Lions Grades: Offensive Rally Can't Mask Defensive Disaster

The Detroit Lions were exposed defensively in front of a national audience.

The Lions were picked apart by Bryce Young over the course of the game, and couldn't do enough on offense to keep pace with the Carolina Panthers. The result was a 32-26 defeat, which drops the Lions to 2-2 on the season.

Here are grades for each position group in Sunday's game.

Quarterback: B

Jared Goff had a big game through the air with the run game struggling for most of the evening. Goff finished with 412 passing yards and a touchdown, but it ultimately wasn't enough as the team came up short on the final drive.

Goff remains without a turnover through the first four games of the season, but missed in key situations and had his final pass to Isaac TeSlaa come up one yard short resulting in a turnover on downs.

Running backs: C

Jahmyr Gibbs added a rushing touchdown to his tally, but with the team playing from behind was relegated to mostly a receiving option in the second half. He was held to a season-low 46 rushing yards on 15 carries as the Panthers made a concerted effort to keep him in check.

Gibbs did have an impressive pass-protection rep, as he stepped up into the hole to pick up a blitzing linebacker to give Goff time to throw on one second-quarter snap. Sione Vaki contributed with a 17-yard reception but did not have any carries.

Wide receivers: B-

Jameson Williams had his struggles with drops, but came up big to lead the team with a season-best 102 receiving yards on six catches. Williams had multiple big catches, but narrowly missed what could've been a touchdown in the first half when a pass from Goff appeared to go through his hands.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight catches for 75 yards, while Isaac TeSlaa had his second-straight big game with 95 receiving yards on four catches. It was TeSlaa who had the biggest grab of the night, as he hauled in a 57-yard catch in the third quarter to set up a field goal.

Tight end: B-

After news broke earlier in the day that the Lions and Sam LaPorta had broken off contract extension talks, LaPorta made his case for a hefty pay day. The Iowa product hauled in eight passes for 84 yards and a touchdown.

Brock Wright had an early penalty, but had a big block to help spring Gibbs for a chunk play in the first half and also had an eight-yard reception.

Offensive line: C-

The Lions were up-and-down in the trenches offensively. Despite the Panthers having one of the league's worst run defenses, they couldn't get Gibbs going on the ground. There were also some concerning snaps where Goff had passes batted down at the line.

Tate Ratledge had a critical false start that pushed the offense back five yards on a critical fourth-down in the fourth quarter.

In the second half, the Lions didn't face a ton of pressure as the Panthers elected to devote more players to pass coverage. Goff was only sacked once, which came on the final drive of the game.

Defensive line: C

Alim McNeill had a strong start, notching a sack on the Panthers' first drive to get his third on the season already. He would add a tackle for loss and two quarterback hits to his tally throughout the game.

Aidan Hutchinson was held without a sack, and faced two and sometimes three players on his way to rush the quarterback on a snap-to-snap basis. D.J. Wonnum was also quiet, though he did have a big stop on a Bryce Young scramble to give the Lions one more chance at the end of the game.

Linebackers: D-

Detroit's linebackers struggled with spotty tackling and were poor in pass coverage throughout the night. Jack Campbell continued a troubling start to the season by failing to make an impact, as he was beaten in coverage by failing to get to his drop zone in time on multiple occasions.

Carolina routinely took advantage of some struggles with discipline, as Young was able to hold the linebackers with play-action fakes and roll out to connect with tight end Darren Waller on multiple occasions.

On a brighter note, rookie Jimmy Rolder recorded his first career tackle for loss on the first defensive series of the game.

Secondary: F

The Lions were gashed through the air by Young, who entered the game with one of his top receivers being placed on injured reserve earlier in the week. However, Young quickly got going with Tetairoa McMillan who dominated the Lions.

At one point, McMillan had recorded a catch with seven different defenders covering him over the course of the game. He had 147 receiving yards by halftime, and finished with two scores and 192 yards. Young threw for 329 and garnered MVP chants by the game's conclusion.

D.J. Reed was beat on McMillan's first touchdown, while Christian Izien was beat on the second. Rock Ya-Sin exited the game with a hamstring injury and was ruled out, which could lead to the team being in need of further reinforcements depending on the severity of the injury.

Izien recorded a sack, while Ennis Rakestraw had a nice pass breakup to force the Panthers to settle for a field goal in the fourth quarter.

Special teams: C

Jake Bates connected on both of his field goal attempts, including a 54-yard boot on the team's first possession. However, that attempt was nearly made longer as they had Juice Scruggs run on late and were forced to take a timeout.

Special teams woes continued in the second half, when a big stop was nearly derailed by a running into the kicker penalty by linebacker Trevor Nowaske. The penalty was ultimately declined because it was five yards and not 15, which saved the group from further issues.

Coaching: D

The Lions will have some tough evaluations to endure after another primetime disappointing performance. Defensive coordinator Kelvin Sheppard had few answers for the Panthers' passing attack, as Young's connection with McMillan dominated the game.

Elsewhere, the staff had some uncharacteristic miscues from an operation standpoint. A player ran on late prior to Bates' first field goal which forced the team into a timeout. Then, they were forced to take a delay of game penalty in the fourth quarter that turned a fourth-and-15 into a fourth-and-20.

Offensively, the Lions were efficient through the air but couldn't convert in some big situations. They opted for a hook-and-ladder on their fourth-and-20 in Carolina territory, but the trick play came up unsuccessful.

Ultimately, the team has to find more answers as they prepare for a gauntlet following the bye week in Week 6. Next week's game against the Cardinals will be Detroit's last before the bye, and offers them a chance to reclaim some momentum before two straight divisional games after the bye.

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