Week Two was a great week for the Lions who posted a 36-27 win against the Washington Commanders. The Lions first win this season came in high scoring fashion, a possible recurrence if this offense continues to play the way they have the first two weeks.
Quarterback – B
Jared Goff continues to impress in these first few weeks. This week Goff posted a very respectable performance, hitting 20/34 passes and 4 of those 20 being touchdowns. Goff seems completely comfortable in this new Ben Johnson offense, an offense that has been crafted for Goff. It seems as if Goff has found a favorite target in Amon-Ra St.Brown who he targeted 12 times and connected with 9 times for 116 yards and 2 touchdowns. He hits all of the short throws he needs to but still struggles on occasion to stretch the field, missing receivers or forcing throws that did not need to be forced. This is expected with Goff though, fans know the type of player that Goff is. The reason I give Goff a B is because Goff got the job done but still has yet to show he can take things to the next level.
Running Backs – C+
Besides a pair of electric plays from D’Andre Swift, the Detroit running backs were awfully quiet. Swift was limited in week 2 but he made every snap he played count, Swift broke off a fantastic 50 yard run early in the game but added only 6 yards on the rest of his carries. Swift also added a miracle of a touchdown reception in the fourth quarter. Jamaal Williams played fine for his role going 12 rushes for 53 yards. I give this group a C+ because they played fine for this group’s circumstances but certainly did not produce how they are capable of producing.
Receivers – A-
This category might as well just be called receiver. Josh Reynolds was the only other Lions receiver with a catch during this game. Even though only two receivers touched the ball for the Lions, Amon-Ra St.Browns career day is enough to bring it to an A-. St.Brown put up a ridiculous 116 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 catches. St. Brown also added 68 yards rushing. The second year receiver out of USC is forming into a star quicker than anybody could have thought. He is the clear cut number one receiver and he is going to be that guy for a long time.
Tight Ends – D
Really just another disappointing week from TJ Hockenson. Expectations seemingly getting lowered and lowered every week for him. If it wasn’t for the emergence of St.Brown and Swift, Hockenson would be receiving much more criticism for his lack of production this year. Him and Goff have seemed very out of touch with each other on the field. Too many miscommunications with each other. Something that certainly needs to be fixed if the Lions want any bit of success this season. The only reason this tight end group gets a D is because of the great blocking they display on a game to game basis.
Offensive Line – A
This week the Lions were down two massive starters on the line, center Frank Ragnow and big right guard Vaitai. Backups Dan Skipper and Logan Stenburg filled in wonderfully. Both created extreme push up front and bullied a spectacular Commanders Defensive Line. A big part of having Jared Goff at Quarterback is that he needs time. The Offensive Line provided just that, Goff was sacked three times but that does not tell the whole story. Through the first two weeks the Lions lead the entire league in rushing offense this season with 7.15 ypc. This can be largely attributed to the big guys up front. Another amazing week from the line even with key players out.
Front Seven – B-
The Front seven was nothing spectacular today but it sure was better than what we saw last week. Not facing a mobile quarterback helped the Lions a ton. They did not have to worry about Wentz leaking out of the pocket too much which led to a lot of pressure. Five total sacks for the defense in this game. Number 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson looked dominant in the first half with three total sacks. Hutch was a little banged up in the second half but played through whatever was bothering him. John Cominsky looked very good again, adding a sack to his resume this season. Fan favorite Malcolm Rodriguez looked phenomenal. He was everywhere on the field, blowing up runs left and right and just being a straight wrecking ball. This group gets a B- because while they did have 5 sacks it seemed like Wentz was given a lot more time to throw in the second half and was able to form a mini comeback.
Secondary – C+
Coming into week 2 we knew that boundary corner Amani Oruwariye would be inactive which meant Jeff Okudah would have to take the task of guarding Terry Mcclaurin. Okudah played extremely well in the first half, seemingly locking up Mcclaurin. The Lions shut out the Commanders in the first half and the secondary looked amazing. New acquisition Deshonn Eliott has played extremely well since coming over from Baltimore as well. In the second half though things did not look so pretty. Wentz threw 47 times on the defense for 337 yards. He was able to pick apart the secondary in the second half, receivers getting open with ease. Coverage softened up way too much in the second half. To make matters worse Jeff Okudah went down with an injury late in the game. I give this group a C+ because of how well they played in the first half. I am hoping to see a full game like that in the coming weeks. It was too easy for the Commanders late in the game to give this any higher of a grade
