Getty Jared Goff points as the Lions play the Vikings in a 2021 game.
The Detroit Lions won a game for the first time in the 2021 season, beating the Minnesota Vikings at the buzzer and creating plenty of excitement along the way.
Most of the season, the Lions haven’t managed to do many positive things on the field, and it’s led to some major disappointment in terms of the team’s grades so far this year. For Week 13, though, all of that is finally put on the back burner after a victory.
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How does the team get graded for this week? Here’s a look at how the grades shape up after a major win for the team at home for the first time in a year.
Grading Lions’ Offense vs. Vikings
B
Obviously, the Lions offense wasn’t perfect at all against Minnesota. The team started hot, but went on a scoring drought in the second half which nearly cost them a win. Still, the team hit multiple big pass plays which they hadn’t done in seemingly months. While they didn’t run the ball great, the team still went for over 100 yards in the game and were effective. They blocked well up front, and made plenty of big plays in the passing game from the start of the day until the end.
.@JaredGoff16 to @TheeHOCK8 for six!
#MINvsDET | 📺 CBS | #ProBowlVote
Perhaps the Lions have turned a corner with regards to finding the big play on offense. That would be welcome news for the team.
Grading Lions’ Defense vs. Vikings
B+
While the Lions offense allowed 27 points on the day, they were opportunistic, capitalizing on a turnover and also generating 3 sacks on the day. Detroit’s defense might not be sexy in terms of the stats they are putting up, but the team has been consistent in recent weeks and has stayed in games thanks to the work on this side of the football. Plays like Charles Harris’ forced fumble show how well the Lions have been at getting the sudden-change plays they need to win:
LIONS BALL!
@Charles_AO1 forced the fumble and @julian_okwara came up with the recovery!
#MINvsDET | 📺 CBS | #ProBowlVote
If the Lions can keep making plays like this, they can finish the season a lot stronger than they started it. That would be big news for the team, and this week could be a performance that jump-starts the turnaround for good.
Grading Lions’ Special Teams vs. Vikings
A
The Lions chose not to rely on punter Jack Fox in this game much at all, but what they did end up doing was breaking in a new kicker successfully. The team watched as youngster Riley Patterson went 3-3 on kicks including a 49 yarder that the Lions needed late in the game. While Fox and the return units were steady overall, it was Patterson who really impressed as a rookie making clutch kicks for the Lions:
@KFANPST Lions Kicker Riley Patterson will remember his first NFL field goal for the rest of his life
With Austin Seibert on the shelf the rest of the year with injury, it’s nice for the Lions to see they have a kicker they might be able to depend on in Patterson. The youngster showed some mettle in this game, and that was enough to give the team’s special teams group a solid grade for the day.
Grading Lions’ Coaching vs. Vikings
C-
It’s not an issue of game planning for the Lions as much is as it is an issue of being overly-aggressive. Dan Campbell continues to roll the dice on fourth down which is fine, but the play calls in those situations have been questionable. On the first fourth and short, the Lions tried a sneak which was stuffed. On fourth and inches later, the Lions tried a throw deep in their own territory. Finding a way to make these calls better has to be the focus for the Lions in the future. Otherwise, Aaron Glenn’s defense had a good plan again and the staff was solid overall. Finding a way to clean up some play calling and game management mistakes of Campbell has to be the biggest focus for the future.
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