Grades: Goff Dismantles Dallas Defense

Grading Lions' win over Dallas Cowboys.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16). / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions jumped on the Dallas Cowboys early and didn't look back. After Dallas scored first, the Lions answered with 27 unanswered points en route to a 47-9 shellacking of the Cowboys on Sunday.

Here are grades for each position group based on performance in the Lions' win over the Cowboys Sunday.

Quarterback: A

For the second straight game, Jared Goff was dialed in. No, it wasn't a perfect performance in terms of completions this time around, but there was plenty to like as he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's game.

Goff led the team on nine scoring drives, with the lone exception being the kneel-down to end the first half. He fired touchdowns to Sam LaPorta on a hook-and-ladder, Jameson Williams and later Amon-Ra St. Brown to finish the scoring. He finished with a near-perfect quarterback rating of 153.8.

With the Lions leading big late, Goff was removed in favor of Hendon Hooker for the final two series. Hooker's first career pass was a completion off of play action to Kalif Raymond, and his only full drive ended with a turnover on downs.

Running back: A

David Montgomery, who agreed to a contract extension with the organization on Saturday, picked up right where he'd left off before the bye week. He opened the scoring with a physical run in which he simply refused to go to the turf.

Both Montgomery and Gibbs were able to run seemingly at will, notching 143 combined yards on the ground. Montgomery reached the end zone twice, while Gibbs logged 91 total yards on 15 touches.

With the game out of hand late, Craig Reynolds got some opportunities to impact the game. He finished with 21 yards on six carries, while Sione Vaki had one carry for five yards.

Wide receivers: A-

It was Tim Patrick who was getting the Lions' offense going on Sunday, as he hauled in a 42-yard pass from Goff on the first series that set up Montgomery's touchdown. The veteran wideout nearly scored his first touchdown since 2021, when he was ruled down at the 1, and finished with three catches for 68 yards.

Sunday's leading receiver was Jameson Williams, who had 76 yards on three catches. He had a drop on a pass over the middle that may have went for a score, but the Lions showed confidence in going right back to him on the next play for a 15-yard gain.

Williams would reach the end zone in the third quarter on a 37-yard toss from Goff. Kalif Raymond had four catches for 73 yards, while Amon-Ra St. Brown had four for 37 yards.

Tight ends: A

LaPorta scored his first touchdown of the year on a second quarter flea flicker that was the latest in a line of creative plays Ben Johnson has drawn up. The 52-yard scoring pass involved the Iowa product leaking out on a delayed route that Dallas' defense didn't have an answer for.

Parker Hesse was also a helpful part of the unit on Sunday, working to aid in the blocking efforts and opening up a run lane for Montgomery's touchdowns.

Offensive line: A

With the way last season's game between the Lions and Cowboys went, it was less than surprising to see just how involved their offensive line was in the game plan. By the third quarter, the line had already had a player targeted for a pass.

Taylor Decker nearly hauled in a touchdown pass, as Damone Clark broke it up at the last second. The Lions also had a hook-and-ladder in for Penei Sewell, who caught a lateral from St. Brown and nearly scored before the play was called back due to Detroit having an illegal man downfield.

Detroit was sacked a total of three times, with Goff being taken down twice. The Lions were still able to keep their foot on the gas and seemingly everyone got involved.

Defensive line: A

The biggest storyline to emerge from Sunday's game is the injury to Aidan Hutchinson. The Michigan product, who was an early favorite to be Defensive Player of the Year, will likely miss the remainder of the regular season.

He suffered the injury making one of the four sacks for the Lions' defense on the day. Alim McNeill had two working from the defensive tackle spot.

Detroit dominated the line of scrimmage throughout Sunday's game. In addition to the four sacks, the Lions' defense limited the Cowboys to just 53 yards on 17 carries on the ground.

Linebackers: A

Aside from a pair of drive-extending defensive holding penalties early in the game, it was another all-around solid effort for Detroit's linebackers. Alex Anzalone had three tackles and two passes defensed, while Jack Campbell tied for the team lead with seven.

Elsewhere, the Lions' linebacker depth shined. Jalen Reeves-Maybin forced a fumble that was recovered by Malcolm Rodriguez, while 2023 UDFA Trevor Nowaske notched his first career sack in the third quarter.

Secondary: A

Dan Campbell said before the game that he was hoping that the defense would generate takeaways in bunches, and they did just that. Brian Branch had two interceptions in Sunday's game, including one in the end zone, and Kerby Joseph had his fourth pick in five games.

Branch also forced a fumble, which was pounced on by Terrion Arnold. After being targeted with a deep pass early, Arnold bounced back to have a big pass breakup to force a turnover on downs in the second quarter.

Nickel cornerback Amik Robertson had seven tackles, while Ennis Rakestraw had three.

Special teams: B

The Lions struggled to keep KaVontae Turpin, one of the league's best return men, in check. He averaged 48.5 yards per kickoff return, including a 79-yard run back to set up Dallas' field goal at the end of the half.

On a brighter note, the Lions didn't punt all day and kicker Jake Bates was a perfect 4-for-4 with a long of 48. Khalil Dorsey ran the Lions' only kick return opportunity 34 yards.

Coaching: A

The Lions were creative and efficient on offense, and physical and fast on defense. It was one of the most complete team wins in recent memory, with both sides of the ball playing in dominant fashion.

It was most impressive to see all the unique looks that the offense put out there, with formations set with two offensive linemen eligible as receivers and even attempting to throw and lateral the ball in their directions.

Defensively, four takeaways is a season-high and the effort by the unit collectively is one of the best under coordinator Aaron Glenn. The stoimping of the Cowboys was the perfect way to come off the bye week and sets up a pivotal showdown with the Minnesota Vikings next week.