Detroit Lions Week 17 Report Card: Lions fall just short of beating Cowboys

Right off the bat, I'm not going to deeply address the two-point conversion fiasco at the end of the game. At the time of writing this, Detroit Lions' Twitter and just about everyone else who watched it is in a frenzy regarding the play. Rightly or wrongly, the events played out the way they played out. The Lions lost, and nothing is going to change that now.

Looking at the game as a whole, there was a lot of good and bad to take away. At the end of the day, the Lions were too inconsistent for most of the game. When the offense started clicking the defense would give up something the other way, and vice versa. 

With the division already locked up, the loss is nowhere near as devastating as it could have been. However, it would take help for the Lions to finish above the three seed in the NFC.

Detroit Lions Week 17 Report Card

Offense: 2/5 Stars

As mentioned, it was a very inconsistent outing for the offense, with Jared Goff as the poster boy. One drive he would miss a couple of open throws, the next he’s slinging it downfield with no regard for his own safety. One moment he’s leading effective drives, the next he’s throwing a mind-boggling interception.

The interceptions thrown in this game ended up being a major factor. One with just over two minutes to go almost ended up clinching the loss for Detroit. But Goff also led the Lions down on the last drive to score a touchdown to set up the aforementioned two-point attempt.

Goff’s success directly correlated to the offensive line’s performance, which was also hit or miss. In particular, the left side of the line missed run blocks routinely and got pushed around a bit in the passing game. 

Offensive player of the game: WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

Steady as ever, St. Brown turned in a very prototypical stat line of six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown late. He was very efficient on comeback routes especially, working his way back towards Goff in the middle of the field. 

And when he was needed the most, the Lions knew they could turn to him.