The Detroit Lions narrowly defeated the Los Angeles Rams to begin the 2024 season with a 1-0 record. Given the high expectations placed on the team, this was certainly not a stellar performance by the Lions, who blew a 14-point lead in the second half and had to rally at the last minute to take the game to overtime.

However, Sunday night’s game had a lot of good and a lot of bad things about it, so let’s examine those in our Week 1 report card.

Quarterback: C

Goff had a relatively quiet day, attempting just 28 passes and rushing for 217 yards through the air. He made some great plays, like his 52-yard pass to Jameson Williams and a 7-yard run that kept a key drive alive.

But he also put the Lions in some very tricky situations that they barely managed to get out of. With the Lions in field goal position in the fourth quarter and holding a four-point lead, he threw a ball over the middle late that was intercepted. The next time he got the ball – now trailing by three points – he nearly intercepted another ball that probably would have ended the game.

Running backs: A-

Jahmyr Gibbs didn’t play a major role in the running game, rushing for 40 yards on 11 carries. However, he caught a couple of balls – including one in overtime – to add another 34 yards to his total.

The star of Sunday was, of course, David Montgomery, whose physical running style put the Rams defense under pressure early and late in the game. Montgomery finished the game with 91 rushing yards – 45 of which came on his game-winning overtime drive. None of those 21 yards were bigger or more symbolic of Montgomery’s skill than that run gain.

Tight ends: D

Sam LaPorta managed 45 yards — including a great catch on Detroit’s tying drive — but otherwise it was a quiet day for the tight end group. The reason I’m giving them a below-average grade, however, is blocking. Granted, I might disagree after rewatching the tape, but I thought some of Detroit’s issues in pass defense and rushing (in the middle quarters) were due to mistakes by the tight ends.

Wide receiver: C+

Jameson Williams was electric on Sunday night, pulling the Lions offense out of a slump on multiple occasions. It wasn’t just his straight-line speed. Williams’ routes were polished and deceptive, and his hands were as good as we’ve ever seen. Without his five catches for 121 yards, the Lions wouldn’t have won this game.

Unfortunately, that was all the Lions receivers had to offer. Amon-Ra St. Brown only had three catches on 13 passes, and no other receiver on the team had a target. Hopefully Tim Patrick or Allen Robinson can get up to speed quickly and provide some new momentum.

Offensive Line: C+

It’s hard to complain when the offense is averaging 163 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns and 5.3 yards per carry. However, in the middle two quarters, the Lions’ running backs managed just 10 carries for 28 yards. In addition, Jared Goff suffered five quarterback hits and two sacks.

Defensive line: B+

Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport combined for eight quarterback hits (four each), 1.5 sacks and six tackles. In fact, the team had 12 total QB hits, all of which came from the defensive line. The Rams were mostly down to their fourth and fifth offensive tackles, so it’s good that Detroit’s edge rushers took advantage. Perhaps one would like to see more productivity in the sack department, but that will be difficult when Matthew Stafford gets rid of the ball quickly.

Detroit was also relatively strong in the running game. Kyren Williams only managed 50 yards on 18 runs (2.8), but reached the end zone once.

Overall, I was hoping for a little more pressure from the interior. Detroit managed a half-sack of Levi Onwuzurike, but Alim McNeill almost didn’t make it into the statistics at all (1 tackle).

Linebacker: B-

Alex Anzalone came out of the gate with momentum, making two tackles for loss on the first drive alone. He finished the game with 13 tackles and three TFLs. Jack Campbell made seven tackles of his own, one of which ended in a loss.

But toward the end of the game, the Lions’ linebackers had trouble covering, allowing Stafford to frequently attack the middle part of the field.

Secondary: D

Once again, it was a performance by the Lions’ defensive backs that was determined to win or lose. Kerby Joseph’s interception was a masterpiece and a key play in the game. Brian Branch caught three passes, including a near interception. Carlton Davis should have intercepted Stafford as well.

However, the cornerbacks often gave up too much space underneath. While that was part of the game plan, the secondary didn’t do enough to limit the gains of those passes due to sloppy tackling.

They will get better, but it was a slightly disappointing debut from this strengthened secondary.

Special teams: B

Jake Bates was perfect on all of his kicks (2 of 2 field goals and extra points), including a crucial 32-yard kick that tied the game with 17 seconds left. He also perfectly squibbed a kickoff that helped pin the Rams at their own 22-yard line.

There wasn’t much to note on special teams, aside from a costly error by Ennis Rakestraw on the punt coverage team. Jack Fox had thrown a perfect punt to pin the Rams inside their own 5-yard line, but Rakestraw’s attempt to intercept the punt – which would have stayed in the field of play had he not touched it – sent the ball flying through the end zone.

Coaching: C

In terms of decisions in the game, there was nothing special. Dan Campbell’s only decision to go all out on the fourth down was the right one, even if it didn’t result in any extra points. One could argue that his decision to punt on the fourth and fifth down late in the game when he was still down by three points was a little conservative, but it paid off.

It was a little frustrating, though, to see the Rams continue to force their way down the field without any clear adjustments being made on defense. It almost seemed like the Lions were perfectly comfortable with this strategy as the defense tightened up in the red zone. However, it could have proved costly if the offense failed to score on their final two drives.