Grades: Lions Defensive Line Shines Despite Injuries

Grading Lions' 23-20 win over the Bears on Thanksgiving.

Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) is sacked by Detroit Lions defensive end Za'Darius Smith (99). / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions snapped a seven-game Thanksgiving losing streak on Thursday, taking care of the Bears despite a late rally. With a little help from poor clock management on the opposing sideline, Detroit was able to salt away its 10th straight victory and set a new standard for the best start in franchise history at 11-1.

Here are grades for each position group based on performance in the Lions’ win over the Bears.

Quarterback: B+

Jared Goff didn’t have his sharpest day on Thursday, going 21-of-34 for 221 yards. He did have two touchdown passes, both in the red zone to Sam LaPorta. While he didn’t have any showstopping throws, he was consistent for most of the afternoon. His second touchdown was off a look that the team had run against the Bears last year, except this time he faked the pitch and delivered the score to LaPorta.

Running backs: B

The Lions got going early on the ground, but their momentum would ultimately be broken up by a late first half fumble by Jahmyr Gibbs. At that point, the Lions were leading 16-0 and driving in the red zone. Gibbs fumble halted the momentum, and ultimately led to him getting just two carries in the second half. 

Montgomery had a solid day with 88 yards on 21 carries and was his typical bruising self. He dominated the workload in the second half, with Gibbs getting his role diminished after the fumble.

Wide receivers: C+

Amon-Ra St. Brown was the leading receiver on the day, notching five catches for 73 yards. Tim Patrick had a big catch as well, while Jameson Williams had five receptions totaling 28 yards. However, penalties were the main issue for this group. 

St. Brown was flagged for holding in the red zone, which forced Detroit to kick a field goal. Williams had two penalties, including an avoidable 15-yard penalty when he flipped the ball into the face of Tyrique Stevenson. He later apologized to the team, according to Dan Campbell. 

Tight ends: B+

LaPorta was one of the big contributors on Sunday, though his stat line wouldn’t necessarily reflect that. He had only three catches for six yards, but two of those catches went for touchdowns. He and Brock Wright both had good days as blockers, and Wright added a 13-yard catch. 

Campbell said that having LaPorta back in his natural spot allowed the Lions to utilize Wright in his traditional role, which allowed the offense to operate at a higher level as a result. 

Offensive line: B

The Lions turned to Dan Skipper at left tackle with Taylor Decker out with an injury. Early on, the line was setting the tone in the run game, and Penei Sewell got the chance to try to throw the ball on an end-around. Sewell was sacked on the play due to good coverage downfield. 

Graham Glasgow and Kevin Zeitler both had strong first halves, but the unit struggled to generate the same run pop after halftime. Detroit was overall disjointed in the second half offensively, managing just one score after the break. 

A lot to be thankful for pic.twitter.com/VC1DpacMGF

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) November 28, 2024

Defensive line: A

The hits kept coming to Detroit’s defensive line, so the depth was once again tested. Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzurike both left in the first half and did not return, while others such as DJ Reader and Za’Darius Smith had brief absences but were able to make a larger impact. 

Despite all the bumps and bruises, the overall effort was superb. DJ Reader had two sacks, while Smith had 1.5 and Al-Quadin Muhammad had one. All three had at least seven pressures on Caleb Williams, and while Williams was able to extend plays at points, the Lions’ array of veteran defensive linemen allowed them to not miss a beat despite injuries. 

Linebackers: B+

The Lions may have another injury worry with Malcolm Rodriguez, who’s knee injury was considered to be the most serious of the many Lions players dealt with bumps and bruises in Sunday’s game. As a result, Detroit could be down a fourth contributor at the position. 

Detroit once again deployed their players rotationally, with David Long and Ezekiel Turner seeing plenty of snaps. Turner logged a half-sack, while Jack Campbell was held to a season-low three tackles. 

Secondary: B-

Some surprising decisions were made within the secondary on Thursday, as the Lions had Emmanuel Moseley inactive and Terrion Arnold did not start. Campbell said the decision with Moseley happened after an injury popped up in warmups, while Arnold was held out of the starting lineup but rotated in and played plenty. 

Detroit’s secondary was solid in the first half, but conceded three touchdown passes in the second half. Brian Branch was beat for one of them, while Amik Robertson and Kerby Joseph also gave up scores. Kindle Vildor was called for a questionable pass interference penalty late in the game, but Chicago’s time management issues ultimately denied them a chance to make Vildor pay. 

Special teams: B

The Lions' special teams units had some success on Thursday, as newly added Maurice Alexander had a solid day in his first game as the team's punt returner. Jake Bates missed his first field goal of the season but made three others, and Jack Fox had a punt downed at the 1-yard line.

Coaching: A

Detroit had a solid game plan early, moving down the field with relative ease against the Bears' defense. However, the Bears answered thanks to a some good red zone defense and the Lions getting in their own way with penalites. The Lions had to settle for three field goals and the lead at the half was 16 despite feeling like it could be more.

In the second half, the Bears finally snapped a streak of 12 consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown, and Chicago rallied to be within three points. Detroit defeinitely had the advantage on the sidelines late in the game, as the Bears fumbled away a chance to tie the game as they had a timeout as the clock expired.