Grades: Offensive Stars Shine, Kerby Joseph Leads Defense in Second Half

Grading Lions' win over 49ers.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs (26) celebrates with running back Craig Reynolds (13). / Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions passed their penultimate test.

Ahead of a showdown with the Minnesota Vikings that will decide both the NFC North and the No. 1 seed, the Lions rallied from a halftime deficit to avenge last year's NFC Championship loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Detroit outscored the 49ers 27-13 after halftime to earn its 14th win of the season, 40-28, over the 49ers at Levi's Stadium.

Here are grades for each position group based on performance in Monday's win.

Quarterback: A+

In a game where the defense was gashed early, the Lions needed an exceptional performance from their offense. Led by Jared Goff, the Lions got just that. He was spectacular, completing 26-of-34 passes for 303 yards and three touchdown. He was turnover-free, and led the team on scoring drives on every possession except for a turnover on downs inside the 49ers’ 10-yard line and the two series ending in kneel-downs. 

The veteran passer delivered an MVP-caliber performance in the win, delivering numerous clutch throws. He had a perfectly placed ball on the outside to Allen Robinson to convert a third-down, and converted fourth downs with key passes to Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, with the latter being the go-ahead touchdown.

Running backs: A

Jahmyr Gibbs looks every bit the lead back that the Lions need him to be without David Montgomery. He delivered 163 all-purpose yards in the win, including the game-breaking 30-yard touchdown run with less than three minutes remaining in the game. 

Gibbs averaged 6.5 yards per carry, marking the 10th time this season he has averaged over five yards per attempt. 

In addition to Gibbs, the Lions got a strong performance from Craig Reynolds. The veteran carried the ball seven times for 31 yards and added two catches for 35 yards. Detroit also let Jermar Jefferson get carries in the red zone, as he had three attempts for nine yards on the ground. 

Wide receivers: A

Jameson Williams got the party started Monday, scoring each of the team’s first two touchdowns. The first came on a 3-yard end-around, while the second was another one of Ben Johnson’s masterful trick plays. Goff hit Amon-Ra St. Brown for a short gain, and St. Brown lateraled to Williams who took it the rest of the way for a 42-yard touchdown. 

In total, Williams had five catches for 77 yards to come within 33 of the 1,000-yard landmark with one game to play. St. Brown, meanwhile, added eight catches for 60 yards and a key touchdown on fourth-and-goal to give the team the lead late in the third quarter. 

Veteran Allen Robinson tallied just his third catch of the season, but it was a big one. With the Lions facing a third down early in the third quarter, Robinson hauled in a 21-yard pass from Goff up the sideline to set up Sam LaPorta’s touchdown grab. 

While Tim Patrick was held out of the box score, he had a two-point conversion that tied the game and added the touchdown block on Gibbs’ game-sealing run. 

Tight ends: A

Sam LaPorta was a huge part of the offensive success, recording six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. His score came early in the third quarter to help tie the game, and he added a crucial fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter. 

The Iowa product added a key block on Williams’ touchdown run, as he blocked two separate 49ers to help set the edge as the wideout high-stepped into the end zone. Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra did not receive any targets but were utilized plenty in various packages throughout the night. 

Offensive line: A

The Lions were able to get the ground game going early, as Gibbs notched 60 yards on his first six carries. Aside from a pair of sacks, both of which were partially on Goff for holding onto the ball for an extended amount of time, the unit was mostly solid. 

Penei Sewell left the game briefly with a thumb injury, but Dan Campbell said he didn’t expect any long-term concern. Sewell was whistled for holding, but the group was otherwise clean. The Oregon product took a fake handoff on an end-around, so that will be something to monitor in next week’s regular season finale. 

Elsewhere, the Lions utilized Dan Skipper and Christian Mahogany as extra linemen in certain packages. Frank Ragnow, Kevin Zeitler and Graham Glasgow were solid on the interior, as was Taylor Decker aside from falling on Nick Bosa’s first sack.

MORE: Lions' Offense Shines, Shaky Defense Records Two Picks in 40-34 Win

Defensive line: C-

In the first half, the Lions really struggled to put any sort of pressure on 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. The third-year quarterback completed 14-of-16 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns, adding a rushing touchdown as well. 

Myles Adams was able to get home for a sack in the fourth quarter, but it was an otherwise quiet night for the defensive line. Al-Quadin Muhammad was flagged for defensive holding, while Za’Darius Smith recorded one quarterback hit and zero tackles. 

Linebackers: D

San Francisco used misdirection and play-action to clear out the middle of the field early as the linebacking corps was torched. Jalen Reeves-Maybin was beat by Isaac Guerendo on a 40-yard pass, and Ben Niemann surrendered a big play in coverage against Ricky Pearsall.

Jack Campbell was steady against the run, producing a team-high nine tackles. However, the group as a whole continues to struggle in coverage. This is an area that teams have been able to exploit at points throughout the year, and will need to be sharpened ahead of the playoffs.

Secondary: C

Pearsall exposed the Lions secondary with eight catches for 141 yards and a touchdown. He beat Terrion Arnold deep early in the game and was an all-around force. Jauan Jennings also gave the defense trouble late in the game.

Brian Branch was penalized twice, once for pass interference and once for unnecessary roughness. Though both were inopportune and the latter led to a temporary benching, Kerby Joseph picked off passes on the next play each time. Branch did record a sack on a well-timed fourth quarter blitz.

The two interceptions by Joseph give him nine on the season, which leads the league. In his third NFL season, Joseph has cemented himself as one of the league's best ball-hawks.

Opposite Arnold, Amik Robertson made a crucial third-down pass break-up to force a field goal attempt and also forced a fumble.

Special teams: C

Both teams had roller-coaster performances in this phase of the game. Niether team forced a punt, and both teams had kicker issues. For the Lions, Jake Bates hit field goals from 57 and 42 yards. However, he missed an extra point and had another blocked when long-snapper Hogan Hatten was leveled.

In the return game, Tom Kennedy had three returns for 86 yards. Detroit caught breaks when 49ers kicker Jake Moody missed a pair of field goals from 50-plus yards as well as an extra point, then kicked the deciding onside kick out of bounds.

Coaching: B

The Lions made the decision not to rest their starters after the Vikings won Sunday, which was the right call based on the way the team prepared during the week. Despite many being of the opinion that Detroit would elect to sit starters ahead of next week's winner-take-all showdown, the team had no intention of not bringing its best to San Francisco.

Detroit's offense was humming once again at an elite level, as Ben Johnson's game plan was filled with creativity. Headlined by a hook-and-ladder touchdown, the attack was well-designed.

Defensively, the Lions struggled mightily to stop the 49ers for the better part of three quarters. Aided by takeaways, Detroit's defense was able to get enough stops despite its struggles.

The Lions' ultimate goal of gaining the NFC's No. 1 seed and a second-consecutive division championship will come down to next week's game against Minnesota. There are issues defensively, but the offense has proven time and time again that it can hang in high-scoring games.

Dan Campbell has built the identity of his team around embracing situations with stakes that they will face this week, and the regular season finale should be fascinating.