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    • David Montgomery, DL gets high marks
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    David Montgomery, DL gets high marks

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    Dave Birkett assesses the Detroit Lions’ performance during their 26-20 overtime win over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday at Ford Field.

    Quarterback

    Jared Goff played the role of game manager on Sunday, completing 18 of 28 passes for 217 yards. He threw an interception in the fourth quarter that set up a touchdown for the Rams and nearly threw another that likely would have given L.A. a win. Goff said he needed to get better with his cadence and be smoother with “operational stuff,” but he turned in a winning effort overall. Goff seemed to have the Lions on the right plays most of the night against a Rams team that played largely out of a light box. He struggled for a key 7-yard gain to nail a third-and-6 with 11 minutes left in regulation and was sharp on the game-tying drive at the end of regulation, when he might have delivered the winning touchdown had Jahmyr Gibbs not slipped on the turf. Grade: B

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    Backrunners

    Goff called David Montgomery a “battering ram,” and the Lions used him to set the tone for their offense early and close out the game late. Montgomery had 45 of his 91 yards on five carries on the game-ending drive. He had a 21-yard run on the second play of the series, finishing with a touchdown, and once he got going, it felt like he was unstoppable. Montgomery picked up a big first down on the Lions’ second series, forcing a tackle at the line for 2 yards. Gibbs also had a nice short-yardage run, slipping through a small opening for a first down on third-and-1 from the 5 on the Lions’ touchdown drive late in the first half. Gibbs wasn’t as effective on the ground (11 carries, 40 yards), but he gave the Lions’ passing game a boost on a night when most of the receiving corps was MIA. Grade: A-minus

    Receivers/tight ends

    Jameson Williams had the breakout game many were hoping for with five catches for 121 yards. He toasted Tre’Davious White on a double-take for a 52-yard touchdown and jump-started a sluggish Lions offense in the first half. Amon-Ra St. Brown (three catches, 13 yards) had a quiet night against bracket coverage but had a hand in the Lions’ 163-yard rushing effort with his blocking. Tight end Sam LaPorta had a big block on Montgomery’s fourth-and-2 conversion and sold a block beautifully on the next play to get open for a 14-yard gain. Not a single Lions receiver other than Williams and St. Brown was targeted for a pass on Sunday. That’s not sustainable going forward, although I can’t say whether they struggled to get open or was just a minimal part of the game plan without watching the tape. Grade: B

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    Offensive line

    Montgomery deserves most of the credit for closing out the game and the Lions’ 163-yard rushing day, but none of that would have been possible without a solid day overall from the offensive line. The Lions got a good push early and found a second gear in the trenches in overtime. Kevin Zeitler allowed the first sack of the season when he reacted late to a Byron Young fumble, and Taylor Decker gave up a sack to Jared Verse just before halftime. Frank Ragnow had a couple of snap infractions, although that may have been what Goff was referring to when he talked about improving his cadence. The Lions had just one minus-yard rushing play and no holding penalties on 31 carries. Grade: A-minus

    Line of defense

    If Sunday was any indication, Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport will be a dangerous pass-rushing duo this fall. Both players had four quarterback hits on Sunday, with Hutchinson having one sack and letting Matthew Stafford slip away on another, and Davenport sharing a sack with Levi Onwuzurike. Together, the Lions need to finish their rushes better, but the line as a whole was disruptive. Hutchinson also picked up two holding penalties, including one that wiped out a Rams touchdown, and Davenport put key pressure on Joe Noteboom to force a Stafford throw-away in the second quarter. Hutchinson was flagged for roughing the passer, while Kyle Peko (one TFL, one QB hit) played well at nose tackle in DJ Reader’s absence. Grade: A-minus

    Linebackers

    The Rams averaged 3.6 yards on their 23 carries, as the Lions played primarily from their base defense to eliminate the run. Alex Anzalone had a big night with 13 tackles, including three for loss. He had two TFLs on the Rams’ first three plays, identifying a check-down pass to Kyren Williams before it left Stafford’s hand and beat Steve Avila to his spot on a pulling block to throw to Cooper Kupp for a loss of 2 yards. Jack Campbell (seven tackles) had a tackle for loss on the Rams’ first play of the second half, though he did let Kupp slip through his hands on a third-and-10 conversion. Williams ran through a tackle by Derrick Barnes for his 2-yard touchdown, but Barnes, Hutchinson and Brian Branch had run stuff on the goal line in the fourth quarter. Grade: A-minus

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    Defensive backs

    The Lions’ new secondary had a positive day overall, though they left the game with plenty of cleaning up to do. Branch and Carlton Davis III dropped potential interceptions, Terrion Arnold had two pass interference penalties near the goal line and Davis lost his footing on a shallow crossing route that Robinson converted for a 63-yard gain. On the plus side, Branch, who missed two tackles early, and Davis had key pass breakups four plays apart at the end of the first half. Davis’ PBU came on fourth-and-4 to get the Lions off the field. Kerby Joseph had his first interception of the season and the secondary looks better as a whole. Kupp had 14 catches for 110 yards and admittedly, the secondary’s performance might have looked worse had the outcome been different. Grade: B

    Special teams

    Most NFL teams opted for touchbacks over force returns on kickoffs in Week 1, and the Lions and Rams were no different. The Lions covered their only kickoff of the game well, pinning the Rams inside the 25, and they had no return. Jack Fox punted for 47.5 yards and even beat the numbers. He threw a perfect punt with backspin inside the 5-yard line in the third quarter, though Ennis Rakestraw Jr. overran the ball and drove it into the end zone for a touchback. Jake Bates made both field goals of 25 and 32 yards. Grade: A-minus

    Accompaniment

    The Lions didn’t play the cleanest game, especially in the second half, but they closed things out well enough to come away with a meaningful win. With so much hype surrounding the team, losing their season opener on Sunday night at a packed Ford Field would have been disappointing. I liked the Lions’ approach. They’re balanced enough not to have to force anything on offense, and they came out determined to stop the run defensively and doubled down on that plan after Puka Nacua went down with an injury. Ben Johnson had a beautifully designed and well-timed call on LaPorta’s 14-yard catch in the second quarter, and Aaron Glenn’s defense didn’t let anything get to them. The Lions need to come out of the locker room better, a concern that will linger going into 2023, but there were no major hiccups and only a few expected kinks to iron out in Week 1. Grade: A-minus

    Dave Birkett is the author of the new book “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline.” Pre-order now from Reedy Press.

    Contact him via [email protected]Follow him on X and Instagram via @davebirkett.

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