The Lions’ PFF grades from the preseason loss in Pittsburgh are not pretty
Pro Football Focus finished the unenviable task of rewatching every single player on every snap of the Detroit Lions preseason loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. There were some real standouts who played well, but too many abysmal grades from players who should perform better, too.
The top five overall Lions grades from the game (minimum 10 snaps):
CB A.J. Parker 90.8
DE Levi Onwuzurike 90.5
DT Miles Brown 83.3
OLB Robert McCray 77.2
RB Craig Reynolds 77.1
Parker and fellow rookie Derrick Barnes each topped the 90.0 mark in their individual coverage grades, which is regarded as elite. No other Lions defender broke 70.
At the other end of the grading spectrum, the bottom five:
OLB Austin Bryant 29.9
RT Penei Sewell 35.7
LB Jahlani Tavai 37.6
LT Matt Nelson 37.9
CB Bobby Price 40.4
The offensive line scored poorly almost across the board. With regular standouts Taylor Decker and Frank Ragnow resting, four of the five players who started on the line on Saturday scored below 46.5. Only right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai and his 64.0 topped the 50 mark, and Big V played just 11 snaps. Dan Skipper did earn a respectable 60.0 playing the rest of the game at right tackle once Sewell departed.
Beyond the player grades, the Lions offense as a whole graded out with a truly treacherous 23.5 in pass protection. The run blocking was little better, earning a 44.7 mark. The impressive run grade of 80.9 was the top metric on the team and a testament to how well the running backs played.
