Detroit Lions' Week 15 Stock Report

The Detroit Lions have officially hit rock bottom this season.

At least when they were 0-5, the Lions could point to the schedule, justifying the losses at the time by explaining that it was a tough stretch. And it can still be considered a challenging starting slate, except for the season-opening loss to the now 3-10 San Diego Chargers.

Plus, there were a few easy wins ahead of them, even after the gut-punch loss to the Green Bay Packers. Or so the theory went.

But there isn't enough patchouli in the world to cover Detroit's stench after its 21-14 loss to the St. Louis Rams. And while a few players did their best to keep the Lions' search for a non-losing (and non-winning) record alive, they were outweighed by their teammates' performances.

Stock Down: C Travis Swanson

Jeff Haynes/Associated Press

We kick off with the player who took the worst butt-kicking.

There's no indication that Aaron Donald played with a chip on his shoulder because the Lions selected Eric Ebron 10th overall in the 2014 NFL draft instead of him. But there was plenty of evidence left on the field that screamed otherwise.

And the most dramatic exhibit offered in his case was center Travis Swanson's carcass.

Donald bullied Detroit throughout the afternoon, piling up three sacks, three quarterback hits, one hurry and five defensive stops. The majority of that feasting came at the expense of Swanson.

While the Lions did try to double-team him often, St. Louis used stunts and twists to isolate Donald. And when that happened, poor Swanson didn't stand a chance.

Stock Up: The Young Cornerbacks

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The young secondary has been a focus lately because the return on investment has been incredibly high considering where the cornerbacks were selected.

Fourth-rounder Nevin Lawson has been holding his own as a starter. He finished his work last Sunday with five tackles, including two stops (plays that constitute an offensive failure), per Pro Football Focus.

Quandre Diggs of sixth-round fame was equally as impressive, with all three of his tackles qualifying as stops.

Plus, Diggs planted a nice hit on wide receiver Kenny Britt, dislodging the ball on a third-down pass. The Rams were forced to punt instead of setting up inside Detroit territory.

There won't be many fans who weep for former general manager Martin Mayhew, but they should be thankful he gave Detroit a stout set of corners for the future.

Stock Down: QB Matthew Stafford

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

The roller coaster of Matthew Stafford's play hit its tipping point in St. Louis.

Stafford played well the past few weeks. There were some nice moments against the Rams, like his two touchdown passes and a couple of lasers, but the inaccuracy that's plagued him throughout his career reared its ugly head.

It should be noted that he spent plenty of time running away from Donald and his buddies. The Rams were able to pile up four sacks, three hits and 11 quarterback hurries, which is going to affect any quarterback's accuracy and stat line. And Stafford's bottom line wasn't even all that bad (30/46, 245 YDs, two TDs, one INT).

However, there were also throws where Stafford had time and failed to deliver. The worst example was his miss to Calvin Johnson along the left sideline when the receiver left his mark in the dust with a double move, but there were others on a couple of hook patterns.

Stock Up: WR Golden Tate

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

Speaking of Johnson, he was held to a single catch for 16 yards. Luckily for the Lions offense, Golden Tate was up to carrying the load.

Stafford went to him early and often, linking up with the former Golden Domer for nine receptions on 10 targets.

Tate did a nice job getting away from the Rams once he had the ball in his hands. He picked up 38 of his 60 receiving yards after the catch, forcing one missed tackle along the way.

Plus, he showed off his quickness with sharp cuts in the red zone, leading to a pair of easy touchdowns. Considering that accounts for both of Detroit's scores, Tate has to be given a thumbs up.

Stock Down: S James Ihedigbo

Tom Gannam/Associated Press

While the first- and second-year secondary contributors were showing off their skills, safety James Ihedigbo was showing his age.

Twice he met running back Todd Gurley in the hole near the line of scrimmage. Twice he came away with nothing, grazing the legs of the powerful rookie instead of making a hit and wrapping up.

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin inexplicably turned to Ihedigbo quite a bit against St. Louis. The latter was reinserted into the starting lineup and given 33 snaps.

Unfortunately, Ihedigbo wasn't able to reward that faith, finishing with the second-worst defensive grade (-1.8) for the Lions on the day.

Meanwhile, Isa Abdul-Quddus was limited to just 24 snaps after starting the last four games. No explanation has been given for the safety swap, although St. Louis' reliance on the running game could be the culprit.

All advanced stats are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.

Brandon Alisoglu is a Detroit Lions Featured Columnist. He also co-hosts a Lions-centric podcast, Lions Central Radio. Yell at him on Twitter @BrandonAlisoglu.