clark forced Smith to fumble on the final drive with a well-timed safety blitz, while Christian Izien notched eight tackles including three for loss in his first start at safety.

Special teams: B+

The Lions got a big return from Jacob Saylors to spark some momentum after a Jets score. Jake Bates connected on his only field goal attempt from 30 yards out, while Jack Fox averaged 42.5 yards per punt on two punts.

Coaching: B

The Lions were aggressive throughout Sunday's game. Campbell noted that he expected it to be a 60-minute battle, and that it was against a former Lions coach in Aaron Glenn.

Kelvin Sheppard's defense had some lapses, particularly in the secondary, but wound up making the clutch play. Despite it not being a perfect effort, the five sacks recorded and clutch stop give the team some momentum to build on.

On offense, the Lions had some unique looks for the Jets' defense. They tried a flea-flicker out of the wildcat that was unsuccessful, and later utilized Skyler Gill-Howard as an H-back. Though they didn't have many explosives, they made just enough plays.

Ironically, the Lions have now scored 31 points in each of their first three games. However, they've scored just seven in the first quarter total through three weeks, so they'll need to work on starting faster.

Next up for Detroit is a pivotal primetime showdown with the Carolina Panthers, who fell to 1-2 with a loss to the Cleveland Browns. It will be a tough road contest for Detroit, but an opportunity for them to build more momentum ahead of their bye week.

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