Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions showed some pride and grit on Sunday evening, walking off Soldier Field with a well-earned 19-16 victory over the playoff-bound Chicago Bears. It wasn’t the end we were hoping for, but it was a small beacon of light in an otherwise dark season.
The game was a reminder of just how good this team can play when they’re rolling, but also a reminder of how off-kilter they can look late. Still, I believe this was one of the Lions’ best performances in the back half of the schedule, so I will hand out grades accordingly.
For the first three quarters, Jared Goff was dealing. He was side-stepping pressure, delivering balls with great accuracy and great anticipation. He seemed to know where the Bears’ blitz was coming from and would get rid of the ball on time.
But once the Bears’ comeback started, Goff seemed a little more jittery, and he made one of the most uncharacteristic poor decisions I’ve ever seen him make with his third-and-20 interception. That ball should not have been thrown, and Goff had plenty of checkdown options that would’ve resulted in a makeable, go-ahead field goal—including a wide open Isaac TeSlaa that would’ve gotten the Lions down to at least the 25-yard line.
With the game on the line, however, Goff was as cool as a cucumber. His perfect ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown turned into a 26-yard gain and the game-winning play.
Detroit didn’t get the explosive running plays we’ve been missing for months now, but it was a very consistent rushing attack from the backs. I thought both David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs ran hard, maximizing the amount of yards available to them, even with a shaky offensive line. Gibbs also added his patented Texas route touchdown that just seems impossible to stop. It was nice to see him get over 100 scrimmage yards again (113), while Montgomery pitched in 55 of his own.
Upon initial viewing, the tight ends didn’t do anything particularly offensive or inoffensive. Anthony Firkser had two catches—one an absolute disaster that wasn’t his fault.
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams both had critical drops in this game, but that’s the only reason this isn’t a straight A. St. Brown was absolutely unguardable for the majority of the game, making C.J. Gardner-Johnson look silly at times. Williams came up big in some big moments, as well. And this was the kind of game that made me appreciate Kalif Raymond as a solid depth option. Facing a lot of man coverage from the Bears, Raymond reminded a lot of people that he’s one of the toughest guards on the team one-on-one, and he’s still got plenty of speed in the tank at 31 years old.
Against a defensive line that doesn’t produce a lot of pressure or sacks, the Lions’ pass protection was disappointingly rough. They allowed three sacks,...
