Detroit Lions grades: Alex Anzalone keys linebackers' standout performance

TAMPA, Fla. — Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett grades the Detroit Lions in their 20-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium.

Quarterback

Jared Goff threw for a season-high 353 yards with two touchdowns, but didn’t find his rhythm until the second half. Goff missed a couple throws early, including one to Amon-Ra St. Brown on a first down in the second quarter and two more passes to Sam LaPorta before halftime. Goff settled down in the second half, when he threw touchdowns to St. Brown and Jameson Williams. He finished 30-for-44, did not have a turnover for the second straight game and helped keep the offense out of negative plays against a defense that has one of the most complex blitz packages in the NFL. Grade: B-plus.

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Running backs

The Bucs came into Sunday’s game determined to stop the run, and they did, holding the Lions to 40 yards with a long gain of 8 yards. David Montgomery had just six carries for 14 yards before injuring his ribs when he was tackled from behind on a 19-yard screen pass. With Jahmyr Gibbs out, Craig Reynolds and Devine Ozigbo finished the game at running back. Reynolds had the biggest offensive play of the game, coming from out of the backfield to lay a huge block on Carlton Davis that sprung Amon-Ra St. Brown for a touchdown. He also had a 28-yard catch on a third-and-4 in the third quarter, but was late getting to a blitz pickup on Lavonte David’s first half-ending sack. Grade: B-minus.

Receivers/tight ends

There isn’t a better receiver in the NFL at making tight-window catches than St. Brown. On one third-and-3 conversion in Sunday’s fourth quarter, St. Brown was so covered he didn’t appear to get vision on the ball until it hit him in his hands. He finished with 12 catches for 124 yards in his return from an abdominal injury, and Josh Reynolds delivered three big catches for 50 yards. Reynolds reached behind him to grab one third-and-10 pass just before halftime and he had a key block on a bubble screen to St. Brown. Jameson Williams and Sam LaPorta had back-to-back drops in the third quarter and St. Brown had a costly holding penalty that wiped out a third-and-1 run for a first down, but Williams made a difficult twisting catch on the goal line for his first touchdown of the season. Grade: A-minus.

Offensive line

Whether it was Goff or the offensive line, the Lions had some trouble identifying Tampa’s pass rush early. Still, they allowed only three sacks on 47 dropbacks against one of the best defenses in the NFL. Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow were out front making big blocks on Montgomery’s 19-yard catch and Penei Sewell, Josh Reynolds and Sam LaPorta had the key blocks on Craig Reynolds' long catch-and-run. Collectively, the Lions didn’t get much push in the run game, though they often were outflanked up front numbers-wise. Sewell and Decker did have false start penalties, but Kayode Awosika held his own in his first start of the season at left guard in place of the injured Jonah Jackson. Grade: B-plus.

Defensive line

The Lions had another standout day against the run, holding the Bucs to 46 yards rushing (with only 35 of those yards coming from running backs). Isaiah Buggs made the defensive play of the game, getting his hands up to deflect a Baker Mayfield pass in the first quarter that turned into a Will Harris interception. Julian Okwara tipped another Mayfield pass at line of scrimmage and had a sack of a scrambling Mayfield late in the fourth quarter. The Bucs maximized their protection schemes to keep the Lions’ pass rush at bay, but collectively the line didn’t make enough plays in the backfield (one tackle for loss). Grade: B-plus.

Linebackers

Alex Anzalone had a huge game to key the Lions’ defensive effort. He made nine tackles, seven of them solo, had one tackle for loss and broke up two passes. Anzalone, playing in front of his parents after their recent return from war-torn Israel, had a pass deflection in man coverage on White on Tampa’s first third down on the game, when Aidan Hutchinson pressured Mayfield off his spot. Jack Campbell had seven tackles, including one when he shook off a blocker to make a lunging stop on White after the running back tried to cut back across field after catching a ball in the flat. Tampa’s running backs and tight ends combined for five catches for a mostly insignificant 35 yards. Grade: A.

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Defensive backs

As good as the Lions were defensively Sunday, the Bucs did have several chances for big plays in the pass game. Mike Evans was wide open behind safety Kerby Joseph for a potential touchdown on the play Buggs tipped for an interception. Evans dropped a would-be third-and-12 conversion in the second quarter when he found a soft spot in the Lions’ zone, Mayfield missed a wide open Trey Palmer on the first play after the two-minute warning when Joseph or Tracy Walker did not get enough depth on their drop. Harris got beat on an over route for a 21-yard gain on a third-and-7 conversion, was called for defensive holding on the same second-quarter drive and got beat another long incompletion to Palmer in the second half. Walker made six tackles and had a thunderous hit on Chris Godwin in the fourth quarter, Jerry Jacobs had a tackle-for-loss while showing good instincts on a bubble screen and broke up a pass to Deven Thompkins with good inside technique when he nearly had his fourth interception in three weeks. Grade: C-plus.

Special teams

Jack Fox had his first touchback of the year late in the first quarter, when Thompkins faked Lions gunners Dorsey and Chase Lucas into believing he was going to field a punt at the 15 that hit at the five and rolled into the end zone. But Fox nailed two huge punts in the second half, including one that left-hooked out of bounds at the 2-yard line. Riley Patterson missed his first kick of the year, pushing a 52-yarder wide right, but made from 30 and 36 yards. Jalen Reeves-Maybin had a big hit on kick coverage and nearly blocked a punt, Kalif Raymond averaged 11 yards on three punt returns, though he fielded two of them inside the 5. And Ifeatu Melifonwu was called for a holding penalty on a punt in the first quarter. Grade: B-plus.

Coaching

The Lions are undefeated on the road this season, with wins over three of the best teams on their schedule. That’s not easy to do, and it’s a credit to Dan Campbell and his staff that the team has been able to navigate tough environments (despite frequently friendly crowds) and get contributions from players from the top to bottom of the roster. I thought Campbell made the right decision to accept an offensive pass interference penalty on Evans after a third-and-1 incompletion in the third quarter. The Bucs were in position to try and convert on fourth-and-1. Instead, Mayfield threw incomplete on third-and-11 and Tampa settled for a field goal. I didn’t mind Patterson’s long field goal try, either, though he could have punted given Tampa’s struggles moving the ball. The Lions threw the ball more than they wanted to, but that seemed prudent given their struggles on the ground. And Aaron Glenn’s defense had another strong overall day. Grade: A.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions grades: Linebackers, coaches get top grades vs. Bucs