Pro Football Focus has finalized the regular season grades for the 2022 NFL season. The grades for the Detroit Lions in their 9-8 campaign offer up an analytically-based glimpse of how the Lions performed.
The PFF grades aren’t always right on point, but they do serve as a generally effective tool for comparisons between players and teams. The team grades provide a nice point of reference for where the Lions stand amongst the 32 teams in the league.
Here is where the Lions ranked in each of the primary PFF metrics in the 2022 season.
Overall grade
The Lions finished with an overall team grade of 81.0, which ranked 15th. It’s a big climb up from the 2021 season, when the Lions earned a 62.2 overall grade that ranked 29th.
Offense
The Lions offense scored a 79.0 mark, which ranked 8th in the league
Passing offense - 15th
Detroit was in the middle of the pack with a passing grade of 71.7
Running grade - 17th (tied)
The Lions tied the Cincinnati Bengals for run grade at 84.2, good for 17th. The run score is based on the runners, not the blocking.
Pass blocking - 21st
The 63.4 mark for pass blocking is the lowest the Lions scored in any offensive metric and also the lowest ranking at 21st. This grade covers RBs and TEs, not just the offensive line.
Run blocking - 9th
The 68.8 run blocking grade finished 9th. As with the pass blocking, it’s for the entire offense and not just the line.
Overall defense
Detroit finished with a total defensive grade of 60.4. That tied with the Chargers for 28th overall.
Run defense - 24th
Detroit’s run defense finished in 24th with an overall grade of 55.5. Note that this includes runs by quarterbacks and other non-RBs, which is where the Lions really struggled in run defense in 2022.
Tackling - 11th
Finishing in 11th place in tackling with a score of 62.8 is a huge step forward for Detroit’s defense. The Lions were dead last by a wide margin in 2021 with a terrible 32.7 grade.
Pass rush - 15th
Another area where the Lions took a big leap in 2022 from 2021 is the pass rushing grade. Detroit’s pass rush finished 28th a year ago. The 71.2 score is the highest overall pass rush grade for the Lions since 2013
Coverage - 32nd
Coverage issues dogged the Lions defense all season. The entire defense, from cornerbacks to linebackers and even DEs dropping in coverage, is included in the grade here. Detroit’s 48.8 mark improved over 2021 by 13 points, believe it or not.
Special teams - 1st
Special teams coordinator Dave Fipp headed up the best special teams unit in the NFL. The grade of 90.7 was No. 1, edging out the Commanders and Titans for the top spot.
