Detroit Lions midseason grades: Strong marks across the board, especially on offense
Dan Campbell called this the “perfect” time to have a bye.
The Detroit Lions are at essentially the midpoint of their 17-game season, comfortably atop the NFC North with a 6-2 record and ready to mount up for a nine-game stretch run that could propel them to their first division title in 30 years.
The Lions should return mostly healthy from the break, then face a three-game-in-12-day stretch against the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers before getting another mini-break Thanksgiving weekend.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time,” Campbell said. “I think we’re going to get reinforcements back when we get back for the Chargers that are going to be critical to helping us. Certainly, it’ll only help us. And then we’ve got a number of guys that, just the nature of the way we play, that I think, just to get a little more energy back, get their legs back under them, it’s going to do a number of guys, I think, a lot of good here. So it’s perfect timing.”
Because of where it lands on the calendar, the bye feels like the perfect time to hand out midseason grades, too, and there’s a lot to like about what the Lions have done so far.
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The Lions are one of two teams (along with the Kansas City Chiefs) who rank in the top seven of total offense and defense. They’re getting Pro Bowl-caliber play from their biggest stars. They’ve survived injury woes thanks to a strong bottom of the roster. And they have an advantage over most opponents because of their coaching staff.
Their Week 7 slip-up against the Baltimore Ravens aside, the Lions have played like one of the best teams in the NFL this year and these grades reflect that.
Quarterback
Jared Goff has put together one of the best eight-game stretches of his career and it won’t be a surprise if he is in MVP conversation when the season is done. The Lions are going to win a lot of games, and Goff has put up good (though not quite eye-popping) numbers as their leader. He’s completing a career-high 68.3% of his passes and is on pace to top 4,600 yards for the third time in his career.
Feared to be a bridge quarterback when the Lions acquired him in the winter of 2021, Goff is in line for a mega contract extension after the season. He’s processing the game at a high level, he makes quick decisions off run action, he doesn’t take bad sacks and he’s been resilient enough to bounce back from bad plays and deliver in crunch time.
Goff had his worst game of the season two weeks ago against the Baltimore Ravens, when the wind appeared to impact his performance. He has thrown five interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns. His interception rate (1.7%) is in line with his career numbers, so the picks aren’t too worrisome, but if he can clean up his mistakes in the second half of the season and exorcise some of the concerns about his play outdoors the Lions will be well positioned for a playoff run. Grade: A-minus
Running backs
The Lions had a top-half-of-the-NFL rushing offfense last season for the first time since Barry Sanders’ playing days, then promptly went out and overhauled their running back room this offseason. They signed David Montgomery in free agency, drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round, and through eight games have shown a more diverse, dependable, dynamic rushing attack despite dealing with injuries.
Montgomery missed one September game with a thigh bruise and two more in recent weeks with rib injuries, but he’s proven to be a tough between-the-tackles runner with 385 yards and six touchdowns. He has 13 broken tackles in five games, according to Pro Football Reference, and had 113 yards after contact in a single game against the Packers, according to the NFL’s NextGen Stats. But he also has two fumbles.
Gibbs, who missed two games with an ankle injury, hasn’t been quite as consistent, but he’s coming off a breakout 26-carry, 152-yard rushing day against the Las Vegas Raiders. Gibbs plays at top speed all the time and has shown more power than expected, with six broken tackles in the Lions’ Week 1 win over the Chiefs. He hasn’t been quite as dynamic a receiver as expected (5.9 ypr), but he leads the Lions in rushing (76 carries, 399 yards) and defenses clearly respect for his playmaking ability. Craig Reynolds (41 carries, 179 yards) has been a productive No. 3. Grade: A-minus
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Receivers/tight ends
Amon-Ra St. Brown improved in every statistical category from Year 1 to 2, and he’s made another leap this fall. St. Brown leads the Lions in receptions (57) and yards (665) despite missing a week with an abdominal injury. He’s remarkably consistent and is Goff’s go-to target in times of need. Josh Reynolds has been a dependable No. 2 despite his own injury issues. He’s given the Lions a viable deep threat at 18 yards per catch and delivered some of the game’s biggest plays in their upset of the Chiefs.
