Grades: Lions' Potent Offense Excites Ford Field

Grading the Lions' 42-17 win over Denver.

The Detroit Lions pounced on a nationally televised opportunity to prove their legitimacy as NFC contenders on Saturday night. 

The Lions dominated the Denver Broncos, 42-17, at Ford Field to move to 10-4 on the season. With the win, they're in striking range of clinching a playoff berth and the NFC North division title. 

Here are the grades for each position group, based on the performance of each group in Saturday's win.

Quarterbacks: A

Jared Goff rose up in a primetime spot after struggling in recent weeks. After setbacks in recent weeks, he was superb in front of a national audience, and reminded those concerned exactly what he can do at his best. 

After a slow start, Goff piloted five consecutive touchdown drives, spanning over three quarters. The veteran tied his career high in touchdown passes with five, including three to Sam LaPorta. 

He leaned on LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, his two favorite targets, to establish the offense. However, he also spread the ball amongst eight different targets. It was an efficient performance -- he completed 24-of-34 passes for 258 yards and five scores -- and he finished with a nearly flawless passer rating of 134.6. 

Running backs: A

The Lions got plenty out of both their workhorse running backs. Jahmyr Gibbs was the star with an even 100 rushing yards, but David Montgomery was nearly as efficient with 85 yards on 17 carries. 

Gibbs surpassed 1,000 scrimmage yards with his performance, and scored two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. Additionally, he had a spectacular 34-yard run, in which he made several defenders miss and nearly shook another off near the goal line. 

Montgomery, meanwhile, was steady as ever in picking up tough yards after contact. He averaged five yards per carry, and proved once again how reliable he is when gaining difficult yards.  

Wide receivers: A

Needing a bounce-back game, Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered in a big way Saturday. After recording just 70 yards in the last two games, he notched 112 yards on seven catches against Denver, to go along with a touchdown. 

His score came late in the first half, and featured a dazzling somersault over a defender to cement the touchdown. 

Jameson Williams didn't provide any flashy scores, but he had his most productive game as a pro. He recorded a career-high four catches for 47 yards, which included a leaping grab near the sideline, and continued to show why the Lions have trust in him. 

Elsewhere, Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds each chipped in. Reynolds had two catches for 41 yards, and also drew a pass-interference penalty. Meanwhile, Raymond had one catch for 12 yards. 

Donovan Peoples-Jones caught one pass for five yards, as well. 

Tight ends: A

Sam LaPorta made history Saturday, breaking the organization's record for receiving touchdowns in a season. He hauled in three against the Broncos. On the season, he now has nine scores. 

His first scoring grab was a catch-and-run, that came on the end of a throwback screen play. His second came after he timed the break of his route perfectly, with Goff's throw in the red zone. 

He also had an impressive catch to move the chains, on a play that began with him executing a nice block on a rushing defensive end. 

Offensive line: A

With the return of Frank Ragnow, the Lions had a fully healthy offensive line. The results showed, as the unit spent the majority of the night giving Goff clean pockets and paving run lanes. 

Penei Sewell had multiple key blocks to spring runs, while the interior did a solid job of opening lanes for Montgomery and Gibbs. 

Sewell was beaten off the edge by Jonathon Cooper for a sack, while Dre'Mont Jones also got home in the first half, when Goff held the ball too long. 

7 Winners from Lions' Dominant Win over Broncos

Defensive line: B

Russell Wilson's elusiveness gave the Lions fits at points early, but it was an overall strong performance by the defensive line. The line limited the Broncos to just three yards a carry, and also made two straight stops to force a field goal at the goal line. 

Aidan Hutchinson and Bruce Irvin nearly got home on a third-down rush, but Wilson's mobility allowed him to elude the rushers before throwing an incomplete pass. 

Josh Paschal recorded his first sack of the season on a third down in the first half. That is an encouraging development, as the Lions have been hoping to see more from him as a rusher after recent strong performances against opposing run games. 

Linebackers: A-

Alex Anzalone led the team with 10 tackles, while Jack Campbell had five. Derrick Barnes left the game with a shoulder injury in the second quarter but returned in the second half and had a big stop by the goal line. 

Campbell made a nice play to thwart a Wilson quarterback sneak attempt and force a fourth down. 

Anzalone was flagged for pass interference while covering a deep ball but contributed a tackle for loss and pass defensed.  

Secondary: A

Detroit got the spark its been looking for from its secondary in the form of Ifeatu Melifonwu. The 2021 third round pick had his best game as a pro, notching eight tackles, a forced fumble, a sack, two passes defensed and two quarterback hits. 

His forced fumble came at a pivotal moment. The Broncos' first play went for 40 yards after Brian Branch got too close to the line of scrimmage, and they were inside the Lions' 20 when Melifonwu rushed untouched off the edge and jarred the ball loose on a sack. 

Kerby Joseph narrowly missed an interception. At the cornerback position, Cam Sutton did a solid job of containing Denver's dangerous receiver Courtland Sutton. 

A big development was Detroit's decision to start Khalil Dorsey over Jerry Jacobs at cornerback opposite Sutton. Dorsey and Kindle Vildor each got reps on the outside, while Jacobs was relegated to a special teams role. 

Special teams: B

Michael Badgley won the Lions' kicking competition this week and was elevated from the practice squad this week, signaling that he may be the better option going forward. He didn't attempt a field goal but nailed all of his extra points. 

Jack Fox's night started poorly, as his first two punts netted 21 and 19 yards, respectively. He bounced back with two better kicks in his final two attempts. 

With Dorsey starting on defense, Craig Reynolds took over kick return duties. Reynolds had one return for 26 yards.  

Kalif Raymond drew an unnecessary roughness penalty when he was hit after fair-catching a punt. 

Coaching: A

Both coordinators had superb gameplans, and a strong, player-led week of practice ultimately resulted in a rout. 

Ben Johnson's offense started slowly, but found a rhythm, scoring on five straight drives. Meanwhile, Aaron Glenn's defense featured more blitzes, and kept Wilson uncomfortable in his dropbacks. 

Both units had concerns about their legitimacy coming into the week, and both Johnson and Glenn answered the bell. It was an impressive, thorough performance that ended in a dominant win.