Lions vs Vikings: Best and Worst PFF grades from Week 3
It is never easy losing against your division opponent, but what happened for the Detroit Lions at the end makes it hurt that much more, losing their second game against the Minnesota Vikings, 28-24.
The Lions looked to be in control, but after some heavily questionable playcalling, ill-timed injuries, and miscommunication, they felt that win slip through their fingers. It has been documented enough that Coach Dan Campbell wishes he would’ve made a different call at the end, so we don’t need to beat a dead horse while it’s down. The Lions will look to redeem themselves next week against the Seattle Seahawks in hopes they can rebound from this devastation.
Most of this week’s PFF grades fall right in line with the eye test, good and bad. So we will go ahead and highlight the best and the worst PFF performers for the Lions for Week 3 against the Vikings.
Top Offensive Performers
(AP Photo/Craig Lassig)
RB Jamaal Williams: 86.7
RT Penei Sewell: 77.3
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown: 76.4
WR Josh Reynolds: 69.0
WR DJ Chark: 66.3
Williams had himself a game stepping in a big way for the Lions, with Swift nursing an injury rushing for 87 yards with two touchdowns and adding 20 yards in the air. He was not only the best performer for the Lions, but he graded out as the top running back in the league, excluding Monday Night. Sewell was one of the main contributors that helped pave those rushing lanes sporting a great run-blocking grade with his elite athleticism and strong-nose mentality.
To round out the top performers, the three-headed receiver beast makes an appearance in Reynolds, St. Brown, and Chark. It was good to see Chark get involved seeing six targets and converting them into three catches for 46 yards. St. Brown continued his reign as a force to be reckoned with and was relied on to covert in crucial situations, and that was with him dealing with an injury. Finally, Reynolds led the Lions in receiving and showed a true connection with Goff as they seemed to be in sync.
Worst Offensive Performers
(AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)
RB Craig Reynolds: 45.8
G Evan Brown: 49.0
TE T.J. Hockenson: 50.7
G Dan Skipper: 51.7
RB D’Andre Swift: 52.1
With Swift’s injury, Reynolds was utilized more this week, and it looks like he will continue as Swift might miss significant time with a shoulder sprain. Unfortunately, he sported a woeful rushing line, only managing 13 yards on six carries, and to make matters worse, his pass protection was woeful, giving up pressure on his limited snaps. Brown was thrown to replace Logan Stenberg as his pass protection was dreadful; though Brown was an improvement in that area, it wasn’t by much as he gave up three pressures, and the run blocking wasn’t much better.
Hockenson finally got one on the board, but after that, he wasn’t much of a factor this week, catching three passes for 18 yards while allowing one pressure on five pass-blocking snaps. Skipper was a feel-good story last week, but this week he had a different ending allowing three pressures, with a mediocre run-blocking grade. Swift was mostly utilized in passing situations this week, with 22 of his 32 snaps in that department, and graded out as the Lions second-best pass blocker. Unfortunately, his grades suffered due to his limitations, and he looks to be out for a good amount of time.
Top Defensive Performers
LB Chris Board: 80.6
DT Alim McNeill: 69.5
DT Michael Brockers: 67.6
S Juju Hughes: 64.6
ED Austin Bryant: 64.6
Board continues to perform above expectations making the most out of his limited snaps in most defensive facets, but shined in coverage, not allowing a catch on his eleven coverage snaps. As long as the sure-handed tackler can continue these performances, it’s not out of the question to see him utilized more.
Likewise, McNeill was employed all over the defensive line seeing snaps inside and outside, and made the most of them by notching a team-high four pressures. If it weren’t for a low run defense grade, he could’ve easily been the Lions best defender this week.
Even though each of them only saw 19 snaps this week, Brockers and Bryant were reliable defenders for the Lions, which is exactly what they need from their defensive front. Hughes was thrust into the lineup when Tracy Walker went down and performed admirably, for all intents and purposes. He had six tackles, with five of those counted as stops, but he did have three missed tackles, pushing his grade down. Nevertheless, he will be relied upon as the Walker will be out the rest of the season with a torn ACL.
Worst Defensive Performers
(AP Photo/Andy Clayton-King)
CB Amani Oruwariye: 25.9
CB Mike Hughes: 26.3
DT Benito Jones: 30.1
LB Malcolm Rodriguez: 35.8
ED Aidan Hutchinson: 52.0
Anyone with a pair of eyes could tell Oruwariye was completely abused against the Vikings as he graded poorly in every defensive category. He gave up nine catches on eleven targets for 79 yards and a touchdown while missing three tackles and eight penalties he was responsible for. In the middle, Hughes was also off his game as he allowed three catches on six targets for 68 yards and gave up an additional touchdown. Outside of Okudah, the Lions secondary has become very suspect, especially with the loss of Tracy Walker.
The Vikings seemed like they could run the ball at will, and Jones’ was one of the culprits of that onslaught, and his grades suffered because of it. The two rookies fell back to earth as Rodriguez and Hutchinson landed at the bottom. Rodriguez couldn’t slow down the running game either, and he gave up three catches on four targets for 32 yards. Hutchinson did not seem 100% after his three-sack performance, looking slow off the snaps and not as explosive, and it showed in his tackling grade as he had the second-worst, only behind Will Harris.
