On Sunday, the Detroit Lions had a golden opportunity to get back to .500 by defeating the Dallas Cowboys on the road. Unfortunately, when all was said and done, it was the Cowboys who had the final laugh as they used a last-second field goal to defeat the Lions 26-24.
There were some certainly some positives for the Lions on Sunday, but they were outweighed by the negatives.
Here is a look how each individual unit graded in Week 4.
Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford completed 24 of 30 passes for 307 yards and a pair of touchdowns but he was not perfect as he did miss a couple of throws to kill drives. Overall, he was accurate and did not turn the ball over but Stafford could have made a few more plays throughout the game. To me, this is like grading the smartest kid in the school on a calculus exam, I have to be tough.
Grade: A-
Running Backs
As a team, the Lions had 20 carries for 96 yards (4.8 yards per carry) but 22 of those yards came from non-running backs, including 17 from Jamal Agnew on one carry. Kerryon Johnson started things off with a 32-yard run but he was only able to gain 23 yards on his remaining eight carries. He also had one catch for one yard. LeGarrette Blount, was completely ineffective, rushing for 12 yards on seven carries.
Grade: C-
Wide Receivers
Golden Tate had a career day (despite showboating to early) and Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones continue to be threats. All three receivers had at least 50 yards and they continue to be one of the best WR trios in the NFL. That being said, I would still like to see the receivers get more separation on a regular basis.
Grade: A-
Tight Ends
Though the Lions tight ends were only targeted five times in the game, they did have four receptions for 24 yards. In terms of blocking, there was not too much to kill them over but not much stood out either.
Grade: C
Offensive Line
After giving us a brilliant performance against the Patriots a week ago, the offensive line went backward in Week 4. Granted, T.J. Lang left early with a brain injury but his partners in crime failed to have his back for the rest of the game. The rushing attack was non-existent after the first run of the game and Matthew Stafford was sacked three times by Demarcus Lawrence!
Grade: D-
Defensive Line
The Detroit Lions defensive line is a dumpster fire and that showed big time on Sunday as Ezekiel Elliott did whatever he wanted to on his way to 240 total yards. Heading into the season, we knew the defensive line would bite us in the ass and that has come to fruition.
Grade: D-
Linebackers
Similar to the defensive line, the Lions’ linebackers are, to be nice, NOT GOOD. Jarrad Davis probably played his best game of the season but he also crapped the bed on the most important play of the game when he was incapable of staying with Zeke Elliott on a play that put the Cowboys in position to kick a game-winning FG.
Grade: D
Defensive Backs
For the millionth time…OTHER THAN DARIUS SLAY, THE DETROIT LIONS DO NOT HAVE ANOTHER GOOD CORNERBACK ON THEIR ROSTER!!! Slay did his thing, but the rest of our cornerbacks were as worthless as (insert your own phrase here).
Grade: D
Special Teams
Wait, there were special teams plays on Sunday? This is tough to grade because the Lions only returned one kick, one punt, and attempted one field goal. Sam Martin had four punts, two of which were down inside the 20.
Grade: B-
Coaching
Heading into the game, it was quite obvious that Ezekiel Elliott was the one player the Lions defense needed to slow down. Unfortunately, Elliott did whatever he wanted to for four quarters and the Lions defense looked lost. Though Jarrad Davis played ok, it was a coaching mistake to have him in man to man coverage (with no over the top help) on Elliott late in the game.
Offensively, I was really hoping for Kerryon Johnson to get more touches. He is clearly better than Blount and should be getting way more touches than he got on Sunday. The red zone offense left much to be desired, again, and that to is on coaching..
Grade: D
