New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions: Full Report Card Grades for Detroit
The Detroit Lions needed to make a statement in their first game under head coach Jim Caldwell.
Mission accomplished.
Detroit's hyped-up offense hung 35 points on the New York Giants, while holding Eli Manning's unit to just 14 points.
Quarterback Matthew Stafford was the star of the night. His performance was exactly the type of performance that fans needed to see to begin mixing up the latest batch of Honolulu blue Kool-Aid.
The defense also played a key role in the game. Penalties were a huge issue early, but the problem was curtailed in the second half, allowing Detroit to pull away for the easy victory.
Now that you have the overview, let's dive into each unit's performance and hand out some grades.
Quarterback
1 of 10
In short, quarterback Matthew Stafford was phenomenal.
The sixth-year signal-caller came out dealing like he wanted to answer an entire offseason of scrutiny with one half of play. He was smart, efficient and accurate.
"Stafford now 7 of 8 passing for 149 yards and 2 TDs. And his incompletion was a throw away.
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) September 8, 2014"
Included in those 149 yards was a 67-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Johnson. The impressive aspect of that opening score wasn't the throw; it was the time that Stafford bought.
The offensive line had provided decent protection, but when defensive end Damontre Moore came crashing in, Stafford made a nice side-step move and unfurled the scoring strike.
Additionally, this wasn't the Stafford who would force it to Calvin Johnson. Granted, many of those throws were to Johnson, but he also had six completions apiece to Reggie Bush and new wideout Golden Tate.
"Matthew Stafford 97.5 QBR ...that is a career-high, best for any QB in Week 1 so far
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 9, 2014"
Stafford also busted out his new hesitation move on an intense touchdown run that nearly put the game out of reach. He displayed an endearing win-at-any-cost attitude by plunging into the end zone knowing he would take a hit from linebacker Jon Beason.
In sum, Stafford finished 22-of-32 passing for 346 yards and three total touchdowns. Most importantly, there was only one questionable throw to Eric Ebron late, and he was extremely smart on Detroit's soul-crushing seven-minute drive, converting third downs with lasers all over the field.
Grade: A+
Running Back
2 of 10
Running backs Reggie Bush and Joique Bell didn't have an overwhelming effect on the game. They both had nice moments and came through in some key spots, but they lacked consistency.
It's not entirely their fault. The offensive line struggled to open up holes, although there were also times when each was a little indecisive in the backfield.
"Stafford is playing out of his mind, especially considering the offense has less than 0 balance. Bush/Bell 10 carries, eight yards.
— Justin Rogers (@Justin_Rogers) September 9, 2014"
There was also an ugly Bell fumble that brought back memories from last year. Luckily, Detroit was able to recover the fumble and the drive, notching a field goal to expand its lead.
Bush's shining moments came in the passing game as he hauled in six catches for 49 yards. He took at least one short pass and used his speed to beat the defense to the corner for a first down.
Bell, on the other hand, eventually got it working on the ground. When the Lions needed to salt the game away, they turned to the Wayne State product until he finished off the drive with a score to pair with his 51 rushing yards.
"Smart use of Joique Bell in second half. Big back vs. a worn-down defense. #MNF
— Kevin Seifert (@SeifertESPN) September 9, 2014"
Theo Riddick's absence was the biggest surprise of the game. He logged only one carry for four yards after building up a large train of hype this offseason.
Grade: B-
Wide Receiver and Tight End
3 of 10
If this was just a Calvin Johnson slide, he would match his quarterback with the top grade in the class. But that doesn't mean the receivers and tight ends didn't play well enough to make Stafford proud.
Johnson was his usual All-World self. Aside from the long touchdown mentioned earlier, he added another score on a diving catch going against his momentum in the back of the end zone.
The two couldn't be more in sync, and he continuously reeled in the type of fingertip grabs that are routine only for him.
"Giants DB Walter Thurmond said Calvin Johnson has some weaknesses in his game. I'm waiting for those to show up. CJ has 7 for 164 & 2 TDs
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) September 9, 2014"
I wonder if Thurmond regrets his words now?
Golden Tate proved himself to be the valuable addition most knew he would be. He finished with six catches for 93 yards, including at least one key third-down conversion when the Lions needed it late.
His presence must have rubbed off on the rest of the receivers as the Lions failed to drop a pass, per ESPN.com. That in itself might have been the most important stat of the night.
