Detroit Lions Own Lambeau Field

The Detroit Lions had to brave the elements in their first outdoor game of the season.

In the end, they completely outscored the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field to improve to 7-1 on the season. It was their sixth straight win and third in a row at Lambeau Field.

Here are the grades for each position group based on their performance on Sunday night win.

Defender: A

Jared Goff He nearly had another perfect first half as he completed his first 11 passes before a third-down incompletion on his final pass attempt of the half. It didn’t have lightning fills as the elements limited what it could do through the air, but it was again ultra effective.

The veteran passer finished 18-of-22 for 145 yards and a touchdown, which was a well-placed ball to the outside for Amon-Ra St. Brown. in Detroit offend he relied on the run game and made life easier for Goff, but he was called upon again when he needed to make throws.

runners: A-

David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs continued their high-profile efforts as a tandem, surpassing 130 total yards combined. Montgomery set the tone early in the game with eight rushes for 39 yards on the first drive alone, while Gibbs provided a punch with a touchdown in the third quarter.

Gibbs made his own bit of history Sunday as he became the first player in NFL history to average five yards or more on a minimum of 10 carries in seven consecutive games. His touchdown run came on a fourth-and-1 in Detroit’s first half, which was all the Lions needed to put away Green Bay.

Meanwhile, Montgomery played a big role late in the game with a 12-yard run and a 14-yard catch to ice the game and put Detroit in victory.

Wide receivers: A

While the offense didn’t throw the ball down the field a ton, there was still a lot to like about the effort from the receivers. Once again, their perimeter blocking was on point as well Amon-Ra St. Brown caught a touchdown in his sixth straight game.

St. Brown, who arrived at the game wearing a “Green Bay sucks” sweatshirt, clinched the score on fourth-and-goal thanks to a well-placed throw from Jared Goff. He finished with seven catches for 56 yards.

Tight ends: A

Sam LaPorta had a big catch to set up the Lions’ first touchdown and finished with two catches for 28 yards. Plus, he had a big block to help Gibbs find the end zone on a fourth down.

Shane Zylstra appears to have assumed the third tight end/fullback role as Parker Hesse was released. Sunday marked Zylstra’s third practice squad, so he will have to be connected to the active roster to be used again. However, he looked solid as a blocker on Sunday.

Offensive Line: A-

The Lions’ offensive line allowed just two quarterback hits and helped open up plenty of running lanes for Montgomery and Gibbs. The only sack came when Taylor Decker was shoved by Rashan Gary on one side and Penei Sewell lost his footing on the other side.

Sewell had a big block on Gibbs’ touch. As a whole, the group suffered no penalties in Sunday’s game.

Defensive line: B

The line once again looked like it needed more production-wise. Quarterback Jordan Love was not sacked for 39 total dropbacks, yet lionsThe defensive line had just two total quarterback hits.

Only one of those quarterback hits came from defensive lineman Alim McNeill. The Packers were also able to run for 138 yards on the ground, and much of that was the struggles of Al-Quadin Muhammad and James Houston when it comes to setting boundaries.

Linebackers: B

With the Packers becoming the third straight team to rush for over 130 yards on the Lions defense, it’s fair to say the group has some issues. Having said that, Jack Campbell had one of the best performances of his career so far with 10 total tackles.

Campbell and Trevor Nowaske was instrumental in stopping the Packers on fourth-and-1 deep in the red zone, essentially forcing a turnover to help on downs. With Malcolm Rodriguez already out and Jalen Reeves-Maybin dealing with a shoulder injury, the group got even thinner at points heading into Sunday’s game.

Secondary: B+

Detroit’s secondary got plenty of help from the Packers wide receivers as Green Bay gave up six passes. Those included a misjump by Christian Watson that could have been a touchdown and a drop by Dontayvion Wicks in the end zone.

Kerby Joseph had the big play, though, picking off Love and returning it 27 yards for a touchdown late in the first half. This game after Joseph’s running mate, Brian Branchwas ejected from the game for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bo Melton.

Terrion Arnold had another solid performance while Carlton Davis had a good day as a run defender along with two passes defensed. Ennis Rakestraw got a fourth-down conversion when he was matched 1-on-1 with Jayden Reed in the slot.

Special teams: B

The lions also won on special teams again as they limited the Packers’ return game. In particular, punter Jack Fox induced several fair catches by Jayden Reed that appeared to be questionable decisions.

Jake Bates made his only field goal attempt, a 27-yard boot late in the first half. Arnold was called for holding a punt, but the drives were otherwise clean.

Coaching: A

The Lions looked to be the more prepared team for the elements they faced on Sunday. With the rain falling and the wind swirling, Detroit didn’t have a turnover and controlled the ball better.

While the Packers were plagued by bad snaps, drops and a costly turnover, the Lions had none of those issues. That’s a credit to the coaching staff for preparing them for exactly what they came into Sunday.

The offense was methodical early, but hit a few breaks in the second half. However, the defense stood up every time. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn didn’t allow the Packers to score a touchdown until late in the fourth quarter.

Another big showdown with Houston looms next week on Sunday night, but the Lions have once again silenced some doubters on their way to looking like the best team in football.