Kalif Raymond (18 catches, 231 yards) hasn’t had many opportunities as the Lions’ No. 3 receiver — he’s had more than four targets in a game once all year — but he’s caught most of what’s been thrown his way. The Lions have gotten minimal production from the rest of the receiving corps, though. Marvin Jones had five catches and two drops before he was released last month, and Jameson Williams struggles to catch the ball with his hands and track it in the air, which are less than ideal traits to have as a wide receiver. Campbell and others on the Lions’ coaching staff have said all the right things to downplay Williams’ struggles, but he’s been a disappointment in limited action this season and can’t be trusted right now in big spots.
Tight end has historically been one of the toughest positions for rookies to make an impact in the NFL, which makes what second-round pick Sam LaPorta is doing all the more impressive. LaPorta (43 catches, 434 yards) had a couple quiet games against top-tier linebacking corps from the Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but has otherwise been a steady intermediate target and capable run blocker. He has run-after-the-catch ability and he leads the Lions with four receiving touchdowns.
The Lions have gotten little production from their other tight ends, and Brock Wright is one of the lowest-graded tight ends by Pro Football Focus. As a unit, the Lions have had too many drops — 19, according to Pro Football Reference, with LaPorta and St. Brown (four each) leading the way. Grade: B-minus
Offensive line
It’s remarkable the Lions have been as efficient as they have on offense given the turnover they’ve had on the offensive line. They’ve started seven different combinations in eight games and Penei Sewell is the only Week 1 starter who has not missed time with injury. Sewell is an athletic freak and one of the best all-around tackles in the game. He’s been flagged five times this season (four times for holding, including once on a penalty that nullified a sack he allowed) but is right up there with St. Brown and Goff as the Lions’ best offensive players this season.
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Graham Glasgow won’t grade as highly as Sewell, but he’s been just as valuable in his own way. He’s made starts at all three interior line positions and I thought he was the Lions’ best lineman in their Week 6 win over the Bucs. Left tackle Taylor Decker has allowed four sacks this season according to the Free Press’ charting of plays, but he deserves extra credit for gutting through an ankle injury that’s nagged him since Week 1 and kept him out of two games.
Like Decker, center Frank Ragnow has been a constant despite a degenerative toe condition that costs him practice time. He has some occasional slips in pass protection, but he hasn’t allowed a sack this season and he’s always on top of his line calls. The Lions have gotten less consistent play from the second guard spot. Jonah Jackson has missed three games with an ankle injury, Halapoulivaati Vaitai looks to be on his last legs and rookie Colby Sorsdal has been solid for a fifth-round pick but remains clearly a work in progress.
Collectively, the line has played a huge hand in the Lions’ rushing success and I’ve faulted them for only 11 of the team’s 17 sacks allowed (including the one nullified by penalty). Grade: A-minus
Defensive line
The sum has been greater than the parts with the Lions defense in many ways as the unit has been very good against the run and on third downs but has only a few standout individual performers. Aidan Hutchinson and Alim McNeill have been the most consistent forces up front. Hutchinson was NFC Defensive Player of the Week after a two-sack game against the Falcons. He has a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and an interception to go with 4.5 sacks this season, and his 28 pressures are two fewer than he had all of last year, according to Pro Football Reference.
McNeill (four sacks) is the only other defensive lineman with more than two sacks. He’s been the team’s best interior run defender and pass rusher, and has been disruptive inside in every game but a Week 2 loss to the Seahawks. The rest of the Lions’ interior line has been less consistent. Isaiah Buggs was inactive to start the year and again last week against the Raiders, Benito Jones has one tackle for loss in eight games and rookie Brodric Martin has barely played.
The Lions have not gotten much production from their edge defenders other than Hutchinson, though Julian Okwara has flashed some pass rush ability. John Cominsky’s contributions often go unnoticed running pass rush games on the line to free up Hutchinson and others, but Charles Harris and Romeo Okwara have been mostly non-factors.
As a group, the Lions need to do a better job rushing the quarterback. They have 21 sacks this season, but have five games with one or no sacks and sometimes rely too much on the blitz because they don’t win enough one-on-ones. Grade: B
Linebackers
Alex Anzalone is having the best year of his career after moving full-time from middle to weakside linebacker, and he’s right up there with Hutchinson as the Lions’ defensive MVP. He leads the Lions with 57 tackles, including five for loss, has three sacks and four passes defensed. By changing his position, the Lions have reaped the benefits of Anzalone’s coverage abilities and have been able to unleash him more as a blitzer.
Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell have split time at the middle linebacker position. Barnes doesn’t make as many splash plays as Anzalone — one sack, one forced fumble, two tackles for loss — but he’s been a key cog in the Lions’ second-ranked rush defense and rebounded from a poor game against the Ravens with one of his best performances of the year last week against Las Vegas.
Campbell struggled against the Ravens, too, but the Lions like him enough to try to wedge him into the rotation at times at strong side linebacker. He generally seems to be around the ball and always plays hard, though teams have used his aggression against him at times.
“We all love that player to death because every little thing matters to him and every mistake he takes it to heart, and you really try to get that player to get onto the next play because he cares so much,” defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn said. “So like that player has to play as much as possible because he’s a damn good player.” Grade: A-minus
Defensive backs
The Lions are a middle-of-the-pack pass defense at 220.1 yards per game, and while coverage is goes hand-in-hand with pass rush, the secondary has let too many players roam free in recent weeks, even if quarterbacks Baker Mayfield and Jimmy Garoppolo have not been able to get them the ball. Collectively, the group needs to be better with its eye discipline going forward, and the safety position in particular can help by making more impact plays.
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Cam Sutton has limited opponents to 55% completion percentage on balls thrown his way, though he has one pass deflection and zero interceptions on the year. Jerry Jacobs leads the Lions with three picks. He baited Bryce Young into one of those turnovers, got a second off a deflection and a third from a coverage call. He seems to be all the way back from the ACL injury that cut into his 2022 season, though he did have a rough game against DK Metcalf and the Seahawks and he leads the Lions with seven penalties.
Rookie Brian Branch has handled slot cornerback duties with aplomb. He took a Patrick Mahomes interception to the house in Week 1 and had 11 tackles, including three for a loss, against the Falcons. He’s a hard hitter with great football instincts who should start for a long time.
At safety, Tracy Walker let a couple potential interceptions slip through his hands early, and Kerby Joseph final got one on a terrible throw by Garoppolo last week. Secondary coach Brian Duker said teams have been reluctant to challenge the Lions deep down the middle of the field because of Joseph’s range. C.J. Gardner-Johnson played well in two game before suffering a torn pectoral muscle. He could be a difference maker if he returns in the playoffs. Grade: B
Special teams
The Lions have an edge on special teams over most teams they face, even though their place kicking remains suspect. Riley Patterson is a respectable 11 for 13 on field goals, but he shanked a 26-yarder last week and he doesn’t offer much from distance. Patterson has attempted just two kicks of 45-plus yards this season with one make.
Jack Fox’s numbers don’t jump off the page punting, with averages of 45.5 yards gross and 42.4 yards net. But he’s mostly avoided touchbacks (one in 27 punts, 13 of which have landed inside the 20) and he’s one of the reasons the Lions are one of the best kick cover teams in the NFL. The Lions have forced opponents to return a league-high 17 kicks this year, while most of the rest of the league is in single digits.
Raymond is a solid punt returner. He’s yet to break a big return this year, but the Lions rank 10th in punt return average and are top-10 in both kick and punt return against. Jalen Reeves-Maybin (seven tackles) has been the Lions’ best special teams player this season, and Chase Lucas and Khalil Dorsey also have shined in that role. As a team, the Lions have committed six penalties in the kick game. Grade: A-minus
Coaching
Dan Campbell set the tone for the season early in Week 1, when he called a fake punt from his own 17-yard line against the Chiefs. Reeves-Maybin converted for a first down, and the Lions marched down the field and scored a touchdown. They have not tried a fake since, but Campbell’s trust in his players and aggressive approach are big reasons why he is a favorite for Coach of the Year.
According to the analytics site Sumer Sports, Campbell leads all NFL head coaches in win percentage gained through his decision making. You can quibble with his clock management late in regulation against the Seahawks, though I was on board with his approach. But beyond the in-game decisions, Campbell and his staff have had players ready and at the top of their game every week except against Baltimore.
Coordinators Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn will be top candidates for head coaching jobs in January, and both have done a good job navigating injuries and maximizing their young talent. The Lions have had some red zone struggles on offense, but Johnson has been his usual creative self designing plays and incorporating motion into his sets. And while they looked ill-prepared for Jackson defensively, Glenn bottled up a good Chiefs offense in Week 1 and has gotten continual growth out of his unit. Grade: A-minus
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions midseason grades: Strong marks on offense, defense
