LB Malcolm Rodriguez Is Lions' Highest PFF-Graded Defensive Player

Lions' Week 12 PFF grades have been revealed.

The Detroit Lions still feel as if they are continuing to get better as a team, despite losing at Ford Field to the Buffalo Bills, 28-25. 

Linebacker Malcolm Rodriguez was Detroit's highest PFF-graded defensive players, as he earned a 90.5 grade. 

Detroit's talented linebacker recorded 38 defensive snaps and secured six tackles and one pass deflection. 

In his NFL debut, James Houston played only five defensive snaps, but earned two sacks and a grade of 78.9 in his first taste of game action. 

"A little frustrating obviously," Houston said, when asked about having to wait until Week 12 to debut. "But knowing that I was on the practice squad and switching positions, I had a lot on my plate mentally, physically, everything. Obviously, the guys in the front office, they knew that I had a little bit more process to go. They unleashed me and it showed.”

For Dan Campbell's team, the close loss was another reminder of just how dialed in players must be in order to avoid mistakes and costly errors. 

"You’ve got to show up every week, man," said Campbell. "You’ve got to be loaded, locked in, mentally focused, urgent, everything -- or you’ll get beat. And when you play a team like this, you don’t have to be perfect, but you’ve got to be pretty close. And we weren’t quite able to do that today, but we hung in there and we battled. But I still know -- I know we’re getting better. And I still walk away from this, I’m frustrated because I hate losing -- we all do, but yet, I also know we got a little better today. We just did, so that’s how I feel.”

Here are Pro Football Focus’ best and worst Lions player grades, based on Thursday's game.

Top PFF-graded offensive players.

• WR Amon-Ra St. Brown -- 89.8
• RB D'Andre Swift -- 74.1
• C Frank Ragnow -- 71.5
• QB Jared Goff -- 67.6
• TE James Mitchell -- 66.6 

Worst PFF-graded offensive players

• TE Shane Zylstra -- 50.0
• T Matt Nelson -- 48.6
• G Kayode Awosika -- 47.1
• G Dan Skipper -- 35.1
• TE Brock Wright -- 33.1

Top PFF-graded defensive players

• LB Malcolm Rodriguez -- 90.5
• DT Benito Jones -- 79.6
• DE James Houston -- 78.9
• CB Mike Hughes -- 76.6
• DE Julian Okwara -- 70.7

Worst PFF-graded defensive players

• DE Austin Bryant -- 59.4
• LB Anthony Pittman -- 57.9
• CB Will Harris -- 50.3
• CB Jerry Jacobs -- 49.6
• LB Chris Board -- 41.9