Detroit Lions vs. Oakland Raiders: Final Report Card, Player Grades for Detroit

The Detroit Lions lost a sloppily played football game to the Oakland Raiders on Saturday evening. The Raiders won the game by a score of 31-20, but it wasn't that close. The Lions struggled in all phases and gave up some huge plays to the Raiders offense. It was an ugly affair for the Lions, and not the best performance we have seen from their offense and defense.

Let's take a look at the Lions final postgame grades and evaluations.

Quarterbacks

Matthew Stafford — B+

Stafford did a great job of spreading the ball around to many different receivers. He showed great zip and touch on the ball. It's hard to argue with eight completions in 10 attempts. A football thrown by Stafford looks so much different than it does when it is thrown by anyone else on the field. Stafford looked sharp until he exited the game with a minor left-hand injury.

Shaun Hill — B-

Backup quarterback Shaun Hill looked extremely rusty when he entered the game early in the second quarter. He did get it going a little and he threw a touchdown to tight end Brandon Pettigrew.

Kellen Moore — D

The Lions simply can't function on offense with Moore at the helm. He lacks arm strength and misses his target too often. He also gets a lot of balls batted down at the line of scrimmage.

Running Backs

Mikel Leshoure — B

Leshoure looked very good in his professional debut. The stats don't show it, but Leshoure's footwork was fantastic and he made defenders miss on almost every carry.

Kevin Smith — C

It was not a good night for Smith as he finished with three carries for zero yards, and he injured the ankle that he had problems with last year. The injury is the worst part coming out of the game.

Keiland Williams —C

Williams finished with six carries for 22 yards. He did have an eight yard carry, but his lack of explosion was evident during the run. Williams is a grinder, not the type of running back that can break off long runs.

Joique Bell — C+

Bell is a more attractive runner than some of the other options at the position because of his power and ability to make defenders miss. It was a rough night for Bell as he finished with five carries for 11 yards.

Stephfon Green  — C

Green is a smaller, quicker running back who offers something the other backs don't offer, and that is the ability to break off long runs because of his speed. He had one carry for three yards tonight.

Wide Receivers

Calvin Johnson — B

It was a very quiet night for the Lions first team wide receiver group Saturday. Johnson had one catch for seven yards, but the lack of targets and catches doesn't alter his effectiveness.

Titus Young — C

Young was targeted twice in the game and finished with no catches.

Nate Burleson — B+

Burleson was targeted four times and finished with 4 catches for 37 yards. It was a nice showing from Burleson as he has been quiet in the preseason.

Ryan Broyles — B

Broyles continues to show great route-running skills. He was targeted twice and finished with two catches for 16 yards.

Overall, the depth of this group is solid and they did a nice job tonight. Lance Long led the second and third groups with four catches for 43 yards.

Tight Ends

Brandon Pettigrew — B

Pettigrew was good tonight but had some trouble separating from the defense. He needs to use his body better, but he did have a good game. Pettigrew was targeted six times and caught four passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Tony Scheffler — B

Scheffler is going to be a bit of an X-factor for the Lions offense in 2012. He had a good game, catching two passes for 26 yards on four targets.

Offensive Line

Offensive Line — C-

The offensive line struggled all night to get any push to help out the running backs. They played average in pass protection, and they looked outgunned many times against the Raiders. There was simply nowhere for the running backs to take the ball.

This is not a unit that is going to overwhelm from a physical standpoint, and Riley Reiff will help in this area as he progresses during his rookie season. The Lions need better effort from this unit.

Defensive Line

Defensive Line — C-

The defensive line struggled to get any pressure on the Raiders quarterbacks in this game. The lack of pressure gave the Raiders too much time to thrown the ball, and it caused the secondary to give up some enormous plays.

They also did a poor job in trying to contain, and it led to some big runs from Raiders quarterback Terrell Pryor. This unit needs to play much better for the Lions to be able to hang with the better teams in the NFL.

Linebackers

Linebackers — B-

The linebacker group was busy in this game. DeAndre Levy finished with eight tackles and Justin Durant had six. With the defensive line performing poorly, the linebackers had to step up to make plays. They did get caught out of position on a few plays, especially the runs by quarterback Terrell Pryor. The Lions' outside linebackers were running sideline to sideline tonight, and they did an admirable job.

Defensive Backs

Defensive Backs — D+

This was an ugly game for the secondary, as they got gashed by big plays in this game. Justin Miller got beat by Darrius Heyward-Bey for 41 yards in the second quarter. Rookie Jonte Green got beat on a crossing route by Raiders receiver Juron Criner for a 76 yard touchdown. 

Alphonso Smith got torched in this game as well, as he allowed Criner to beat him for a 39 yard touchdown. Smith gambles far too much, and he struggles to locate the ball. It was a rough night for the secondary.

Special Teams

Special Teams — A-

The Lions had a phenomenal night on special teams. The goal was to limit the big return and to tackle well, and it was a goal that the Lions met. They covered kicks extremely well and did not miss any tackles. This was the one bright spot in the game for the Lions.

Coaching

Coaching — B+

The Lions came out and were ready to play. The offense and defense played well early, but the injuries hit and the Lions got derailed. The staff did a good job of getting their players out of the game, as it is only the preseason.

The Lions coaching staff did an admirable job of keeping themselves under control. The team played a bad football game, they experienced a bunch of injuries and they really struggled against the Raiders. The Lions looked composed at all times tonight, and that is a product of the coaching staff keeping them composed.