Detroit Lions Week 6 Stock Report: Who's Up & Who's Down After Loss to 49ers

The Lions vs. 49ers game at Ford Field in Detroit this past Sunday had a lot to offer the NFL community. From "The Handshake" to showcasing a new and improved 49ers team, this battle brought out the good and the bad in the Lions.

For most of the contest, the battle was fought in the trenches.

Up 19-15 in the fourth quarter, the Lions took possession of the ball at their own 40-yard line.

It was first-and-10, with great field position.

Turning to the trenches: San Francisco linebacker Aldon Smith broke through the Lions' protection and smashed quarterback Matthew Stafford. 

2nd-and-28, on their own 22-yard line—worse field position.

After two more plays that come up short of the first down, the Lions punted it to Ted Ginn Jr., who took it down to the Lions' 40-yard line.

Eight plays later, on a fourth-and-goal—all or nothing—play, 49ers quarterback Alex Smith sent a laser to Delanie Walker that propelled him into the end zone. San Francisco wins.

This game placed a yardstick up against the Detroit Lions team. Let's see who measured up, and who came up short.

Who's Up

Coming into this game, the Lions were undefeated, and it was hard to find fault with any part of their game. The 49ers forced Detroit to take a hard look at themselves—only two Lions answered the bell:

Calvin Johnson (WR) - Detroit Lions

Week in and week out, Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson shows up to play. He puts his hard hat on, grabs his lunch pail and puts in work. His record-setting eight touchdowns in four weeks is evident of his work ethic and talent. 

This week was no different.

Stafford targeted Johnson only nine times throughout the game. Johnson caught seven of those passes for 113 yards. 

While Johnson didn't make it into the end zone for the first time this season, he went all out for each one of his catches and worked to get extra yards.

Johnson is arguably the best wide receiver in the league—and for good reason. He faced an intense, impenetrable defense and still managed to get over 100 yards. Johnson stepped up.

Brandon Pettigrew (TE) - Detroit Lions

In the year of the tight end, Lions' Brandon Pettigrew has established himself as a top talent. He has gained at least 60 yards in the Lions' previous four contests.

Pettigrew was an instrumental component in Sunday's game against the 49ers. On 14 targets, he hauled in seven catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.  

Pettigrew played physically and made key catches for the Lions. He will continue to do so in the coming weeks. 

Pettigrew has emerged as a solid piece to a dominant offense.

Who's Down

The Lions have played tremendously all season—they were undefeated. Were.

If nothing else, the San Francisco 49ers gave the Lions a reality check—as a team. While no individual players slacked off during this game, the different units, as a whole, lost value in their stock.

Detroit Lions' Special Teams

If Ted Ginn, Jr. is not the fastest guy in the NFL, he's close. 

He was definitely the fastest guy on the field in the fourth quarter when the Lions punted to him with 5:43 left on the clock.

Ginn ran the ball 40 yards on the return. Apparently, the Lions' special teams coach wanted to get a close look at Ginn's 40 time.

It's fast.

Ginn's 40-yard dash set up the 49ers' winning touchdown. Had the Lions not given Ginn the chance to put his blazing 40-yard dash on display, they may have won.

Either way, the Lions' special teams came up short on Sunday.

The Lions' Rushing Attack

There are two reasons Detroit's running game finds itself in the "Who's Down" section.

First, their performance.

Jahvid Best and Maurice Morris ran the rock against the 49ers. Between the two, they carried the ball 17 times for an average of 3.3 yards per carry. Unacceptable.

Yes, the 49ers have Patrick Willis and new phenom NaVorro Bowman at linebacker, but Best and the bunch need to step up the running game. 

The Lions have relied solely on Stafford's arm. Against the 49ers, and practically all season, the running game has been non-existent.

Which leads to point No. 2.

During the game against the 49ers, Jahvid Best suffered a concussion. No one seems to know when it occurred, because apparently, Best didn't display signs of a concussion until after the game. Anyway, the Lions' already inept running game has become even more rancid. 

Things were looking up for Detroit when they traded for Ronnie Brown—a genius move. But after Jerome Harrison didn't pass the physical (brain tumor), the trade was voided. 

In full panic mode, the Lions are currently working out running backs James Davis, Charles Scott, Chauncey Washington and DeShawn Wynn. Oh boy!

The running game looks to be down all season, unless something unexpected happens in the backfield. 

Lions' Offensive Line

The Lions rely heavily on the passing game. In order to have a solid passing game, you have to protect the quarterback. It's simple.

Each member of Detroit's offensive line received a negative grade from the guys at profootballfocus.com—each member. Stafford was pressured on over a third of his drop backs.  

Coincidentally, the Lions only took one deep shot to Calvin Johnson all game. Stafford threw that one out of bounds and didn't give Johnson a chance to do his magic. 

With Jahvid Best sidelined for the immediate future—and possibly the remainder of the season depending on who you talk to—the offensive line is going to have to dig in and give Stafford time to dissect secondaries.

If not, their explosive start to this season will turn into a distant memory.