On Saturday night, the Detroit Lions took advantage of a nationally televised opportunity to cement their status as NFC contenders. The Detroit Lions defeated the Denver Broncos 42-17 at Ford Field, improving to 10-4 on the season. They are now within striking distance of winning a postseason spot and the NFC North division title with a win. Based on Saturday’s performance, here are the grades for each position group.
After struggling in recent weeks, Jared Goff has risen to a primetime berth. Following recent failures, he was brilliant in front of a national audience, reminding those concerned exactly what he is capable of doing at his best.
Following a sluggish start, Goff led five consecutive touchdown drives spanning three quarters. With five touchdown passes, the veteran tied his career high, including three to Sam LaPorta. He relied on his two favorite targets, LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown, to get the offense going. He did, however, distribute the ball to eight different targets. He concluded with an almost faultless quarterback rating of 134.6 after going 24-of-34 for 258 yards and five touchdowns.
The Lions got a lot of mileage out of both of their workhorse running backs. Jahmyr Gibbs was the standout with 100 ya8 updates availablerds rushing, but David Montgomery was nearly as effective with 85 yards on 17 carries.
With his play, Gibbs exceeded 1,000 scrimmage yards and scored two touchdowns, one receiving and one rushing. He also had a stunning 34-yard run where he made multiple defenders miss and nearly knocked another off near the goal line. Montgomery, on the other hand, was as consistent as ever in scooping up difficult yards after contact. He gained five yards per carry and demonstrated his dependability while earning difficult yards.
Amon-Ra St. Brown delivered a great game on Saturday when the team needed one. After gaining only 70 yards in the previous two games, he gained 112 yards on seven catches and a touchdown versus Denver.
His touchdown came late in the first half and featured a spectacular somersault over a defender. Jameson Williams didn’t have any spectacular touchdowns, but he did have his most productive game as a pro. He had a career-high four catches for 47 yards, including a leaping grab near the sideline, and demonstrated why the Lions believe in him. Kalif Raymond and Josh Reynolds also contributed. Reynolds had two receptions for 41 yards and was also called for pass interference, while Raymond had one reception for 12 yards. Donovan Peoples-Jones also caught one pass for five yards.
Sam LaPorta broke the organization’s record most receiving touchdowns in a season with three against the Broncos on Saturday. He now has nine for the season. His first touchdown came on a catch-and-run at the end of a throwback screen play. His second came when he precisely timed the break of his route with Goff’s toss in the red zone. He also made an outstanding catch to move the chains on a play that started with him blocking a rushing defensive end
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With the return of Frank Ragnow, the Lions had a fully healthy offensive line. The results showed, as the crew spent the most of the night giving Goff clean pockets and paving run lanes. Penei Sewell had multiple important blocks to launch runs, while the inside did a nice job of opening channels for Montgomery and Gibbs. Jonathon Cooper beat Sewell off the edge for a sack, and Dre’Mont Jones also scored in the first half after Goff held the ball too long.
Russell Wilson’s elusiveness gave the Lions difficulties early on, but the defensive line overall performed well. They held the Broncos to three yards per rush and forced a field goal at the goal line with two straight stops. On a third-down rush, Aidt Hutchinson and Bruce Irvin came close, but Wilson’s mobility allowed him to avoid the rushers before delivering an incomplete ball.
On a third down in the first half, Josh Paschal recorded his first sack of the season. That’s a promising sign, as the Lions had hoped to see more of him as a rusher following recent excellent performances against rival run games.
