The Detroit Lions went into Lambeau Field and beat the Green Bay Packers 24-14 on a rain-soaked day, strengthening their hold on top of the NFC North through the first nine weeks.
This post will run through MLive Lions beat writer Ben Raven’s grades from this latest victory:
Quarterbacks: Jared Goff continues to turn perceived knocks against his game into misconceptions. He’s been money against pressure for two years running and is fresh off another impressively efficient performance in the terrible conditions outdoors in the November elements of Lambeau Field.
Goff was 18-of-22 passing for 145 yards and one touchdown. Those numbers aren’t going to blow anyone away on the surface. But he protected the ball and hit on the chances he was able to take, including a picture-perfect dime on the fourth-down touchdown toss to Amon-Ra St. Brown. Goff and St. Brown’s connection is hitting ridiculous levels of automatic, with the pair connecting for a completion on the last 30 targets sent the Sun God’s way. Grade: A
Running backs: Where have we heard this one before? David Montgomery helped set the tone early, and Jahmyr Gibbs took over after that. It’s the bread and butter of this offense, and these two running backs continue to make impactful plays. Montgomery carried the ball 17 times for 73 yards with a long rush of 12 yards. He added three catches on three targets for 23 yards, too, for another day over 100 yards from scrimmage.
Gibbs hit the big one on fourth-and-1, taking it 15 yards to the house to put the Lions up 24-3 in the third quarter at the time. The second-year running back watched as Penei Sewell moved the defensive line outside and hit his gap with a vengeance. He added one catch for 11 yards in the big win and continues to bring the perfect flavor to this team’s physical offense. Grade: A
Wide receivers: Nothing about what Amon-Ra St. Brown is doing is easy, no matter how much he makes it look that way. He’s secured 30 straight targets sent his way, something NFL Next Gen Stats gives a 0.0001% — or (or one in 780,000) — chance of happening. He’s also caught a touchdown in six straight games, tying Herman Moore’s franchise record from 1994.
St. Brown’s touchdown came on a magnificent route on a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line early in the second quarter. He didn’t get the separation he wanted, but Goff put the ball on the money, and the receiver was able to get his toes on the field to put the Lions on top. There wasn’t else much going on in this room, though. Allen Robinson added a 2-yard catch to move the chains on a third-and-short for his first reception with his hometown franchise. Tim Patrick caught two passes for 12 yards. Kalif Raymond caught one for 12 yards, and that was that from the receivers.
Jameson Williams is set to be reinstated from his two-game suspension for next week’s game against the Houston Texans. Grade: A-
Tight ends: The blocking from the tight ends continues to be strong and a difference maker, including Gibbs’ score on fourth down in the third. Sam LaPorta caught two balls for 28 yards, and Brock Wright caught his lone pass for 1 yard. LaPorta’s 19-yarder downfield was the second-longest play of the day by a Lions pass-catcher. Grade: A-
Offensive line: Detroit’s offensive line was back to looking like the ultimate strength it is in Green Bay. Penei Sewell was moving bodies on the fourth-and-1 touchdown run by Gibbs. Jared Goff was sacked only once. This group had a clean, penalty-free day despite playing in hostile territory and terrible weather, which is no easy task. That lone sack came when it appeared Sewell might have slipped because, other than that, it was an outstanding day.
The rushing attack was right where it needed to be, accounting for 124 yards on 32 carries. Those numbers took a hit, with Raymond losing 12 yards on the ugly reverse attempt and Goff kneeling the ball to close out the win. Grade: A
Defensive line: The Lions need something for their pass rush; no ifs ands or buts about it. They didn’t get home to Packers quarterback Jordan Love all day, and the lone defensive line accounted for only one quarterback hit (Alim McNeill). Love attempted 39 passes as the Packers were playing from behind most of the day, so that’s not a great look. Green Bay also ran for 138 yards on 23 attempts, with Josh Jacobs looking like a man on a mission on the first drive.
There isn’t much more we can say about the situation. The depth and coaching have been put to the ultimate test, so hats off to the defense for filling in the gaps behind this toothless pass rush over the last couple of weeks. Grade: C+
Linebackers: Speaking of men on a mission, it felt like Jack Campbell’s name was being called at Lambeau with every other play. The second-year linebacker finished with a team-high 10 tackles, adding three on special teams to boot. Campbell and Alex Anzalone have kept the bar high in the linebacker room despite losing Derrick Barnes and being without Malcolm Rodriguez on Sunday. Anzalone also had the only other quarterback hit on Love.
There were some containment issues, and the Packers were able to slip their tight ends through for a couple of solid plays. But this linebacker group continues to keep the cap on the bottle, flying around the field and setting a physical tone. Some things need cleaning up, no doubt. However, with the lack of depth and getting no push from the defensive line, this group deserves some credit. Grade: B+
Secondary: Kerby Joseph. I could stop right there, honestly.
Joseph notched the 14th interception of his career in the middle of Year 3 and took it all the way to the house for his first pick-six. He said it was his first touchdown since playing receiver. And while the hands were there, this play speaks to the all-around growth Joseph has shown in this secondary. He appeared to be on the blitz, changing directions, before making a read on the quarterback, stopping to make the tough catch in traffic and then taking it all the way for a game-altering touchdown before halftime. The Packers had the ball late in the first half, trailing only 10-3 before the costly interception.
And that play couldn’t have come at a better time. Brian Branch had just been ejected earlier in the quarter for a helmet-to-helmet hit and let his emotions get the best of him after the disqualifications with the double-bird to Lambeau.
Love managed 273 yards despite the sloppy conditions and the fact that his receivers dropped six (!) passes on the day. The Lions haven’t dropped six passes on the year, for an idea of how terrible that was. Opportunity knocked, and the Lions opened the door with open arms. Grade: B
Special teams: Dave Fipp’s crew didn’t carry the team to victory like they did last week. But they also avoided making a costly mistake while keeping the expectations sky-high for this group. Jake Bates hit his lone field-goal attempt and all three extra points. Isaiah Williams added a 36-yard kickoff return, and Khalil Dorsey managed 30 years for another solid day in that department.
The Lions also let Green Bay’s onside attempt go flying out of bounds, avoiding the human desire to be a hero and make a play on the ball. Jack Fox continues doing Jack Fox things, scooping a low snap and still rocking it 60 yards downfield. The punter averaged a clean 50 yards on his four attempts. Grade: A-
Coaching: Dan Campbell and Co. continue to have these Lions ready for any opponent, any environment, any type of game and with any level of adversity thrown in their way. As we’ve said about some of the players, nothing about that is easy, so don’t take it for granted. When teams win games like this, it starts with the coaching and week of preparation.
The Lions are already operating with Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes and others. Brian Branch had stepped into an all-important versatile role and was playing like one of the best defensive backs in the game. To lose Branch via an ejection in the second quarter and to not bat an eye? That’s impressive, and a large portion of Detroit’s fanbase owes Aaron Glenn an apology for not appreciating his work as defensive coordinator. Glenn needs some more firepower, though, and time is ticking for a deal to get done.
Campbell lost his lone challenge of the day. And while there was online hand-wringing from home about the decision, everything about the play in the stadium looked like a much closer call than what was shown on the broadcast. Campbell might have missed that gamble. But it’s worth noting that both of the team’s offensive touchdowns came on fourth-down plays, while the Packers continued to settle for field-goal attempts on the other side.
That’s three straight wins on the road against the Packers for the first time since 1986-1988. The 7-1 start is Detroit’s best since 1995. The Lions have opened their defense of the NFC North crown with road wins against the division’s other top two teams. Grade: A