As for the tight ends, Joseph Fauria and Brandon Pettigrew notched a catch apiece and came through when counted on. Considering that any time the Lions went full protection by keeping an end or two in, Stafford had time, so their blocking couldn't have been too atrocious.
The lack of Eric Ebron was a bit concerning. He had two targets, although one was a poorly thrown ball he had no business catching. Still, when he had a chance to go up and win one in the end zone, he came out on the losing end.
Grade: A
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Offensive Line
4 of 10
It was an up-and-down evening for the big men up front.
The Lions finished the game with a rather paltry 2.5 yards per rushing attempt. If the defense is going to be lauded for holding New York to just 2.4 per carry, the offensive line needs to bear the brunt of these failures on its side of the ball.
It didn't help that starting right tackle LaAdrian Waddle went down early.
"LaAdrian Waddle is back on the bench in street clothes with a wrap on his right calf, sitting in a folding chair. No sign of Bentley still
— Dave Birkett (@davebirkett) September 9, 2014"
Corey Hilliard has plenty of experience, but he struggled like the rest of his linemates. The New York pass rush seemed to grow confident as the game wore on, and it's worth nothing that some of the best offensive plays happened as a result of Stafford evading pressure.
As was to be expected, left tackle Riley Reiff had his hands full with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. There was often a flood coming through on the left side, and JPP had his share of plays against the run as well.
The pass protection wasn't terrible, and there were certainly times when Stafford had plenty of time to survey the field. The problem here is consistency.
"That play provided to you by the Lions offensive line. Stop a twisting stunt to keep Stafford upright.
— Justin Rose (@JRoseWXYZ) September 8, 2014"
And, of course, penalties. Center Dominic Raiola's blatant facemask grab and hold cost the Lions a chance to greatly expand their lead at the end of the first half.
Grade: C+
Defensive Line
5 of 10
The numbers don't tell the whole story for the defensive line.
There were multiple members of the Lions in Eli Manning's face all night. How they only ended up with two sacks is beyond me.
What isn't beyond me was the play of defensive end George Johnson. The jewel of the preseason continued to be a dominating force, racking up 1.5 sacks and generally wreaking havoc.
"George Johnson is the hungriest man on the field.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) September 9, 2014"
Nick Fairley and Ndamukong Suh also had moments, but they were the focal point of the Giants offensive line. Still, they teamed up to force the defining moment of the game.
With Detroit looking to bury New York, Fairley penetrated the pocket and forced Eli out of the pocket. Suh followed in heavy pursuit, forcing Manning to throw one of his patented ducks that was picked off. Detroit put the game away after that turnover.
Ziggy Ansah was also a constant nuisance, racking up a half-sack. When he wasn't hurdling cut blocks, he was blowing up the pocket from the side.
"Will Beatty is getting rocked by Ziggy Ansah. Blown up by power moves on back-to-back plays
— Ty Schalter (@tyschalter) September 8, 2014"
Lastly, the Lions held the Giants to just 53 yards rushing. A large part of that were the immovable objects up front, including C.J. Mosley, who stuffed the line nicely.
Grade: B+
Linebacker
6 of 10
The Lions linebacking corps didn't receive a lot of press coming into the season. That'll change quickly if it keeps up the quality of play it displayed on Monday night.
DeAndre Levy continued to do DeAndre Levy stuff. He led the team in tackles with 10 and also threw in another pick for good measure.
"DeAndre Levy making a statement tonight. Should have been a Pro Bowler last year, making his case for just that already this year.
— Pride Of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) September 9, 2014"
But this wasn't of the easy pickings variety. No, this time he was in close coverage when the ball bounced between him and Manning's intended target. Improbably, he held onto the ball through a series of juggles close to the ground, culminating in the play of the game.
As for effectiveness, Stephen Tulloch was right there with him.
"Any time Tulloch touches you, fall down
— Alex Reno (@alex_reno) September 9, 2014"
He was his usual punishing self, notching eight tackles. His most impressive performance came in the open field. Whenever a running back or wide receiver found some space, Tulloch took him down.
The defensive line deserves a lot of love for limiting New York's rushing attack, but so do the linebackers. It was a great game from a unit that got very little out of Tahir Whitehead, whose snap count couldn't have been very high.
Grade: A-
Secondary
7 of 10
If this were hockey, the secondary would have spent half the game in the penalty box.
