GREEN BAY, Wis. — Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett breaks down the Detroit Lions’ 35-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers, and looks at players who helped and hurt their stock Monday at Lambeau Field:
Stock up
TE T.J. Hockenson: Hockenson keyed two of the Lions’ three scoring drives Monday. He caught an 8-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and delivered a key block on a 6-yard Jamaal Williams run early on the same drive and had a 20-yard catch to get the Lions in field goal range just before halftime. Through two weeks, the third-year tight end is tied with Cooper Kupp, Sterling Shepard and Amari Cooper for the NFL lead in receptions (16).
The offensive line: The Lions got stellar play out of their best overall unit for most of Monday night’s game. Rookie Penei Sewell had another good game at left tackle, despite an early holding penalty, and the line gave quarterback Jared Goff plenty of protection as the Lions raced to an early lead. Turnovers masked some of the Lions’ good work upfront, but the unit has been every bit the strength it was made out to be.
WR Quintez Cephus: Cephus drew mixed reviews for his performance from Lions coach Dan Campbell, who said he “made some plays early, he didn’t make plays late.” That’s accurate, but in a thin Lions receiving corps, Cephus stands apart as one of the Lions’ few potential playmakers. He caught a 5-yard touchdown pass, had a 46-yard catch on a scramble drill and nearly came down with a miraculous catch. All in all, it was a performance to build on.
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Stock down
LB Alex Anzalone: The Lions have a major problem at inside linebacker as both Anzalone and fellow starter Jamie Collins make this list. Anzalone had 10 tackles Monday, but he gave up a touchdown pass to Robert Tonyan in the third quarter, was called for a defensive holding penalty and got beat on several other pass plays. He adds value in areas beyond the box score relaying defensive signals, but at some point the Lions have to get Derrick Barnes on the field.
LB Jamie Collins: Maybe it’s Collins, and not Anzalone, that Barnes eventually replaces. Collins has looked a step slow and occasionally disinterested at various points since training camp, and he had his own struggles Monday. He didn’t trigger fast enough on Aaron Jones’ third touchdown, and has rarely made the big plays the Lions expected when they signed him as a free agent last year.
QB Jared Goff: Goff did plenty of good things Monday, especially in the first half. He completed eight straight passes to start the game and threw a pinpoint touchdown to Hockenson. But Goff fell out of favor in Los Angeles in part because of his turnover issues, and two games into his Lions tenure those problems are starting to pop up again. Even excusing his late interception — he was trying to make a play in an impossible situation — he had a careless fumble Sunday (and was lucky to avoid another when the ball slipped out of his hand) and now has three turnovers on the season.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.