Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett grades the Detroit Lions in their 31-27 loss to the Miami Dolphins at Ford Field:
Quarterback
Jared Goff started hot and was a big reason the Lions scored on every possession of the first half. He made the right read on a 58-yard pass to T.J. Hockenson on third-and-2 on the second series, when the Dolphins brought a cornerback blitz and Hockenson had leverage against a safety dropping into coverage from the box. Goff spun out of a sack on a flea-flicker to keep a drive alive and threw for 264 yards in an efficient first half. But Goff wilted again in a key moment, when he threw short and behind Josh Reynolds on fourth-and-1 with just under 3 minutes. Reynolds could have made a tough catch, but quarterbacks need to deliver in moments like those with the game on the line and Goff has come up short far too often in his season and a half as a Lion. Grade: C-plus
Running backs
The Lions gave D’Andre Swift a partial workload in his return from shoulder and ankle sprains, and leaned heavily on Jamaal Williams for the fourth straight week on the ground. Williams scored two more touchdowns to bring his team-leading total to eight on the season. He opened the game with an 11-yard gain on a swing pass and broke the first tackle he saw. Swift had a 7-yard run on his first touch of the second half, but his other four carries went for minus-1 yard. The Lions had enough success through the air that they ran the ball on just 12 of their 37 first half plays. Grade: B-minus
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Wide receivers/tight ends
Reynolds (two catches for 14 yards) had a rough day. He dropped a would-be touchdown in the end zone with 3 seconds left in the first half, when the Lions settled for a field goal, and Goff’s fourth-down heave sailed through his hands, though there was a high degree of difficulty on that play. Amon-Ra St. Brown also had a drop on a crossing route on second-and-12 in the fourth quarter. St. Brown was effective with seven catches for 69 yards, but did not have much run-after-catch. Brock Wright made the lead block on Williams’ first TD run, Hockenson (three catches, 80 yards) broke a tackle with great second effort on an 11-yard grab in the fourth quarter to give the Lions a manageable fourth-and-1, and Kalif Raymond was a bright spot with catches of 43 and 27 yards in the first half. Grade: C
Offensive line
The Lions got excellent protection from their line in the first half, when Goff connected on several deep shots off play-action runs. But like the rest of the offense, the unit hit the skids hard in the second half. Penei Sewell had back-to-back penalties on the Lions’ opening drive of the third quarter, a false start and a holding penalty on a Swift run, and Taylor Decker followed with a false start to put the Lions in first-and-30. Decker also had a false start on the next series, and allowed two quarterback hits to Jaelan Phillips. Zach Sieler had Miami’s only sack, when he split Frank Ragnow and Evan Brown on a stunt on third-and-9. Brown and Ragnow did have good blocks on Williams’ first TD run, and Goff saved Ragnow on one low shotgun snap. Grade: B-minus
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Defensive line
From a statistical standpoint, the Lions did not get much out of their defensive line. No lineman had more than two tackles and no lineman registered a quarterback hit. But it’s important to note Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has one of the quickest releases in the league and Miami runs a lot of misdirection play-action. Aidan Hutchinson did overrun one sack opportunity on Tagovailoa’s long pass to Tyreek Hill in the second quarter, and Benito Jones got his hands up to knock down a pass over the middle in the first half. As a whole, the unit did not do enough to impact the game, including late in the fourth quarter when the Lions had a chance to get the ball back. Grade: C-minus
Linebackers
Malcolm Rodriguez had one of two Lions sacks when he came unblocked on a blitz to throw Tagovailoa for an 8-yard loss on Miami’s opening series. Rodriguez and Anzalone made seven tackles each, and Derrick Barnes was effective in an increased role. Barnes showed good recognition when he slipped a block by Robert Hunt to stop Chase Edmonds for no gain in the fourth quarter, then combined with Anzalone for a tackle on the next play. Julian Okwara had a costly illegal contact penalty on third-and-10 late in the first quarter to give Miami a fresh set of downs, which they converted into a touchdown. Like the defensive line, though, the unit did not make enough impact plays on a day when the Lions struggled to get off the field. Grade: C
Defensive backs
It was another rough day for a secondary that has consistently been one of the worst in the NFL this season. The Lions had no answer for Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle, and Dan Campbell said they failed to execute the game plan of being physical with Miami’s two speedy receivers at the line of scrimmage. Rookie Kerby Joseph forced his second fumble in as many weeks with a big hit on Braylon Sanders early in the game, and Juju Hughes made a nice open-field tackle on Waddle on a second-and-long dump off on the opening drive. Hughes was a step late getting to Waddle out of a bunch formation on Miami’s first touchdown, and things went downhill for the secondary from there. The Lions allowed five completions of 20 or more yards. Amani Oruwariye got beat for a 38-yard catch by Hill and a third-and-13 completion in the second quarter and AJ Parker gave up a 9-yard completion on fourth-and-3 and was dusted at the line of scrimmage on Waddle’s second touchdown. The Dolphins mostly stayed away from Jeff Okudah, though he did get picked by Will Harris on one Miami completion. Grade: F
Special teams
C.J. Moore had a first-down run on another well-executed fake punt, when he took a direct snap as the personal protector and followed a good block by Josh Woods around left end. Moore said he thought about calling the fake off, but his conversion led to a Lions field goal late in the first half. Woods made a nice tackle on Jack Fox’s second kickoff, when the Lions pinned the Dolphins at the 20-yard line to start their possession. Fox handled kickoffs and netted 46.5 yards on his two punts, and Michael Badgley made field goals of 42 and 26 yards. Maurice Alexander was stopped short of the 20 on his only return. Grade: B-plus
Coaching
Campbell did a good job managing Sunday’s game. His lone challenge wasn’t successful, but I thought it was well-spent with a chance to pick up a first down on a tough-to-judge catch/no-catch play, and he took an appropriate risk on his fake punt call given his defense’s inability to stop Miami’s offense. But the fact the Lions are now mired in a five-game losing streak, with a defense that couldn’t execute its game plan and an offense that died a self-inflicted death in the second half, does not reflect well on him and his staff. Ben Johnson showed creativity in getting the Lions offense back on track early, when he always seemed to have the right play call dialed up in the right situation. That wasn’t the case on fourth-and-2 late, however, when Goff said Reynolds was really his only option given Miami’s coverage. The bigger concern, though, remains the defense, and Sunday’s performance makes the previous two games — when the Lions didn’t embarrass themselves against conservative offensive game plans by the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys — look like a mirage. Grade: C-minus
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.