Stock market report Detroit Lions vs. Minnesota Vikings: 8 promoted, 5 relegated after victory over the Vikings

It wasn't pretty, but a win is a win. The Detroit Lions hit the road and played ugly, sloppy football early on in what looked like a reversal of the Cowboys game. Despite that start, they found a way to win against one of the best teams in football. Here are your decision makers for the 31-29 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Filling in: Jared Goff, QB

Statistics: 22/25, 280 yards, 2 touchdowns

If Goff keeps playing like this, I'm going to have to start saying the three-letter word. It's safe to say he put himself right into that conversation with his performance in October. Goff has been absolutely on a roll over the last month, and on Sunday he made one of the best defensive coordinators in football look helpless.

This isn't the first time either. Since Brian Flores took over as Vikings DC manager in 2023, Goff has consistently brought out the best in him.

This is not a game of short passes or unnecessary distance. Ben Johnson's game plan is wide open, and Goff makes a variety of throws that he hasn't typically made with any regularity during his tenure as a Lion.

It all starts with the pocket-sized presence that makes Goff seem like a whole new man. He can feel the pocket around him better while looking downfield, unlocking many of those deeper routes. In the third quarter Sunday, a Vikings defender came around the edge and was about to reach for a strip sack when Goff clutched the ball, stepped into the pocket and threw a laser to give Tim Patrick a 22-yard gain. In the past it was probably a turnover or at least a sack. This time the drive ended with a passing touchdown by Jared Goff.

Goff continues to show development and right now his ceiling is in a dangerous area for anyone with the Detroit Lions on their schedule.

Inventory reduced: Kayode Awosika, OL

Awosika played admirable defense in Week 3 against the Seahawks and held down the position tremendously. Earlier this week, with Kevin Zeitler unlikely to play due to injury, Dan Campbell expressed confidence in Awosika to step up. Unfortunately, things didn't go quite so smoothly this time, and that became apparent on the first trip:

Awosika played better the rest of the game, and it showed in both the ground game performance and Goff's passing attack. However, it was a difficult start and a reality check for Awosika's first start since arguably the best performance of his career.

Stepping up: Trevor Nowaske, LB

Statistics: 5 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 sack

On this week's Perrview podcast, I mentioned Nowaske's full stat sheet from the Cowboys game to represent Aidan Hutchinson. I said that his tackles for loss and sack against Dallas came in the defense's hottest game and at the worst time, and that we shouldn't expect him to repeat that against a strong offense like the Vikings.

Boy, was I wrong?

Nowaske's stats look like those of a Pro Bowl edge rusher in his second week of increased action, and he holds down the edge well even in the absence of Derrick Barnes and Hutchinson. That's no small feat against an offense like the Vikings, and while the Lions are struggling to find other pass rush support. Nowaske receives a well-deserved supply.

Stock neutral: Terrion Arnold, CB

Statistics: 2 tackles

It was a quiet day for Arnold, which is a step in the right direction, especially considering the receivers he was up against. Justin Jefferson, who Arnold covered plenty of, finished the game with 81 yards after averaging over 125 yards per game in his career against the Lions. This is a step in the right direction for both the Lions and Arnold.

Arnold struggled with run support and merely made a rookie mistake that proved costly. On Aaron Jones' early 34-yard touchdown run, Arnold was too eager to get into the box and gave up rim control, allowing Jones to find daylight outside. This problem is exacerbated by the absence of Aidan Hutchinson and Derrick Barnes, who are among the Lions' most disciplined players when it comes to setting edges.

It's the same mistake we saw from Hutchinson several times in his first two years in the league; It just takes time to learn the necessary patience. Arnold will get that with experience, but the lack of it was costly on Sunday. An improvement in pass defense ensures he stays neutral on the day.

Filling: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB

Statistics: 15 carries, 116 yards, 2 touchdowns; 4 catches, 44 yards

Gibbs can do anything and we saw that again on Sunday. With a rare tough performance from David Montgomery (and an injury that kept him out for part of the game), the Lions relied on Gibbs and he averaged 7.7 yards per carry against the Vikings' strong front seven.

Stats aside, it's the way Gibbs racked up the yards that really impressed. We know he can hit the rim and turn on the jets in space, but he also put his head down and smashed several tackles in the box for extra yardage. That's usually the role Monty plays, but in his absence, Gibbs had no trouble keeping the offense moving between the tackles.

Stock down: Taylor Decker and Graham Glasgow, OL

It was a tough day for the entire offense, but especially for the left side. Taylor Decker had arguably his worst game of the season, while Graham Glasgow struggled with one of the best nose tackles in the league in the presence of the Vikings.

Vikings EDGE Jonathan Greenard continually asserted himself against Decker, while nose tackle Harrison Phillips was a force to be reckoned with on defense. To be fair to Glasgow, most guards in the league have to contend with Phillips, but Glasgow appeared to be just a step behind at times and was also penalized with a holding penalty after David Montgomery fumbled a touchdown.

Quick hits

Stock up

Josh Paschal, DL: Paschal made great strides on Sunday and is the Lions' most dominant force on the defensive line, despite being in and out of the game due to injury.

Jake Bates, K: Bates was 1-1 on field goals, but it was what counted. That the Lions took a knee instead of trying to get more yardage spoke volumes about their confidence in him. Bonus points for the celebratory dance.

Malcolm Rodriguez, LB: Rodrigo bounced back from a tough game in Dallas to outperform the Vikings in both pass coverage and run support. He's really carving out a role for himself in this defense.

Brian Branch, S: His stock can only go so far after last week's performance in Dallas, but here we are. What a great read about his interception.

Pat O'Connor, DL: He didn't particularly stand out, but after being drafted by the Lions in 2017 and getting his first start as a Lion seven years later, O'Connor puts emphasis on his ability to stick around.

Inventory reduced

Isaac Ukwu, DL: After playing a notable role against Dallas following the Hutchinson injury, Ukwu was nowhere to be found Sunday against the Vikings. He would end the day with a tackle.

James Houston, DL: Similarly, Houston came in hoping to develop some pass-rushing power but didn't show up in the stats. Unless that changes quickly, his role on this team may be undiscovered.