Detroit — Justin Rogers of The Detroit News grades the Detroit Lions’ performance in their 31-27 loss to the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Quarterbacks
This felt like Jared Goff’s best game of the season. Coming off a pair of dud performances, the Lions quarterback discovered his deep ball against the Dolphins, hitting Kalif Raymond and T.J. Hockenson for a trio of big gains in the first half as the Lions posted 27 points through the first two quarters.
Goff also deserves some credit for his pocket awareness, avoiding a pair of sacks, while catching a batted pass and turning it into a 5-yard gain.
Most importantly, given his recent struggles, Goff avoided the back-breaking turnover. His only regrettable error, which will understandably be magnified because of the moment, was an errant deep ball for Josh Reynolds on fourth-and-1 in the closing minutes that resulted in Detroit turning it over on downs. Grade: A-
Running backs
Detroit’s backfield was solid but not spectacular. Jamaal Williams ran hard throughout the contest, averaging 5.3 yards per pop and scoring a pair of touchdowns. And he was reliable as a pass-catcher, hauling in all three of his targets.
D’Andre Swift had a muted impact in his return, mustering 33 yards from scrimmage on five receptions and five carries. He did find his way into the end zone, running a nifty angle route that overwhelmed the linebacker assigned to covering the back. Grade: B
Wide receivers/tight ends
The big plays were certainty there with Raymond getting open deep for a pair of explosive gains and Hockenson running away from the coverage to turn a 20-yard throw into a 58-yard pickup.
But a pair of dropped passes proved killer with the final result.
On the last offensive snap of the first half, Reynolds couldn’t hang on to a dart from Goff in the end zone, forcing the Lions to settle for a field goal. And Amon-Ra St. Brown had a deeper throw knocked out of his hands in the first half prior to dropping one across the middle in the fourth quarter on Detroit’s final drive, contributing to the failed possession. Those blunders put a damper on an otherwise productive return for the Lions’ top receiver. Grade: B
Offensive line
For the most part, the blocking was good. Sure, Goff avoided a couple potential sacks, but it wasn’t like he faced an overwhelming amount of pressure (four QB hits and one sack). Plus, against a front that had been effective stopping the run coming into the matchup, Detroit’s backs had space to operate, collectively averaging better than 3.8 yards per carry, including Williams’ two scores.
But the penalties in the second half were devastating. Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker got flagged three times on consecutive plays, sabotaging the team’s first drive in the third quarter. And Decker had a false start contributing to the next possession also faltering. Grade: B-
Defensive line
No sacks, no quarterback hits, no tackles for loss, essentially no impact. Sure, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has a quick trigger, but even when he held on to the ball long enough to take a deep shot, he rarely faced meaningful pressure.
Additionally, Miami ran the ball well, particularly in the second half. Lead back Raheem Mostert finished with 64 yards on 14 carries (4.6 yards per carry). Grade: F
Linebackers
Malcolm Rodriguez had a productive day, recording the first sack of his career, recovering a fumble and breaking up a pass. Derrick Barnes continues to flash ability in a reduced role and came up with four tackles, including one behind the line of scrimmage. And Alex Anzalone tallied seven stops and did a nice job in coverage on a third down in the red zone, only to have the effort negated by a teammate’s penalty away from the ball. Grade: C+
Secondary
The Lions’ plan was to use physicality at the line of scrimmage to disrupt receivers Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, but the secondary did no such thing, getting burned repetitively by the speedy duo to the tune of 20 receptions for 294 yards and two touchdowns.
The Lions were particularly brutal defending the pair from the slot. Nickel cornerback AJ Parker was torched multiple times on deep balls, including one of Waddle’s scores, while third-string safety JuJu Hughes surrendered the other touchdown on a crossing pattern.
The only reason this isn’t a failing grade is because Kerby Joseph forced his second fumble in as many games, delivering a monster hit across the middle to dislodge the ball from rookie receiver Braylon Sanders. Grade: D-
Special teams
It was a solid showing from coordinator Dave Fipp’s group. Jack Fox punted well, the coverage units fulfilled their duties, and kicker Michael Badgley made both of his field goals and a trio of extra points. Plus the Lions managed to successfully execute yet another fake punt.
On that fake, recently re-signed safety C.J. Moore took a direct snap and ran around the left edge of the formation. It’s the second time in as many seasons he’s executed from that particular alignment.
About the only thing that’s holding this group back is the ineffectiveness of the return game. They didn’t have many opportunities, because the defense only forced one punt, but Maurice Alexander and Raymond didn’t do much with the ball in their hands in this matchup. Grade: A-
Coaches
It’s clear offensive coordinator Ben Johnson can consistently put together a quality game plan when he has most of the team’s weapons healthy and at his disposal. Getting back Swift and St. Brown helped unlock the unit’s potential and resulted in 27 points in the first half, before penalties and clock-eating Miami drives led to a second-half shutout.
The fact the Lions got beat up pretty badly by Miami’s speedy offense isn’t all that surprising, but it’s troubling to hear coach Dan Campbell say the defensive backs failed to execute the plan for Hill and Waddle. Sure, some of that is on the players, but this is one of those cases where we have to point a finger at the staff for not managing to get the point home throughout the week or at any point during Sunday’s game.
In terms of decision-making, Campbell largely played things right. He smartly took the points, settling for a field goal when facing a fourth-and-2 in the first half, and the fake punt was well-timed and executed. Grade: C-
jdrogers@detroitnews.com
Twitter: @Justin_Rogers