LIONS GRADES: Everyone gets glowing review in dominant showing

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions (9-1) beat the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-9) 52-6, rewriting many of the franchise’s single-game records in the process.

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery (5) celebrates a touchdown during Detroit Lions vs. Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.

Detroit’s win by 46 points is its largest margin of victory in franchise history. On the flip side, this was the worst loss in Jaguars’ team history, so it was that kind of day for the Lions.

This post will run through MLive Lions beat writer Ben Raven’s grades from the team’s latest win.

Quarterbacks: Jared Goff was back to his stellar, efficient ways in Sunday’s blowout win. The Lions quarterback finished 24 of 29 passing for 412 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions. And with all of the great games he’s had this season, this was his best. Goff finally hit the perfect quarterback rating (158.3), and those 412 passing yards are the most he’s had since joining the franchise.

Goff also ran for a season-high 21 yards on four scrambles, so everything was working against the Jaguars. Hendon Hooker saw more playing time in the fourth quarter, too. The young quarterback was three of four passing for 37 yards in his limited but valuable action. Grade: A

Running backs: David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs finished with a combined 218 total yards and three touchdowns against the Jaguars. Now, that’s a one-two punch. There were killers on the ground and through the air.

Montgomery has scored a rushing touchdown in five straight home games, matching Billy Sims’ franchise record. Gibbs has hit a run of at least 15-plus yards in nine straight contests, the longest streak since Barry Sanders in 1997.

Detroit Lions fans celebrate a third down stop, forcing the Jacksonville Jaguars to punt during Detroit Lions vs Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.

The Lions have two primary running backs, and both continue to hit on nearly every chance they get. Detroit’s offense ran 43 times for 196 yards and three touchdowns, moving the chains via the ground 14 times. Grade: A

Wide receivers: Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown both set new career highs in total yardage. Williams turned four receptions into 124 yards and one touchdown. St. Brown caught all 11 targets sent his way for 161 yards and two touchdowns.

The Sun God was automatic on Sunday afternoon back in Detroit. He extended his streak with a touchdown catch to eight games — a record he broke last week. And he was the focal point of the offense, picking up some of the slack with Sam LaPorta out, making the Jaguars and their defense look lost more times than not. The Lions weren’t in too many holes on Sunday, but St. Brown still managed to move the chains five times on third down. Grade: A

Tight ends: They didn’t stuff the box score, but hats off to Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra and James Mitchell for holding things down. Wright added a touchdown catch to put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Zylstra set the tone with a 22-yard catch on the first play from scrimmage for the Lions. Mitchell held his own in his first taste of action of the season.

LaPorta’s injury wasn’t considered a long-term one. But the Lions have created some stabilizing depth if the stud tight end is forced to miss another game. Grade: A

Offensive line: Taylor Decker was back home at left tackle, and the offensive line was paving rushing holes and looking like themselves. Goff had to spin and scramble his way out of pressure a couple of times. But the Jaguars have most of their talent stocked on the defensive line, so that’s not all that surprising.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26), Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (14) and Detroit Lions wide receiver Allen Robinson (8) celebrate a touchdown with fans in the stands during Detroit Lions vs Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024. The Lions won 52-6.

Still, the Lions averaged 4.6 yards per rush attempt, and Goff was not sacked. The Jaguars landed only two quarterback hits and three tackles for loss, so job well done with the starting five back together. Grade: A

Defensive line: Jacksonville ran the ball 17 times for only 41 yards and a 2.4-yard average per carry. They didn’t have a single rush of 10-plus yards, showcasing an overpowering day from this defense.

Za’Darius Smith made his team debut, got the start and managed to split his first sack to force a late turnover on downs. The Jaguars were getting the ball out quickly and loading the offensive line, and with that sack (shared with Jack Campbell), it was the lone quarterback takedown of the day for the Lions. There wasn’t much pressure. But there wasn’t much of a threat from Mac Jones, so all good. Grade: A

Linebackers: Speaking of depth being tested. The Lions expect to be without starting linebacker and captain Alex Anzalone for the next six to eight weeks. Anzalone suffered a broken forearm in the second quarter of the win. He left with five tackles, including one for loss, on his way to another great showing.

Jack Campbell took over some of his leadership and organizational duties after the injury. Campbell continues to look like an ascending player, leading the Lions with nine tackles, adding a tackle for loss and sharing the sack with Smith.

Malcolm Rodriguez was back in action. Rodriguez will see an increased role in the coming weeks and continues to look like a perfect throwback fit for this group. Grade: A

Secondary: Stud Jaguars rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. made some plays as one of, if not the lone bright spot on the other side. He added five catches on seven targets for 82 yards, with a lone of 24 yards. That said, there just wasn’t much of a threat posed to this secondary.

And when there was? They got the Jaguars off the field, with Kerby Joseph notching his seventh interception of the season to stop a drive in scoring position. Jacksonville’s offense also went two-of-10 on third-down attempts.

Carlton Davis III played with a brace on his hand after breaking his thumb in practice. He was replaced late by Kindle Vildor on the outside. Jones finished 17 of 29 passing for only 138 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. The Jaguars moved the chains only 10 times, so there’s not much to complain about. Grade: A

Detroit Lions running back Sione Vaki (33) and Detroit Lions running back Craig Reynolds (13) warmup during Detroit Lions vs Jacksonville Jaguars at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Nov. 17, 2024.

Special teams: Jack Fox got the day off from punting, and Jake Bates remained perfect on the season (on field goals) with a 54-yard make late in the game. The Jaguars didn’t do much damage in the return phase. And with the Lions defense allowing only six points, there wasn’t much action in that department for them, either. Grade: A

Coaching: The Lions did not play down to their opponent’s level in this one. And after such a gut-wrenching, down-to-the-wire win last week in Houston? That was no easy task. However, this team is built differently, both on the field and mentally, and it all starts with head coach Dan Campbell and his staff.

It’s hard to look more prepared than the Lions did in this dominating win. They set a ton of team records in this one, too, with the largest margin of victory (46), first downs by the offense (38) and net yards of offense (645) among some.

Aaron Glenn’s group hasn’t allowed a touchdown in six straight quarters. Ben Johnson was calling hook-and-ladders in a blowout game in the third quarter, with every call working and looking like it was perfectly timed. Enjoy this one, and don’t take a showing like that for granted, no matter the opponent. Grade: A

 

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