Detroit Lions Week 16 Report Card: Last minute INT seals loss of winnable game

The Detroit Lions had designs on beating the Atlanta Falcons Sunday, but a late interception sealed the loss of a game that was certainly winnable.

The Detroit Lions went into Atlanta to take on the Falcons on Sunday. While they fell by a score of 20-16, they had their opportunities to win the game.

Obviously this team is not tanking when losing might carry a benefit. They are trying to win every single week. What it boils down to is the lack of talent on the roster, as has been the story all year long.

Regardless of the lack of overall talent, the Lions’ youth has been stepping up as of late. It just wasn’t quite enough on Sunday, with Tim Boyle starting under center for Jared Goff (reserve/COVID-19 list).

Detroit Lions Week 16 Report Card

Offense-3/5 Stars

Going into this game, expectations were very low. That was due to the fact Goff was ruled out as he could not clear protocols to get off of the reserve/Covid-19 list.

That meant  Boyle would make his second start of the season.

Because of that, only putting up 16 points was not a huge shock. However, the game went better than the scoreboard would indicate.

The offensive line had another strong game. The Lions ran the ball solidly (3.9 yards per carry), and Boyle was not sacked (or hardly hit).

But the offense was unable to finish drives, settling for two sub-30-yard field goals from Riley Patterson.

The inability to find the endzone on those drives is what ultimately cost Detroit the game. The offense just couldn’t finish the job.

Best offensive player: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

This has been an incredible stretch of football for the rookie.

St. Brown had nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. That brings his season total up to 74 catches for 692 yards and three touchdowns, with 35 catches over the last four games.

Even with a change at quarterback this week, St. Brown continues to be the most reliable pass-catcher Detroit has.

On the aforementioned touchdown, he showed what he can do after the catch, fighting to get into the end zone.

Detroit also used St. Brown as a rusher in this game, using the same play design twice, using a fake-toss to set up a handoff to St. Brown with Penei Sewell pulling to be the lead blocker. On those two plays, St. Brown picked up 19 yards with one going for 12 yards.

St. Brown has become a Swiss Army knife of sorts. He can play outside, in the slot, or as we was Sunday, in the backfield.

Worst offensive player: QB Tim Boyle

Boyle played a fairly good game for 59 minutes. He wasn’t taking too many risks and he hit on most of the throws that were open.

However, it’s very clear Boyle cannot operate outside of play design. On several instances, he would lock onto his first read, and throw it even if it was covered.

And of course, with a chance to win the game in the final seconds of the game, Boyle would throw an interception to secure the loss.

As Chris Burke of The Athletic pointed out, that pass didn’t have much of a chance even if it did get past the linebacker in coverage.

Boyle played adequately for most of the game, but crumbled when it mattered most. As a quarterback seeing his second run of meaningful NFL action might do.

Defense-4/5 Stars

The defense started out on fire, coming into Atlanta with a purpose.

The pass rush may have dried up, with no more sacks after that first drive, but the defense provided a very solid effort from start to finish. The Falcons had just 254 yards on the day, and it’s the first time the Lions have held an opponent under 300 yards this season.

On top of that, the defense gave the offense a shot to win the game with a forced fumble as the final two minutes approached.

From start to finish this was a very good defensive performance, something that can be said for six of the last seven games in line with the Lions being at least in those same six games to the end. That’s a promising sign for the long-term outlook of this unit.

Best defensive player: LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin

Reeves-Maybin has quietly been a very solid player for Detroit all season. He was known for his standout special teams play, but he has become a good rotational linebacker now.

Over the last two weeks, he has been most noticeable as a blitzer up the middle. But his biggest play on Sunday was forcing the aforementioned fumble at the end of the game.

Reeves-Maybin continues to provide the Lions with a quality depth option, and he has stepped up lately. Something his teammate, Alex Anzalone, was sure to point out.

Worst defensive player: CB Ifeatu Melifonwu 

Melifonwu was chosen for the unenviable task of covering Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts for most of the game, and that experiment did not go very well.

Melifonwu got beat on multiple occasions as Pitts racked up over 100 yards in the game.

The rookie corner out of Syracuse deserves some slack though, He recently came back from an, injury and was playing just his fifth career game. He had played just 15 defensive snaps in his first two games back, with a game out on the COVID list in between.

So while Melfonwu had a lackluster game, he’s only going to get better from here. This is a game you throw out, and allow the player learn from mistakes made in a tough matchup.

Special Teams-5/5 Stars

Jack Fox might just be the best quarterback on the Lions roster.

He has now completed both of his pass attempts on fake punts this season, for 38 yards.

In addition to converting on the fake punt, Fox also saw both of his punts go for over 50 yards on Sunday. One landed inside the 20-yard line.

Riley Patterson drilled all three of his field goals and his lone extra point to remain perfect this season.

The kick and punt coverage wasn’t perfect, but it was still good. If it wasn’t for the fake punt this probably would have been a four-star grade, but because the fake worked out the special teams gets the bump up to five.

Coaching Staff-4/5 Stars

Once again, Aaron Glenn made a very good game plan and his defense did a good job overall. The blitzes that Glenn dials up continue to generate pressure and disrupt opposing passers.

The offense struggled to finish drives, but overall the play calling was pretty good again. The council of offensive coaches who put togeteher the game plan have been able to create good matchups.

The end of the game deserves some criticism though. With just over two minutes to go, in the red zone and down 20-13, Detroit elected to kick a field goal instead of going for it on 4th-and-6. Taking a field goal there meant the Lions still needed to score a touchdown to win, to say nothing of needing the ball back.

The decision was a bit puzzling, even considering that Detroit was using a backup quarterback and had struggled in the red zone all game.

Luckily, Glenn’s defense provided another shot to win the game. Unfortunately, that drive ended in the previously mentioned Boyle interception.

The coaching staff was pretty good in this game, but that moment toward the end is one that many have fairly criticized.

Final Thoughts

If you are a fan that is cheering for the Lions to get as high a draft pick as possible, you were pretty happy today.

For many, securing a top draft pick is all that matters these final few weeks. However, the improvements this team has shown over the course of the season cannot be overstated.

Everyone knew the Lions would be bad this year. The biggest indicator of success for Dan Campbell and his staff would be how much better the team looked in December compared to the start of the season. The team has passed that test with flying colors.

Over the next few weeks fans shouldn’t stress too much about draft position, just kick back and enjoy the final two games of Lions football there will be until next preseason.