Lions' Grades: Defense Dominates, Aaron Glenn Gains Respect

The Lions' defense bounced back in a big way Sunday.

The Detroit Lions heard the criticism and answered it loudly. 

After the week featured concerns about Aaron Glenn's defense and its ability to get to the quarterback, the defensive line anchored a strong effort that saw the unit record seven sacks. 

The end result was a resounding 20-6 win over the Falcons. Here are the grades for each position group from Sunday's game. 

Quarterback: B

Jared Goff didn't have his best day, which could be attributed to a number of different factors. For one, he didn't have as much time as he's been accustomed to behind a patchwork offensive line. 

His lone big mistake came when he missed badly on a pass intended for Amon-Ra St. Brown over the middle of the field. The throw missed long, as Jessie Bates dove in front of the pass and secured the interception. 

Aside from that, he was pretty on point. He demonstrated plenty of chemistry with Sam LaPorta, as well as his usual connection with St. Brown. He also notched his first rushing touchdown as a Lion, to ice the game in the fourth quarter. 

Though not his best showing, Goff once again played well enough to put his team in a position to win. 

Running backs: B

Without David Montgomery, the Lions were forced to turn to rookie Jahmyr Gibbs, Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight. Gibbs had a slow start, but wound up with 80 yards on 17 carries. 

The Alabama product was able to get going in the second half, as Detroit wore down Atlanta's defense. Like Goff, Gibbs could likely blame the offensive line's shifting for some of his early struggles. 

Knight served as the No. 2 back in his Lions debut, a development that was surprising given his recent promotion from the practice squad. He and Reynolds each saw limited spurts. 

Jason Cabinda was stuffed on his lone carry, which came on a third-and-1 play in the third quarter. 

Wide receivers: B+

After a week in which St. Brown and Josh Reynolds were both limited, one took the lead while the other stepped back Sunday. St. Brown was in his best form, catching nine passes for 102 yards. 

Meanwhile, Reynolds was clearly limited from a snaps perspective, and didn't receive as much as a target in the win. Kalif Raymond picked up some of the slack, with four catches for 55 yards. 

St. Brown did have an uncharacteristic drop Sunday. Additionally, Reynolds had an offensive pass-interference penalty that was waved off after determining that the defender made the initial contact. 

Tight ends: A-

LaPorta was the big story of Sunday's game offensively. He broke out with an eight-catch, 84-yard performance. He scored his first career touchdown on a cleverly designed play-action pass. 

His run-blocking performance continues to develop throughout the early part of the season. He did take his lumps in that area, but continues to deliver in key situations. 

Elsewhere, James Mitchell continues to get a small workload, while Brock Wright contributed as a blocker and on special teams. 

Offensive line: C

The Lions were forced to patch their line together, after entering the game without two starters. Unfortunately for them, they lost two more players in Sunday's win. 

The status of Matt Nelson and Dan Skipper will be known more going forward, but their injuries forced rookie Colby Sorsdal to return to his collegiate position of right tackle after sliding to guard in training camp. 

Sorsdal received a "Welcome to the NFL" present early in his stint, when Vic Beasley blew past him to deliver a big hit on Goff. Elsewhere, this group was penalized a total of five times. 

Left tackle Penei Sewell was responsible for two of those penalties, in his second start on the left side. Center Frank Ragnow was responsible for one. The unit allowed nine quarterback hits on Goff, and was much better in the run game than in pass protection. 

Defensive line: A+

After facing the fire through the week, Detroit's defensive line answered the bell in a big way Sunday. In total, the Lions sacked Desmond Ridder seven times, with six different players joining the fray. 

Aidan Hutchinson, who had logged 13 pressures to no avail in the first two games, came away with two takedowns of Ridder. The second was a forced fumble that he recovered to seal the game. 

Elsewhere, Benito Jones, Alim McNeill and Charles Harris each got sacks. The unit was just as good in the pass rush as it was against the run, limiting Atlanta to just 2.2 yards per carry. 

It's the third consecutive game in which Detroit's run defense has been stout. The unit has yet to allow an individual to rush for 100 yards.  

Linebackers: B+

Jack Campbell recorded his first career sack on the final play of the first half, as part of an impressive day for the Lions' second level. Derrick Barnes continued his strong play, by shooting the gaps and notching his first sack of the season. 

Alex Anzalone set the tone for the defense early, smacking Tyler Allgeier in the open field to end Atlanta's first drive. 

The open-field tackling was still inefficient at times. Among the missed tackles was when Allgeier ran through Malcolm Rodriguez. 

Secondary: B+ 

Brian Branch continued his torrid start to his career. He was all over the field with 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two passes defensed. 

The rookie is a bonafide big hitter, as he crunched multiple Falcons in the open field. He anchored the back-half in both the run and passing games. 

Elsewhere, Tracy Walker and Ifeatu Melifonwu were both solid in place of Detroit's two injured safeties. Walker had two passes slip through his hands, while Melifonwu had a big hit on Mack Hollins that broke up a pass. 

Jerry Jacobs bounced back from his struggles last week with a solid showing, though he was called for pass interference in the third quarter. Cam Sutton was beaten by Drake London in the first quarter, but was otherwise solid. 

Special teams: B

Jack Fox had another solid day, averaging 45.7 yards on his five punt attempts. Riley Patterson, meanwhile, remained perfect in his placekicking duties with two field goals. 

The Lions were penalized once in the return game, when Will Harris was called for holding, negating a Kalif Raymond return. Raymond had two returns for 13 yards, while Zonovan Knight didn't get the chance to run out any kicks. 

Coaching: A-

Dan Campbell controlled Sunday's game masterfully. Despite the score being close throughout, it felt as though the Lions were in control from early on. 

The offense struggled to get going at times, as a result of a mixed-up offensive line and multiple starters being out. Yet, the team converted when it needed to, and stayed ahead of the sticks for much of the afternoon. 

The big winner was Aaron Glenn and the defense. Atlanta was held below 50 yards rushing, which is a huge statement given the Falcons' ability to run the ball. 

It seemed as though the defense took criticisms about its pass-rush effectivenes personally, making a loud statement ahead of a key matchup with the Green Bay Packers Thursday.