Every time there was a throw downfield, there was a Lion holding someone or trying to battle through a wide receiver with the ball in the air. But the defensive backs eventually settled down.
"Aside from the penalty in the end zone, which sucked, Darius Slay has been pretty excellent tonight. Mathis as well.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) September 9, 2014"
Plus, the unit did tackle well. Running back Rashad Jennings had the longest reception (21 yards) of the game on a dump off, and Victor Cruz only had two catches for 24 yards.
Rookie Nevin Lawson's debut had its trials when he was forced into action by Bill Bentley's injury, but he is among those that deserve kudos for shutting down Cruz.
"I don't know if it's all Nevin Lawson, but the rookie deserves plenty of credit for Victor Cruz being a non-factor tonight.
— Josh Katzenstein (@jkatzenstein) September 9, 2014"
There wasn't much else that stuck out from the secondary other than safety Glover Quin's interception. He was the one who jumped on the Manning's wounded duck, showing aggression instead of reacting to the receiver.
If this group can get healthy and avoid the yellow hankies, it could be an asset and not the liability it was thought to be. However, we also can't forget that Eli Manning hasn't played well in two years.
Grade: B
Special Teams
8 of 10
Linebacker Tahir Whitehead didn't make much of a dent in the defense with one tackle, but his semi-blocked punt early in the game kept the momentum rolling in Detroit's direction.
Additionally, punter Sam Martin continued to crack the ball on kickoffs and punts. He averaged 54.5 yards per punt and even put one inside the 20.
The punt and kick coverage teams did a nice job all night, filling lanes and tackling well too. However, returner Jeremy Ross never got much of a chance to shake free with zero returned kickoffs and only 3.7 yards per punt return.
As for rookie Nate Freese's debut, it was rocky at best.
He badly pushed a dead-center 43-yard field goal in the first half. When given a chance to make up for it, he knocked in a short 28-yarder off the post. He did add another from 27 yards out, but the first kick was concerning.
The other units did well enough to keep this grade high—and Freese did rebound—but it's hard to look past that miss.
Grade: B
Coaching
9 of 10
The big story of the first half was penalties and that has to fall squarely on the coaching staff.
Head coach Jim Caldwell has preached accountability and discipline since the day he arrived. At the half, the Lions actually had more penalty yards (85) than the Giants had on offense (75).
But everything turned around rather quickly.
"Also note there are no penalties thus far in the second half for #Lions. Probably addressed at half. #NYGvsDET
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) September 9, 2014"
It's unclear how a coach can so drastically alter his players' focus in 15 minutes, but if we're going to skewer the coaching staff for the early flags, credit has to be given for the dramatic turnaround.
Additionally, the Lions were facing a moment of adversity at the beginning of the fourth quarter. The Giants had just driven down the field to cut the lead to 13, and they were building some momentum.
The Lions teams of yesteryear traditionally folded at that point, but not this one.
"That last drive is the difference between a Jim Schwartz team and a Jim Caldwell one. Calmness is a virtue in the face of adversity.
— Brandon Alisoglu (@BrandonAlisoglu) September 9, 2014"
Detroit punished New York with a 12-play, 80-yard drive that chewed up over seven minutes and resulted in a backbreaking touchdown. New offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi's play-calling was on point as the Lions continually found themselves in third-and-short situations, which Stafford converted with ease.
In fact, the offense often found itself in a position to succeed on the money down, which is due to Lombardi's game plan. And defensive coordinator Teryl Austin kept the Giants offensive line guessing throughout the night with just enough blitzes to keep Eli Manning uneasy.
Grade: B+
Final Grades
10 of 10
QB: A+
RB: B-
WR/TE: A
OL: C+
DL: B+
LB: A-
Secondary: B
ST: B
Coaching: B
Cumulative Grade: B+
Just think of what this team could accomplish if it would screw its collective head on straight for an entire game?
There was a lot to like here, especially from the offense. Quarterbacks are key in the NFL, and few—if any—played as well as No. 9.
The passing game was great. However, the rushing game was extremely mediocre save for some late-game heroics, which could be all this team needs when you get down to it.
The new coaching staff was able to get through to its defense as the game wore on, and the clamps were shut tight. However, the level of competition was certainly a factor, and the penalties are concerning.
Still, there were a lot of good things that happened on Monday night. None of which are as important as the final score.
Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist who has written about the Lions on multiple sites. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter about how wrong he is @BrandonAlisoglu.
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