Lions' Grades: Offense Silent, Defense Overwhelmed In Second Half
Disappointment will be a strong theme for the Detroit Lions this offseason.
The team, which had made plenty of history this season, squandered a 24-7 halftime lead in a 34-31 loss to the the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
Losing while being on the doorstep of the Super Bowl will sting, but the Lions proved this season that they have a talented group capable of competing for years to come.
Here are grades for each position group based on performance in Sunday's game.
Quarterback: B+
Goff started strongly in the first half, delivering multiple key throws to keep the Lions' offense moving. Detroit was solid on third downs in the opening half, going five-for-seven and scoring on four of their five possessions.
The veteran quarterback played a key role in this, delivering strikes to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta while also wisely hitting his check-down throws to David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs.
After the break, though, the Lions were unable to recover their groove. He was just 2-of-6 in the third quarter, with two incompletions coming on costly drops. Goff bounced back to have a strong fourth quarter, though, and hit on five of six passes on the final drive to bring the Lions within three.
Running backs: B
The Lions dominated on the ground in the first half, racking up 150 yards on the ground in the opening two quarters. Both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs had rushing touchdowns before the break, and it was smooth sailing early.
Gibbs punched one in from 15 yards out and also converted a third-and-12 with a. 13-yard run on the Lions' final drive of the half.
However, the Lions struggled to adapt to the 49ers' second half defensive adjustments. Gibbs had a critical fumble that allowed San Francisco to tie the game and was largely a non-factor in the second half.
Montgomery finished with 93 yards on 15 carries, while Gibbs had just one carry for -1 yards in the second half.
Wide receivers: B-
Amon-Ra St. Brown was a literal force in the first half, converting four third downs of seven yards or longer before the break. Among them was a 19-yard catch on a third-and-18.
However, his impact was much quieter in the second half, as he finished with just two catches after the break.
Jameson Williams was electrifying early, scoring a 42-yard touchdown on a reverse on the opening possession. However, he didn't get his first target until the fourth quarter and had a touchdown pass go through his hands.
The second-year wideout did notch a touchdown catch on the final drive of the game to pull Detroit within three.
Josh Reynolds had two costly drops after halftime. The first came on a crucial fourth down that turned the tides of the game, while the second came on a sure conversion on a third-and-9 that forced the team to punt in a tie game.
Tight ends: B+
Sam LaPorta finished with team-high totals in both receptions and receiving yards with nine and 97, respectively. He also had multiple key blocks to help spring touchdowns in the first half.
He set the edge on Williams' touchdown run and was the lead blocker on Gibbs' 15-yard scoring dash in the second quarter.
Anthony Firkser had his first catch as a Lion in the fourth quarter but stepped out of bounds at the 2-yard line.
Offensive line: B
Penei Sewell had a big block on the game's first play, which helped Montgomery run for a first down and set the tone. Frank Ragnow had a key block on Williams' touchdown run.
The Lions were able to own the line of scrimmage in the first half but couldn't recapture that magic in the second. Nick Bosa got home for two sacks, and Detroit's longest run of the final two quarters went for 16 yards.
Defensive line: B-
The Lions did a solid job early of neutralizing San Francisco's patented outside zone runs. However, Christian McCaffrey was dominant in the second half and the Lions weren't able to generate much pressure on Brock Purdy.
A key moment occurred in the fourth quarter when Aidan Hutchinson just missed Purdy, who then scrambled for 21 yards on a drive that would put the 49ers up 10 late in the game.
Tyson Alualu teamed up with Ifeatu Melifonwu for a sack in the red zone, while Alim McNeill recorded a sack on the very next play. Hutchinson, meanwhile, was held without a tackle but did have two passes deflected.
Josh Paschal deflected a pass that was intercepted by Malcolm Rodriguez and added a tackle for loss.
Linebackers: B+
With Derrick Barnes suffering an injury early, the Lions turned to Malcolm Rodriguez to play a big role. He delivered by intercepting a pass in the second quarter and had six tackles, including one for loss.
Alex Anzalone paced the defense with nine tackles, while Jack Campbell had seven. The rookie had a nice tackle early when an outside run was funneled back to him on the inside.
Secondary: C
Ceedy Duce had two early missed tackles in the first half, including one against McCaffrey that allowed the running back to add 10 yards to a reception in the first quarter.
Duce also committed a personal foul against Deebo Samuel that negated much of Rodriguez' runback on his interception.
Cam Sutton was beat for an early third down conversion by Brandon Aiyuk but bounced back to have a tackle for loss and a pass defensed.
Kindle Vildor, meanwhile, was on the wrong side of history when a potential interception glanced off his facemask and into the hands of Aiyuk for the 49ers longest play of the game.
Special teams: B
The Lions elected to keep Michael Badgley sidelined for two fourth downs in field goal range, but he converted his only field goal opportunity from 21 yards out as the first half came to a close.
Jack Fox had another strong game punting, but his best punt was squandered by the coverage team. He unleashed a 74-yard boomer that bounced in the perfect spot, but Chase Lucas couldn't stay out of the end zone as he corralled the ball.
Coaching: C
Dan Campbell's aggressiveness was on full display, particularly in the second half. The Lions went for it on three fourth downs, converting just one. Each of the two failed attempts came with critical consequences, as both were with the team in field goal range.
Of the two failed fourth downs, the first stands out the most. With the Lions up two scores and facing a fourth-and-2 at the 49ers' 28-yard line, Goff's pass was dropped by Reynolds. The 49ers would score to cut the lead to 24-17, then tie the game when Gibbs fumbled on the next play from scrimmage.
It was ultimately a frustrating sequence, but the Lions had played in similar fashion all season long.
Ben Johnson had a solid opening game plan, but the offense went stagnant in the second half. Particularly, they struggled to get going on the ground.
For the defense, it was a series of bad breaks and an inability to contain Christian McCaffrey that proved costly.
The Lions have the infrastructure in place to be contending for the next several years. How they navigate this offseason will be telling about the direction of the organization.
