Team Grades: Lions Defense Leads Way To Win Over Packers
By Chris Morgan
The Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers are both thought of as offense first teams. As such, it would have not been unreasonable to expect a high scoring, pulse pounding affair. However, that did not turn out to be the case in the slightest, but the Lions still came away with the victory so their fans likely do not care. Detroit was led by their defense en route to a 19-7 victory over the Packers. The Lions are now 2-1, and have scored a key divisional win over Green Bay. Here is a series of grades for the Lions in their winning performance.
Offense: This was not the best of days for the Detroit Lions' offense. While the team did total 353 yards, they only accounted for one touchdown, a 26-yard run from Reggie Bush. However, it was an impressive run by Bush, who finally had a good game. He rushed 12 times for 61 yards and caught six passes for 38 yards. While Joique Bell has become a bigger part of the offense, Bush can still contribute.
Part of the issue for Detroit's offense came from the fact they left some points on the field, through turnovers and special teams issues, but the turnovers are going to be addressed in the next section. Calvin Johnson was the only other notable performer for the Lions, catching six passes for 82 yards. The defense bailed them out in this game. Grade: B
Quarterback: While it is still early, and one should try and avoid changing their opinion drastically from week to week, but the Matthew Stafford from week one has not shown up since then. This week was the nadir thus far. He went 22-for-34 for 246 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. One pick wasn't bad, but the other was a poor throw, and Stafford also had a fumble, which he lost.
The talent is still there, and Stafford's performance should improve going forward. That being said, right now it is feeling more and more like that opening game against the Giants may have been the pinnacle of his season, which would be concerning. Grade: C
Special Teams: Speaking of concerns for the Lions. Once, again, Sam Martin punted fine, and Jeremy Ross returned fine, and Green Bay's handful of returns weren't too impressive. However, once again, Nate Freese missed a field goal. He went 1-for-2, only making a 30-yarder. He has missed at least one field goal in every game thus far. That is simply unacceptable for an NFL starting kicker. The Lions may have to consider looking elsewhere, perhaps picking a kicker up off the scrap heap. They can't harbor any real playoff hopes with a kicker such as this. Grade: B-
Defense: At least the team excelled here, otherwise the Lions would not have won this game. They held Aaron Rodgers and company to a single touchdown. They got two sacks and six tackles for loss. They shut down the run, like they usually do, and in fact DeAndre Levy tackled Eddie Lacy in the end zone for a safety. Additionally, Detroit's first touchdown came on a fumble recovery returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Don Carey.
Detroit looked great on defense. The only thing that went wrong for them is that Stephen Tulloch injured himself celebrating. Grade: A
For more Lions news and updates, visit Lions Central.
Chris Morgan has been a diehard Detroit Lions fan through the good (Barry Sanders) and the bad (Matt Millen) and that love has led him to take jobs writing about sports, including as a fantasy sports "expert." His work can be found on Examiner.com. .
