Lions grades: Defense shines while offense closes Week 18 win over Packers

The Detroit Lions (9-8) ended their season by beating the Green Bay Packers (8-9) 20-16 in Week 18 action from Lambeau Field. This post will run through MLive’s grades from the game:

Quarterbacks: Dan Campbell put the ball in his quarterback’s hands with a chance to seal the game in the final minutes. And Jared Goff delivered. It was fourth-and-1 from inside Green Bay’s 15-yard line, and the quarterback hung in the pocket, then hit DJ Chark for 9 yards and the win. Goff could have been better, struggling with low throws and missed opportunities. But he did what he has continued to do during this hot stretch by protecting the ball and delivering in high-pressure moments. Goff completed 23 of 34 passes for 224 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He takes his league-high, franchise-record and personal-best streak of throwing 300-plus passes without an interception into next year.

Goff has another strong day despite a penalty deleting a deep flea-flicker touchdown toss to Jameson Williams. He hit a memorable deep shot to Kalif Raymond, rolling out to the left, then firing back the other way. That shot set up the team’s first touchdown of the game, with Raymond going down at the 1-yard line. Goff’s play in Year 2 has those on the inside continuing to sing his praises ahead of another offseason. Grade: A-

Running backs: Jamaal Williams finished his career-best season with back-to-back impressive showings after a tough stretch. Williams ran 16 times for 72 yards and two touchdowns. Those two scores gave him 17 on the season, besting Barry Sanders’ franchise record for rushing touchdowns in a single season. And D’Andre Swift was the perfect complementary piece, running for 25 yards, catching all seven targets sent his way for 61 yards. Williams ran hard. And Swift was shifty in space and a reliable checkdown. Grade: B+

Wide receivers: Sunday’s game was a great example of how far Detroit’s receiver room has come. Kalif Raymond and DJ Chark made the two most significant catches, while Amon-Ra St. Brown was his ultra-efficient self. Raymond caught the 43-yard bomb that set up the team’s first touchdown. He led the team with 66 yards, capping a strong Year 2 around these parts. And while Chark was limited to only three catches and 14 yards, that final reception was the play that sealed the game. Chark had the option to keep going or to sit on the route, and he wisely went with planting and waiting for Goff. St. Brown secured six of nine looks for 49 yards. Jameson Williams had a touchdown negated by penalty, dropping his only other target. It’s a multi-faceted group that played a major part in Goff’s growth and Ben Johnson’s attack. Grade: B+

Tight ends: James Mitchell got caught holding, catching his lone target for 7 yards. Brock Wright and Shane Zylstra were blanked, with each seeing one look. It was a quiet day for this group, outside of having their hand in the revitalized rushing attack. Grade: B-

Offensive line: It’s important to remember that Packers interior defender Kenny Clark is very good at what he does. And Devonte Wyatt was a first-round pick for a reason, with each making tough on the inside. That said, the Lions held things down in the trenches, running 25 times for 104 yards and two short-yardage touchdowns. And Goff was sacked only once, taking three hits on a mostly pressure-free day. Matt Nelson’s holding penalty on the negated flea-flicker touchdown hurts. But still a decent day at the office for the starting five. Grade: B+

Defensive line: When discussing Detroit’s potentially bright future, it’s hard to ignore the stout defensive line. Aidan Hutchinson added two sacks in the finale, making one last push for rookie of the year while the Lions broke the league record for rookie sacks in a season. Alim McNeill added two quarterback hits. And the second-year defensive lineman also made an ultra-aware play, knocking tight end Robert Tonyan from recovering a fumble before halftime. And props to Josh Cominsky, who added a quarterback hit, and forced the fumble late in the first half. The Commish got called for illegal hands to the face but more than made up for that blunder. The Lions held Packers running backs Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon to 21 carries for 81 yards and no touchdowns. Jones’ had the longest rush of the day (17 yards). Grade: A

Linebackers: Alex Anzalone helped force a turnover on downs in the first half, then got the pressure and hit on Aaron Rogers, helping force that crucial interception. As stated in the defensive line section, the rushing attack didn’t break anything ridiculous. And the pressure on Rodgers was clutch and persistent. Anzalone led the team with eight tackles, while Malcolm Rodriguez added three. Grade: A-

Secondary: The secondary is one area of concern heading into the offseason. And while cornerback should be a focal point, props to this group for bending without breaking one more time this season. Rodgers found some success against this group but ultimately got caught making a key mistake on the heave for Christian Watson. Kerby Joseph was there to go up and make the play, getting his third pick on Rodgers of the year after having one negated by penalty earlier in the night. Jerry Jacobs was physical in coverage, getting called for a pass interference call, leading to the game’s first points. Rodgers had a 45-yard shot to Watson and then a 20-yarder to Tonyan. But the four-time MVP was mostly held in check, completing 17 passes on 27 attempts for only 205 yards with one score and one pick. Grade: B-

Special teams: Dave Fipp’s crew regularly put the ball in play, giving dynamic Packers kick returner Keisean Nixon a few chances to make a play. That didn’t happen, with Nixon averaging 19.8 yards across four kick returns. Nixon was stopped at the 21-, 33-, 17- and 21-yard lines on those tries. Lions kicker Michael Badgley also made three of four field-goal attempts, missing his only attempt from more than 40 yards, though. Jack Fox punted four times for a net average of 37.5 yards, among his lowest outputs of the season. Grade: B

Coaching: If you were to watch this one without knowing the context. You’d think it were the Detroit Lions fighting for their postseason lives, not the other way around. And that’s quite the credit to Dan Campbell and his staff for bringing the fight to the Packers, no matter what was at stake in Week 18. It’s easy to say you won’t let something like getting eliminated from the postseason before kickoff affect you. But, to actually go out there and prove that kind of talk? Hats off to Campbell and this team because that’s how you put the division on alert.

Aaron Glenn’s defense contained the run while finding ways to get heat on the quarterback. That pressure eventually led to the game-sealing interception, and Glenn continued to pull the most out of his young pieces. Kerby Joseph, Alim McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson were big-time contributors to his group on Sunday night. Offensively, it was all about Ben Johnson knowing the opponent, his personnel and the situation. A hook and ladder call in the fourth quarter? Gutsy. And also, Chark said that fourth-and-1 play is usually reserved for goal-line passes, so props to the offensive coordinator for knowing when to bring it out. This is why Johnson should receive a fair amount of interest from those needing a new head coach. And as stated in the video recap, it was Campbell’s aggressiveness to put the game on ice. The second-year head coach has displayed an impressive ability to balance his aggression while staying true to himself. And it shined as Year 2 ended from Lambeau Field. Grade: A

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