First place in the division feels pretty nice. It’s been six years since the Detroit Lions laid claim to the lead in the NFC North, a spot they secured with a 34-20 whooping of the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night.
The Lions physically dominated their Green Bay counterparts for most of the game. That domination is largely reflected in the Pro Football Focus grades for the game for both the players and the team itself.
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Top offensive grades
WR Josh Reynolds – 82.2
RB David Montgomery – 80.2
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown – 80.0
RG Graham Glasgow – 76.0
C Frank Ragnow – 74.9
Reynolds made a spectacular catch early in the game under heavy coverage that certainly bolstered his grade. He also earned a very high run-blocking grade for a wideout (76.1).
None of the other top five here are surprising after watching the game. Ragnow earned a team-high 84.2 grade in pass protection.
Bottom offensive grades
TE James Mitchell – 40.5
LT Taylor Decker – 48.0
TE Brock Wright – 51.9
WR Marvin Jones – 52.9
WR Antoine Green – 56.6
Mitchell played a season-high 12 snaps but earned the lowest overall grade as well as the lowest run-blocking grade (42.1). Decker’s mark was marred by two penalties, which really lower the PFF grades.
Bottom defensive grades
LB Jack Campbell – 46.9
DB Will Harris – 49.3
EDGE Charles Harris – 49.8
DT Benito Jones – 49.8
S Tracy Walker – 60.1
With no grades below 45.0, this is a pretty impressive bottom end. Campbell struggled as a pass rusher (49.2 grade on nine pass rush attempts) and that lowered his grade. Will Harris filled in for an injured Brian Branch and gave up two completions for first downs in just 13 coverage reps.
Charles Harris has a grade that is likely to be adjusted upward upon review. He logged four QB pressures, two hurries and a sack as well as impressive tackling (72.8) and coverage grades (60.0). One penalty appears to significantly discount his initial overall score.
Best defensive grades
DE John Cominsky – 84.8
DT Alim McNeill – 83.0
DB Brian Branch – 82.6
LB Alex Anzalone – 81.4
DE Aidan Hutchinson – 80.1
Cominsky logged seven QB pressures in just 29 pass-rush attempts, including a sack. Hutchinson had eight QB pressures and five hurries, including a sack, in 42 pass-rush reps. His grade was also hit hard by a (bogus) personal foul penalty.
Special mention to Anzalone, who earned the highest single-game PFF coverage grade (77.8) of the season for a Lions LB.
Team grades
The total team grades were very impressive, starting with an overall grade of 81.7. It was the best of the season for the Lions thus far.
Of significance is the 90.2 grade for tackling. It’s the highest tackling grade earned by the Lions in a game since Week 16 of the 2014 season and just the second time they’ve ever topped 90.0 in that metric.
