Detroit finished the 2022 regular season on a high note. Sunday night’s 20-16 win over the rival Packers in Green Bay showed a tremendous amount of grit from the Lions, as well as spotlighting the cadre of impressive young talent in Detroit.
The game grades from Pro Football Focus largely reflect how well the Lions performed in notching the season sweep of the Packers. As a team, the Lions defense earned its top tacking grade (82.2) of the season, missing just two on the night.
Here’s how the initial PFF game grades broke down for the 9-8 Lions:
Top offense
Even in a game where the Lions won the battle in the trenches, the Lions top five offensive grades were earned by skill position players:
WR Kalif Raymond – 80.4
QB Jared Goff – 79.3
WR Jameson Williams – 78.0
RB Jamaal Williams – 78.0
RB D’Andre Swift – 75.4
Goff’s perfect fourth quarter (he was 8-for-8) and avoidance of any turnover-worthy throws elevated his grade after a subpar first half. Jameson Williams graded out very well despite a dropped pass, indicating that he consistently roasted the defense and got open on his seven pass routes.
Bottom offense
The blockers didn’t fare so well in the PFF grades.
Bottom 5:
LG Jonah Jackson – 46.6
TE Shane Zylstra – 49.6
RG Evan Brown – 51.4
OT Matt Nelson – 52.5
TE Brock Wright
TE James Mitchell – both earned a 55.3
Rough day for the tight ends, relatively speaking. Mitchell had the only reception by any of the TEs and his grade was hurt by a penalty. Wright earned a fine grade in pass protection but struggled in receiving.
Brown was assessed blame on the one sack of Goff. He and Jackson both earned their worst grades of the season in pass blocking.
Bottom defense
The low scores here are higher than the typical bottom five, something that has happened two weeks in a row. The higher floor is a welcome sign of progress.
DE Josh Paschal – 43.1
DE James Houston – 46.3
CB Jerry Jacobs – 48.0
DE Romeo Okwara – 53.3
LB Derrick Barnes – 56.7
Houston and Barnes were both hurt by poor coverage grades. Jacobs earned the top tackling grade of any defender but his early pass interference penalty and allowing four completions on eight targets kept him down.
Top defense
The playmakers prevailed here.
DL John Cominsky – 90.2
LB Alex Anzalone – 79.1
DT Isaiah Buggs – 79.0
S Kerby Joseph – 78.1
DE Aidan Hutchinson – 77.4
Cominsky created five pressures on Aaron Rodgers but also earned the highest coverage grade of any defender. Anzalone’s graded was buoyed with five tackles and creating pressure with his limited pass rush opportunities. Buggs earned the highest single-game grade of his career.
