Grades: Lions Red Zone Defense Stifles Sam Darnold

Grading Lions' Week 18 win over Vikings.

Detroit Lions cornerback Amik Robertson (21). / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions finished the regular season on a high note, claiming the NFC North for the second straight year and notching a first-round bye in the postseason.

In a battle of two of the best teams in the NFL, the Lions made a statement about their Super Bowl hopes with a 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

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

Quarterback: C+

Though Jared Goff only threw six incompletions, two of them were interceptions that were nearly costly to the Lions. The first came with the team backed up, and Ivan Pace returned it inside the Detroit 10-yard line. Goff's second appeared to be a miscommunication with Jameson Williams, as the throw was well out of his reach.

However, the defense stepped up big in both situations. Outside of the two turnovers, Goff was effective in piloting the offense down the field. His biggest throw came on a fourth down, when he got rid of the ball just in time to hit Jahmyr Gibbs running vertical into the end zone for a touchdown.

Goff spread the ball out to six different receivers, with Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta being the biggest targets. He must avoid the turnovers as Detroit enters the postseason, as those could wind up being costly.

Running backs: A

Jahmyr Gibbs showed a national audience once again why he should be viewed amongst the NFL's best running backs. On 28 total touches, he had 170 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns. He got rolling with a 25-yard touchdown scamper to open the scoring, and wound up making several more critical plays.

His third quarter touchdown grab on fourth down was among the biggest plays in the game, and he finished off two other second-half drives with scoring runs. He also was solid in pass-protection, contributing multiple big blitz pickups throughout the night.

Craig Reynolds once again displayed why the Lions covet his presence. Spelling Gibbs at various points throughout the night, he finished with eight carries for 39 yards. He also contributed in pass-protection, as he worked to keep Goff upright throughout the night.

Wide receivers: A-

The Lions' wideouts had a solid all-around night, led by Amon-Ra St. Brown's six catches for 77 yards. The USC product was key on the team's first scoring drive, catching a 23-yard pass from Goff to help set up Gibbs' first touchdown.

St. Brown also hauled in a pivotal pass before halftime leading to Jake Bates' field goal as time expired. He would also convert a pivotal third down in the third quarter leading to Gibbs' touchdown catch.

It was a quieter night for Jameson Williams, as he was unable to beat the Vikings deep. However, the speedy wideout surpassed 1,000 yards on the season on a fourth-quarter screen pass and finished with six catches for 34 yards.

Tim Patrick had two catches for 15 yards, while Kalif Raymond added an 11-yard catch to put the Lions deeper in Bates' range for his field goal to end the half.

Tight ends: A

Sam LaPorta continued his hot streak, notching seven catches for 63 yards. He hauled in three catches that went for first downs, while also adding a 17-yard catch that helped put Detroit in a third-and-short after a negative play and a penalty.

LaPorta added some key blocks as well, including one that sprung Gibbs for his third score of the game. Brock Wright was whistled for offensive pass interference on a screen play, but was his usual self helping out as a run-blocker.

Offensive line: B+

The Lions' offensive line did deal with some penalty issues on Sunday. Kevin Zeitler was whistled for holding, while Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell both were hit with false start penalties. Yet, they were emphatic in the run game and found ways to assert their dominance late.

Though the Lions were spotty on the ground for much of the first half, the line began to dominate throughout the final two quarters. There were some issues in the run game that will need to be fine-tuned, but it was another solid effort from the group as a whole.

MORE: Jahmyr Gibbs Gashes Vikings, Lions Earn No. 1 Seed After 31-9 Win

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Defensive line: A-

After last week offered some cause for concern, the Lions' defensive line showed up in a big way. Thanks to some unique blitz looks as well as wins in 1-on-1 situations, the Lions weere able to get clean looks at Darnold throughout the night.

Za'Darius Smith notched a sack for a 17-yard loss that was nearly a safety in the first half, while the other sack was credited to Al-Quadin Muhammad after he got past tackle Cam Robinson. Levi Onwuzurike and Josh Paschal were also big factors throughout the night.

The defensive line was once again forced to do some shuffling, as Pat O'Connor left the game with a calf injury and did not return.

Linebackers: A

The Lions welcomed Alex Anzalone back after a lengthy absence with a forearm injury. Dan Campbell said during the week that Anzalone wouldn't play if he couldn't contribute, and he did just that in a big way.

Anzalone was on the field for 64 snaps on Sunday and paced the defense with seven total tackles, a quarterback hit and a pass defensed. Jack Campbell added six tackles and nearly recorded a sack when he was a nanosecond late on a blitz.

Anzalone did a good job in coverage against T.J. Hockenson. He was physical with his former teammate, and did draw a holding penalty in coverage. But it was an overall solid showing from the veteran in his first game since November.

Secondary: A

With all the fits that Justin Jefferson has given the Lions throughout his career, there was reason for worry about how the battered secondary would hold up. Amik Robertson, who was the slot-cornerback for much of the year before Carlton Davis' injury, answered the bell in a big way.

The Lions love the way Robertson challenges his matchups at the line of scrimmage, and he made it difficult for Jefferson to make any sort of consistent impact. The coverage in the red zone was sticky, as both Robertson and Terrion Arnold had huge pass breakups.

Arnold broke up a pass on fourth-and-goal, which turned out to be one of the biggest plays of the game. He left in the third quarter, though, and was rueld out with a foot injury. His recovery over the bye and into the Divisional Round will be worth monitoring, as his X-rays came back negative.

Special teams: A

The Lions were efficient on special teams and avoided errors. Jake Bates hit all of his extra points as well as his only field goal attempt, while Jack Fox boomed two punts and set the NFL single-season record for net average.

Meanwhile, the Vikings committed a costly error with a kickoff out of bounds late in the first half. In a situation where Detroit may have been content to take it to half up 7-6, the kickoff gave them great field position and the opportunity to steal three points before the half.

Coaching: A

Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn delivered a masterpiece in the Lions' biggest game of the year. In a season where the offense has been the headlining attraction while the defense has been battered by injuries, Glenn has never used the sheer number of star players sidelined as an excuse.

Rather, the fourth-year coordinator found a way to maximize what is at his disposal to the fullest extent. The result was an abundance of blitzing and man coverage, which kept Darnold out of his rhythm and effectively neutralized the impact of Jefferson, Addison and Hockenson.

Offensively, the attack sputtered at times. However, the Lions wore the Vikings down with their punishing run games and eventually began to hit explosive runs. The end result was an emphatic performance.

Now, the Lions have earned the division title and home-field advantage that they coveted coming into the season. They will get a week to recouparate, and then embark on the final stretch of the season. It's an exciting time worth celebrating, but the job is still unfinished.