Detroit — Justin Rogers grades the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 30-12 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Quarterback
Jared Goff wasn’t flawless, but he got away with the limited mistakes he made, while delivering several well-placed balls on his way to completing 21-of-26 for 216 yards and three scores, while taking just two sacks.
Goff was particularly impressive at the end of the first half, showcasing some signature toughness after getting rolled up on after a completion, requiring him to briefly exit the contest. He returned to finish the two-minute drive, delivering a strike for a 22-yard touchdown that put Detroit up 17 at the break. Grade: A-
Running backs
Craig Reynolds is some kind of feel-good story. After an impressive debut last week, he topped that by going for 112 yards on the ground while shouldering the load with 26 carries. He had another explosive gain, 27 yards to convert a third down, fueling an early touchdown drive.
Jermar Jefferson and Godwin Igwebuike had supporting roles and didn’t contribute much, outside of a drive-extending, third-down grab by the latter. Igwebuike also lost a fumble for the second week in a row, the downside of the group’s performance. Grade: B+
Wide receivers/tight ends
Amon-Ra St. Brown stayed on a roll, pacing the Lions with eight catches for a season-high 90 yards, highlighted by a sharp route that netted him 37-yard touchdown. And Josh Reynolds continues to be a key midseason addition. His previously noted touchdown was part of a six-reception, 68-yard showing.
Detroit’s tight ends struggled without T.J. Hockenson. Brock Wright whiffed on a block on St. Brown’s touchdown, that would have been more costly had Goff not been so poised in the pocket. Wright also committed a pair of penalties, including a false start ahead of a fourth down that led to punt.
Part of the plan to address Hockenson’s absence included fullback Jason Cabinda, who scored the first touchdown of his career, running a route from a tight end alignment. Grade: B+
Offensive line
Missing starting guard Jonah Jackson, the offensive line did a good job against a quality defensive front, paving the way for Craig Reynolds to run for more than 100 yards and keeping Goff relatively clean. The first sack, which came on the opening play of the game, wasn’t the fault of the protection, which gave the QB plenty of time, but none of the routes came open.
The group also committed just a single penalty, when Taylor Decker had a false start in the first half. Grade: B+
Defensive front
Charles Harris might have delivered the best performance of his career, racking up 12 tackles, three behind the line and 1.5 sacks. He set the tone early, chasing down quarterback Kyler Murray on a read-option for no-gain, making an open field tackle on a slot receiver on third down to force a punt and routinely affecting the pocket throughout the contest.
The Lions did allow more than 100 yards rushing, largely due to giving up some explosive runs early in the game, but it was an otherwise solid day for the front four, particularly with keeping Murray contained. Grade: A-
Linebackers
The Lions looked to be back to full strength at linebacker entering the day, but Alex Anzalone was in and out with a shoulder issue and a shoulder injury also knocked Josh Woods from the game early.
Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who missed the past two weeks with, you guessed it, a shoulder injury, played a critical role in harassing Murray, while also breaking up a pair of passes. Derrick Barnes chipped in five tackles and deep reserves Nick Bolton and Anthony Pittman even saw a handful of snaps. Grade: B+
Secondary
To address lingering depth issues from the team’s COVID outbreak, Detroit got creative and started safety Will Harris at outside corner. Beyond a questionable pass interference call, he actually did an impressive job playing out of position.
But it was the team’s most reliable defensive back, Amani Oruwariye, who came up with the biggest play of the game, intercepting a Murray pass and returning it all the way to the 6-yard line, quickly offsetting Igwebuike’s fumble.
Earlier in the game, Oruwariye also broke up a pass in the end zone. The next play, a fourth-and-goal from the 3-yard line, rookie nickel AJ Parker followed suit, forcing a turnover on downs. Grade: A
Special teams
Riley Patterson continues to be a pleasant surprise, making all three of his field-goal attempts, including a pair from beyond 40 yards. The rest of the special teams play was fairly average, with punter Jack Fox averaging 38.3 yards net and Kalif Raymond bringing back two punts 10 and 14 yards.
Detroit attempted a surprise onside kick early in the contest, but it was easily recovered by the Cardinals. Not that it mattered, since the team drew a penalty for not being lined up properly.
Of course they made up for it by successfully fielding an onside attempt by Arizona late in the game, squashing any hopes of a comeback. Grade: B+
Coaches
The Lions controlled the game start to finish, playing with excellent intensity and execution throughout the contest.
The offensive play-calling had moments of aggression and creativity as Detroit built a lead, but there also were times where it felt like they let off the gas and leaned a little heavily on a decreasingly effective ground game through the middle part of the contest.
Defensively, coordinator Aaron Glenn had his guys ready to play against one of the league’s more potent offenses, led by a dynamic dual-threat passer in Murray. The unit played disciplined with their rush lanes and were rewarded by the Cardinals shooting themselves in the foot when put in tough down-and-distance situations. Grade: A-
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers