Lions Week 1 report card: Grading every position vs. the Rams

Goff’s numbers were pedestrian (18-of-28, 187 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT) and that was pretty emblematic of his performance. With his middle-of-field hot zone schematically erased by the Rams defense, Goff couldn’t get into a rhythm. The Rams impacted him with pressure, and Goff got away with what should have been another INT. A late scramble for a first down propped up him up a half-grade.

The Lions don’t win this game without an A effort and outcome from David Montgomery. He disappeared from the lineup for an extended period but that’s not his fault. Jahmyr Gibbs had a couple of effective drives. Gibbs struggled with his footing late, missing a potential TD reception because of it.

Sione Vaki and Craig Reynolds played almost exclusively on special teams and did not factor into the offense.

Jameson Williams earns an A for the best game of his young career. He was outstanding.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had a rough game, though he was the focal point of the Rams defense. No other wideout saw a passing target.

Sam LaPorta had a relatively quiet game as a receiver, another function of the Rams defensive focus more than any lack of ability. A clutch late reception helped boost the grade. LaPorta, Brock Wright and Parker Hesse (the best of the group in this one) all failed to stand out for their blocking, not even on the smashmouth final drive, and LaPorta whiffed on a pass protection assignment.

The run blocking surpassed the pass protection, especially on the left side of the line. Left tackle Taylor Decker really struggled against Rams rookie Jared Verse. The lack of in-game experience of the new guard tandem (with Graham Glasgow flipping from his normal LG spot to RG this season) showed with early communication and coordination issues.

The run blocking was on point all evening. The final drive was a display that few teams can ever hope to match in terms of creating movement in the run game.

The Lions pass rush dominated the action all night. Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport each had monster games; Hutchinson had one of the most effective pass-rushing efforts the NFL has seen in recent years. Levi Onwuzurike played impactful ball in a more limited role, too. The run defense was very effective at not allowing holes to stay open. Alim McNeill was quiet on the stat sheet but impressed with his ability to stand up blockers in the run game. With the Rams O-line decimated by injuries, the Lions defensive line took advantage of the favorable matchup.

Alex Anzalone was all over the field making plays. His strong tackling in the short passing game helped set a tone for the entire defense. Derrick Barnes and Jack Campbell did not do much throughout the game, and each missed what should have been an easy tackle. Campbell had some issues keeping up with out-breaking patterns in coverage, something that dinged Anzalone a bit too. Malcolm Rodriguez provided a spark late in the game with his hustle and physicality.

Matching up against a very good passing offense was a tough initial test for the overhauled CB room. Carlton Davis and Terrion Arnold each saw heavy workloads, with 23 combined passing targets. Other than one play apiece, the outside CBs did a very good job of limiting yards after the catch. Davis also stood out in run support. Arnold got flagged for two pass interference calls that led to 10 Rams points; regardless of the validity of the penalties, Arnold needs to work on not being so hands-on in coverage.

As the primary slot CB, Amik Robertson did well in coverage. He struggled to get off blocks, but did manage to also break up a pass. Ennis Rakestraw was on the field for just three plays in his NFL debut.

Brian Branch struggled in his first game as a full-time safety. While he did break up three Matthew Stafford passes, two of them should have been interceptions. Branch was very out of sorts as a tackler and often a step late in coverage situations.

Kerby Joseph picked off Stafford in the end zone, a massive lift that played a major impact in the final score. Joseph had one of the best overall games of his three-year career.

Very strong all-around effort from coordinator Dave Fipp’s units. Kicker Jake Bates was perfect in his NFL debut, including a game-tying field goal with under 30 seconds to play. Long snapper Hogan Hatten was flawless in his NFL debut, too.

Jack Fox had an outstanding game punting. The only blemish on an otherwise exceptional night for the Lions special teams was Ennis Rakestraw flubbing a picture-perfect Fox punt and creating a touchback instead of pinning the Rams inside their own 5-yard line. Returner Kalif Raymond did the most he could in very limited opportunities; the Rams chose to kick the ball deep into the end zone on every kickoff.