After avoiding them all season, the Detroit Lions had their biggest disappointing game at the worst possible time. Let’s dive into their season-ending 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders with our final report card of the season.
Quarterback: D
Jared Goff’s recklessness with the football is one of the main reasons they lost the game. Whether it was his carelessness on the first fumble on third-and-1 that prevented Detroit from building a two-point lead or the few close throws he forced that were overturned, Goff’s four turnovers were killer blows for the Lions season.
What’s most frustrating about his performance is that he was perfectly fine, even great, outside of those turnover plays. Detroit moved the ball with relative ease all night, but Goff’s mistakes erased several opportunities for Detroit to extend its lead or get closer.
Running backs: A+
What a phenomenal end to the season for Jahmyr Gibbs. It’s fair to wonder if he’s established himself in the league’s top three after this final stretch. Against the Commanders, Gibbs produced 175 yards from scrimmage on just 20 touches. Combine this game with the final three of the regular season and Gibbs produced 662 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. This is a reason to be very excited about the future.
David Montgomery wasn’t as electric in his return, but even he seemed to gain momentum as the game progressed.
Tight Ends: A-
Sam LaPorta’s one-handed touchdown may have been the most jaw-dropping moment of a night full of them. He finished the day with six catches for 51 yards. He finished the season with 50 yards in five of his final six games after only doing it three times the rest of the season. Like Gibbs, he was another guy going in the right direction at the right time.
Wide receivers: B
Jameson Williams has to get picked on in this section for his ill-advised pass when he should have just put it away and run. The play wasn’t there, and it was a first and ten – you have to live to see another one. It doesn’t matter how often you get such opportunities. You have to be smart there.
That said, Williams had an electric 61-yard touchdown run, Amon-Ra St. Brown was his typical reliable self, hauling in eight catches for 137 yards, and Kalif Raymond even made a few big plays.
Offensive line: A-
The Commanders were credited with seven quarterback hits, which was a bit more than it seemed, but one of their two sacks resulted in a turnover, after Graham Glasgow blew up his block.
Still, it looked like Goff had ample time throughout the game, and the running lanes were there for most of the game. The Lions finished with 201 rushing yards and 8.7 yards per carry, both season highs for Detroit. Another positive development for the future: the Lions could have a young starter in the person of Christian Mahogany.
Defensive line: F
Detroit recorded just two quarterback hits throughout the game, and the defensive line was responsible for just one tackle for loss via Al-Quadin Muhammad. I’m trying to rack my brain about any impact play made by a defensive lineman, and the only thing I can think of was a pass batted away by Za’Darius Smith.
The Lions’ defensive front not only struggled to generate pressure, but the Commanders managed to establish a successful running game to the gut. Take Jayden Daniels’ rushing attempts out of the score, and Washington still had 131 rushing yards on 26 carries, averaging 5.04 YPC.
Linebackers: C
Alex Anzalone and Jack Campbell combined for 27 tackles and two tackles for loss. They tried valiantly to keep Daniels in check on the ground, and for the most part, they succeeded. Daniels averaged just 3.2 YPC on 16 carries (51 total yards), well below his usual efficiency marks. But when it came to coverage, Daniels had pretty much everything he wanted. Washington’s misdirection turned heads on Detroit’s second level of defense.
Secondary: D
Detroit got a nice pass from Kindle Vildor, and Brian Branch had two tackles for loss and a forced fumble. But the rest of the team couldn’t make the plays they needed to. Losing Amik Robertson on the second defensive snap didn’t help, and things really went off the rails when Branch and Ifetu Melifonwu left late in the game, forcing Morice Norris and Stantley Thomas-Oliver into the game during critical moments.
Special teams: D
The Commanders contested Detroit’s kick return game, and Craig Reynolds/Kalif Raymond did not increase their effort. Of Detroit’s five kick returns, four were stopped before the 30, with the Lions averaging just 22.8 yards per return. Jack Fox’s lone punt wasn’t great – a 43-yarder that failed to pin the Commanders in their own 20. But hey, at least Jake Bates made all his kicks while Zane Gonzalez missed one.
Coaching: D-
I imagine coaching will be a big topic this week, and rightfully so. There were a few critical errors that immediately turned into huge errors.
It started on third and one with the Lions leading 7-3. The Lions are in the red zone with a scoring opportunity, and they choose to go to an empty backfield, telegraphing a passing play. Goff gets sacked, he fumbles, and what should have been an easy first-and-10 situation from inside the Commanders turned into zero points — and ultimately a Commanders touchdown.
Then there’s Jameson Williams’ trick play. It’s easy to criticize something when it doesn’t work, but the timing of this seemed strange. Detroit had no trouble moving the ball, it was first and 10, and the Lions were by no means desperate: They were down 10 with 12 minutes remaining at midfield. Obviously, Williams needs to be smarter, but why put your inexperienced receiver in this position?
Ultimately, the penalty for too many men was just an absolute disaster that can’t happen. I realize that at this point in the game the Lions had Thomas-Oliver and Norris in the game – two players who have probably had close to zero first-team reps all year – but when all this chaos comes product, you to have to use a timeout. There is no way you can give the Commanders a free fourth-down conversion near the goal line.
I could probably go on and criticize Aaron Glenn for his defensive performance, but I don’t know what anyone could have realistically expected from this group given how injuries have depleted this unit. This is a top-five offense against the personnel of a bottom-five defense. Still, it would have been nice to see Daniels shaken up even a little bit.
