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Jared Goff is playing MVP-level football

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Jared Goff is playing MVP-level football

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MINNEAPOLIS – Free Press sportswriter Dave Birkett assesses the Detroit Lions' performance following their 31-29 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at US Bank Stadium.

quarterback

Jared Goff completed his first 15 passes and finished 22 of 25 for 280 yards. He joins Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner and Roger Staubach as the only players in NFL history to post a passer rating of 140 or better in three consecutive games. His first incompletion came about eight minutes before the end of the third quarter when Vikings defensive lineman Pat Jones deflected a ball at the line of scrimmage, and he was patient most of the day, making checkdowns against a good Vikings carried out defense. Goff lost his composure once while spinning out of a sack and fumbling as he was about to throw the ball, but Frank Ragnow recovered. Goff consistently made big throws on third down, often under pressure, and is playing MVP-level football. Grade: A

Running backs

Jahmyr Gibbs was the Lions' offensive catalyst, racking up 160 scrimmage yards and scoring two touchdowns. He scored on a 45-yard run, the longest of his career, when he let Cam Bynum grab in the air on a slick open-field cut, and won hard on a day between tackles (including on the Lions' final drive). Yards his backfield partner David Montgomery was not at his best. Montgomery injured his knee in the first half and was no longer fit after his return. He missed a blitz pickup on his first play, was slow to make another, received a false start penalty and lost a fumble that nearly cost the Lions the game. Montgomery (nine carries, 31 yards) made a nice one-handed catch on the Lions' first offensive play of the second half, and Gibbs (15 carries, 116 yards) also had a big pick block on Kalif Raymond's touchdown. Grade: B-minus

Receivers/Tight Ends

Amon-Ra St. Brown (eight catches, 112 yards) was the Lions' only receiver with more than 40 yards, but the group contributed heavily in blocking. St. Brown, Tim Patrick and Ragnow had the key blocks on Gibbs' long TD, and Patrick stayed in protection on Goff's 35-yard touchdown to St. Brown. St. Brown took advantage of a coverage error on that play, but made a difficult catch in the final minute with Harrison Smith behind him, setting up Jake Bates' game-winning field goal. Jameson Williams (one catch, minus 4 yards) played no role against a Vikings secondary that fell deep into coverage. Patrick had a crucial third-down conversion on Goff's first downfield throw, and Raymond tripped Stephon Gilmore with his TD catch at the line of scrimmage. Grade: A-minus

Required reading: Lions just don't panic when everything goes wrong

Offensive line

The Lions got off to a rough start up front, failing to score a first down on their first three offensive series, and then played well against a tricky defense. Kayode Awosika, starting as an injured replacement for Kevin Zeitler, was criticized for stopping two of the Lions' first three offensive plays, and the Lions missed a protection call on their opening series, allowing Andrew Van Ginkel to be released for a sack. Taylor Decker incurred a holding penalty in the first quarter as Goff battled a three-man rush with no open downfield and Jonathan Greenard allowed two sacks. Graham Glasgow missed a cut block when Montgomery was stopped for no gain on third-and-1. Sewell showed why he is an All-Pro as a run blocker and pass protector when he picked off two Vikings defenders to keep Goff clean on St. Brown's touchdown. Grade: B

Defensive line

The Lions struggled to apply pressure from their defensive line in their first game without Aidan Hutchinson. Josh Paschal had a sack when he was unblocked by left end on the final play of the third quarter, but the line only had one other quarterback hit – by DJ Reader – on the game. Paschal and Alim McNeill scored with good rushes in the first quarter to earn a penalty kill, James Houston applied pressure on third-and-16 in the fourth quarter, and Isaac Ukwu showed good discipline on what appeared to be a planned putback on quarterback Sam Darnold. But the Lions had to rely too heavily on linebacker blitzes, which could cause problems down the road. The defense also allowed a season-high 139 yards on 21 carries and didn't get the rebounding it's used to in the run game. Grade: B-minus

TRENDING: “Game day looked a little different today”: How Aidan Hutchinson celebrated the Lions’ win

Linebackers

Malcolm Rodriguez, Jack Campbell and Trevor Nowaske were all credited with sacks, although both Rodriguez and Campbell received theirs as support defenders covering running backs on Darnold scrambles. Nowaske was there on the final Hail Mary play of the game. Rodriguez showed good instincts on two bubble screens against Justin Jefferson, but showed his limitations in coverage on first-down pickups from Aaron Jones and Johnny Mundt. Alex Anzalone (eight tackles) made a big play to get a snap after a long lead from Jordan Addison, and Nowaske made a key third-down stop on Minnesota's second offensive series to force a long field goal. Grade: B-plus

Defensive backs

Whenever Jefferson (seven catches, 81 yards) manages fewer than 100 yards, it's a win for the defense, and it took a team effort to keep him in check. With three minutes left, Jefferson beat Carlton Davis (two penalties) on a third-and-4 throw that could have won the game for the Vikings had Darnold made a better throw. Terrion Arnold cleared his edge responsibilities on Jones' 34-yard touchdown run on the Vikings' first score, and Amik Robertson had tight coverage on Jefferson's TD. Brian Branch continued his breakout season with a third-and-9 pass breakup when the Lions were in zero coverage rushing for a six, and he made a great diving interception on another terrible throw by Darnold into double coverage, when Jones was wide open on the other side of the field after Rodriguez ran into traffic. Grade: B

Special teams

Bates is still perfect at field goals this season and drilled the game-winning 44-yarder with 15 seconds left. The Lions showed confidence in Bates' leg by taking two kneeling snaps in the final minute. He also helped the Lions control field position on kickoffs while Cam Akers did a poor job on returns. The Vikings sniffed out the Lions' fake punt early in the game and Ennis Rakestraw Jr. was cited for an illegal formation on a kickoff. Grade: A-minus

Coaching

It's easy to criticize Campbell for the failed fake punt that set up Minnesota's first touchdown. Maybe the Lions have become predictable by trying to steal an extra set of downs in so many big games, but I didn't mind the gamble – and the Lions ran a new option play on the fake – because they're so successful at it were the past. More importantly, the Lions showed great composure in the face of two difficult situations, a reflection of their coaches: their rocky start and Montgomery's late fumble. Offensively, the Lions spent half the game destroying one of the NFL's best defenses, and defensively Aaron Glenn did his best to heat up Darnold with various attacks while trying to make up for Hutchinson's absence. Grade: A-minus

Dave Birkett will be signing copies of his new book, “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline,” at 24 Seconds Bar & Grill in Berkley on Monday at 7 p.m. and at Stadium Cards & Comics in Ypsilanti on Tuesday from 5:30 to 7 p.m . Order your copy here.

Contact Dave Birkett at [email protected]. Follow him on X and Instagram at @davebirkett.

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