Lions' Grades: Goff, Receivers Thrash Vikings

The Detroit Lions have now won five of their last six games.

The latest was their most impressive, a 34-23 win over the Minnesota Vikings in which the offense was rolling. The defense had its struggles against one of the NFL’s best receiving corps, but the run defense was stout.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell has found the right moves, after struggling in the first half of the season. The team continued to grow Sunday, and made key plays when it had to in crunch time.

Here are the grades for each positional group, based on the performance of each in Sunday’s game.

Quarterback: A

Jared Goff was excellent through the air Sunday, keeping the offense humming throughout the game. Each time the Vikings would chip away in the second half, Goff led the offense on a key drive to keep the division rival at bay.

The signal-caller was responsible for both first-half touchdowns, as he connected on deep strikes with both Jameson Williams and DJ Chark. He added a third touchdown in the fourth quarter, linking up with wide receiver Josh Reynolds for a score.

Goff has now thrown for eight touchdowns, against zero interceptions, in his last five games. The fully healthy arsenal of weapons has certainly helped, but the seventh-year vet is also playing currently with as much confidence as ever.

Running back: B+

The Lions didn’t have their most productive day in the running game Sunday, as their leading rusher was a defensive back. Still, Jamaal Williams, D’Andre Swift and Justin Jackson teamed up to make a significant impact down the stretch.

Williams finished with 37 rushing yards, on 16 carries, most of which came late in the game as the offense churned away at the Vikings' defense. Swift added 21 yards, on six carries, while contributing 18 yards (on three catches).

Jackson was able to find the end zone on the ground, rushing 15 yards for a score.

Wide receivers: A

Chark continued his post-injury surge, leading the team with 98 yards (on six catches). The veteran wideout hauled in a 48-yard touchdown in the second quarter, to give Detroit a lead it would never lose.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had a solid day, as well, catching six passes for 68 yards. Josh Reynolds was active and involved, catching five passes for 51 yards and a score.

With all that production, there was still rookie Jameson Williams. It was a memorable afternoon for the rookie, as he made his first catch in the second quarter when he ran down the middle of the field and snagged a 41-yard touchdown pass from Goff.

Kalif Raymond also contributed a key third-down conversion catch, while St. Brown converted another third down by taking a handoff.

Tight ends: A

Shane Zylstra had just two catches, but both came at pivotal junctures. On a third-and-4 in the fourth quarter, he hauled in a pass over the middle for 14 yards. He totaled 18 yards, on his two catches.

James Mitchell was not targeted, but contributed in the run game as a blocker. Brock Wright’s only target was an improvised shovel pass from Goff that the tight end wasn’t prepared for, resulting in a drop.

Offensive line: A-

Penei Sewell got to show off his athleticism in the fourth quarter, jumping for a short nine-yard completion that effectively sealed the win for the Lions. After the game, Campbell said the tackle could be a Hall of Fame worthy tight end “if he wanted to lose some weight.”

Aside from that, the team had a solid day up front. Jonah Jackson was called for holding early, but bounced back to have a nice day. Logan Stenberg also performed admirably, stepping in at guard for the injured Kayode Awosika and Evan Brown.

Defensive line: A

Isaiah Buggs and Alim McNeill anchored an excellent effort from the Lions’ unit up front. Buggs made the defensive play of the day, forcing a red-zone fumble on a jump pass attempt by Dalvin Cook on Minnesota’s final drive of the first half.

Each of Detroit’s rookie defensive ends notched a sack. James Houston notched his fourth in just three career games, becoming the first Lions rookie to do that. Aidan Hutchinson, meanwhile, notched his seventh sack -- which leads all NFL rookies -- later in the game.

Linebackers: B

Malcolm Rodriguez notched a tackle for loss amongst his five total tackles, while Alex Anzalone added a team-high nine. Rodriguez also threw an excellent block on the team’s fake punt.

Former Lions tight end T.J. Hockenson was a tough matchup, catching six passes for 77 yards. However, he did have one drop, and fumbled on the game’s final play.

Chris Board notched a pass breakup early, as both he and Jarrad Davis saw increased playing time with Derrick Barnes sidelined due to injury.

Secondary: C+

The Lions’ defense bent plenty, but rarely broke against Kirk Cousins. The Michigan State product, who has historically been very good against the Lions, threw for 425 yards. Justin Jefferson was on the receiving end of 223 of those yards.

Jefferson couldn’t be stopped by any of the coverage options. Jeff Okudah committed two penalties, before bouncing in and out of the game, while Amani Oruwariye and Mike Hughes had rough days.

Jerry Jacobs had the best day of any corner, notching a sack on a well-timed corner blitz.

At safety, DeShon Elliott and Kerby Joseph were impactful. Joseph scooped up the fumble forced by Buggs, while Elliott had six tackles. C.J. Moore recovered the game-ending fumble, and ran for 42 yards on a fake punt.

Special teams: B

An early offsides penalty marked a bad start for the special teams unit, but Detroit's defense answered the bell by stopping the Vikings on fourth-and-1. Yet, Jack Fox offset that when he launched his first punt 66 yards. He finished with two punts for a total of 96 yards.

Kicker Michael Badgley went two-for-three on field goals, missing from 47 but nailing 41-and-48-yard attempts in the fourth quarter.

The big story for the special teams unit, however, was the perfect fake punt in the third quarter. Feeling momentum slipping early in the quarter and holding a seven-point lead, Moore took the direct snap, and went 42 yards around the right side to set up a key touchdown.

Raymond chipped in on special teams, as well, totaling 48 yards on his two punt returns.

Coaching: A

Once again, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson made the right moves at the right time. He dialed up plenty of unique plays at opportune times, including the game-winning pass to Sewell in which the big man was sent in motion and left wide open in the flat.

Defensively, Aaron Glenn’s unit did a masterful job against Dalvin Cook. The star running back was limited to 23 yards (on 15 carries). The struggles in the secondary were obvious, but Okudah was limited and Will Harris was out.

Campbell showed poise in calling the shots late in the game. He was disciplined, as the Lions never forced it in the fourth quarter. Two drives ended with field goals on fourth-and-short, rather than trying to push for a conversion.

The Lions are finding their stride, with the players growing alongside the coaches. As Campbell and company gain experience, a belief in the team’s future continues to grow.

Add us as a preferred source on Google