Detroit Lions Week 9 report card: Lions hang on for a win over the Packers

The Detroit Lions got back in the win column on Sunday with a hard-fought 15-9 victory over the Packers.

For the past several weeks it’s felt like the sky was falling. Week after week, the Detroit Lions  continued to find ways to lose winnable games. Things appeared to reach a breaking point after the loss to the Dolphins in Week 8. The Lions desperately needed a win. On Sunday they got it,  a nail-biter 15-9 win against the rival Green Bay Packers.

The win brings Detroit up to 2-6 on the season, which means they are no longer dead last in the league. Green Bay meanwhile drops to 3-6, having lost five games in a row. For at least a week the Lions can take solace in the fact they contributed to the misery of Packers fans.

Detroit Lions Week 9 Report Card

Run offense: 3/5 stars 

The offense as a whole was very hit-or-miss on Sunday. They had three drives inside the Packers’ 10-yard line. The first of which resulted in a turnover on downs. The second and third ended with touchdowns. The success of the Lions’ drives mostly came when the run game was clicking.

At the end of the day, the Lions racked up 117 yards on the ground. However, they managed just 3.8 yards a carry. The inconsistencies resulted in some disjointed drives that ended poorly. The Lions need to get back to running more efficiently to support the passing game.

Pass offense: 1.5/5 stars

No Josh Reynolds. No DJ Chark. T.J. Hockenson was traded, and obviously no Jameson Williams still. The lack of weapons on the outside resulted in a very poor day for the Lions passing the ball. With all due respect to Kalif Raymond and Tom Kennedy, they aren’t guys who can win on the outside.

Amon-Ra St. Brown had an ok day by his standards (four catches for 55 yards). Tight ends James Mitchell and Shane Zylstra each caught their first career touchdown. However, there just wasn’t enough being generated through the air. Detroit needs someone other than St. Brown to consistently create separation.

Best offensive player: RB D’Andre Swift 

Swift may have only had five touches on Sunday, but he made the most of them with 50 total yards.

It seems likely to be awhile before Swift gets back to a point where he can handle a bigger workload. For now though, the Lions can use him in a limited role to pick up yards when they need them the most.

Worst offensive player: QB Jared Goff

A very disturbing trend that’s emerged over the last several weeks has been the Lions’ inability to generate offense in the second half. That begins with the quarterback. Goff was incapable of standing in the pocket and delivering a throw for most of the game. Even when the Lions put together a touchdown drive in the second half, it came on the back of the run game.

It’s very frustrating to see the glimpses from Goff where he looks competent, just for him to revert back to the same poor play. Week after week Ben Johnson scheming things open keeps the offense afloat. Goff needs to find a way to elevate his play because the offense cannot thrive without at least competent play from the quarterback.

Run defense: 4/5 stars 

The Packers amassed 106 yards rushing on Sunday. In a vacuum that seems like a respectable total. However, they were incredibly inefficient on the ground. AJ Dillon and Aaron Jones combined to have 20 rushes for 59 yards–an average of just under three yards per carry.

Containing the quarterback scrambling was an issue again though. Aaron Rodgers was able to pick up 40 yards on four rushes, as he picked up first downs on multiple third-and-longs.

Pass defense: 3/5 stars

It wasn’t exactly a phenomenal defensive effort, but the Lions were very opportunistic. The game plan was very clear to play a bend-don’t-break style, and they played it very well.

The secondary still showed cause for concern, and the pass rush was very ineffective. However, there were some positive flashes that gave Lions’ fans something to cheer for on Sunday. Considering where this defense had been coming into the week, that’s about as good a result as anyone could’ve asked for.

Best defensive player: S Kerby Joseph

When Detroit drafted Joseph back in the spring, one of the talking points was how he had a nose for the football. Consider Sunday’s game further reinforcement of that notion. Joseph picked off Aaron Rodgers twice and added a touchdown-saving pass breakup as well.

Joseph was unfortunately knocked out of the game due to a potential concussion. However, he flashed once more the big play potential that made Detroit want to draft him. For someone that was considered more of a long-term project, he’s looking pretty solid just eight games into his career.

Worst defensive player: DT Benito Jones

The lack of depth at defensive tackle has been well-established. When Jones was on the field, he struggled to disengage from blocks against the run and in pass rush situations.

Not that he plays a huge role on this defense, but Jones has not been very effective this season. It might be worth a conversation between Jones and Michael Brockers over who has been more ineffective.

Coaching Staff: 4/5 stars

Last week, Dan Campbell said that the only way for a young team to learn how to win close games was to actually do it. This game was exactly the type of game the Lions have found a way to lose several times over the last two seasons. On Sunday they managed to hold on for a win which could be a confidence boost

This also had to feel good for Aaron Glenn. His defense has (rightly) been criticized plenty this season. Holding a chief rival to less than 10 points is great, even with some things that still need work.

Play of the game: Kerby Joseph’s second interception

Still pitching a shutout at the time, the Lions’ defense was being threatened again. The Packers tried to put Joseph in a bind with a corner route, and a deep in-route designed to strain a single high safety. But Joseph was having none of it, jumping the route perfectly for his second pick of the game.

Final thoughts

Taking away all the storylines, and all the details of the game. The Lions winning a game just feels good.