Getty A.J. Brown runs through the Lions in a 2022 game with Philadelphia.
The Detroit Lions put together an inconsistent effort against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1 of the 2022 season, and as a result, came up just short of a win.
Another close loss provided some optimism for the future, and yet, there were still a few alarm bells that went off in terms of different areas of the team. There were also some positives in multiple ways.
So what do the grades reflect for this week? Here’s a look at how things shake out for the Lions after a game that was up and down and once again disappointing in the end for the team.
Grading Lions’ Offense vs. Eagles
B-
The Detroit offense looks pretty good on the whole, minus a few mistakes. The ground game pounded out an impressive 181 yards on the day. D’Andre Swift was impressive, and Jamaal Williams scored a pair of touchdowns in the red zone.
While the passing offense struggled in a way, there were still highlights. DJ Chark hauled in an impressive touchdown on the day, and Amon-Ra St. Brown continued his assault on the end zone.
Chark sighting in the end zone!
#PHIvsDET | 📺 FOX
Protection up front was solid overall from a mismatched offensive line, and the Lions managed to score in the red zone, which was great news. There’s enough here to feel good for the future, which is why the Lions get a solid grade. It will be fascinating to see where they go in Week 2.
Grading Lions’ Defense vs. Eagles
D+
If there was one area the Lions didn’t hit the mark, it was on the defensive side of the ball. Detroit allowed a total of 455 yards, and didn’t generate a turnover on the day. They got run over on the ground again, allowing four rushing touchdowns on the game.
Punch it in, @KENNETHGAINWEL😎
📺: #PHIvsDET on FOX
Detroit played better in the second half, but couldn’t get off the field when they needed to in crunch time. Detroit also didn’t see a payoff in sacks. At a certain point, the team’s defense is going to have to pull out a game or two for the team. They feel like they will deliver at a certain point, but it wasn’t this week. For that reason, the Lions lag behind on the grade ledger.
Grading Lions’ Special Teams vs. Eagles
B+
It wasn’t a poor debut for kicker Austin Seibert, who was perfect on extra points and never got a chance to kick a field goal given Detroit’s solid red zone performance on offense.
Punting-wise, Jack Fox was solid with four punts for 185 yards, including two punts inside the 20 yard line. In terms of returns, the team didn’t get things going enough, not registering a kick return and only gaining 15 yards on punt returns courtesy of Kalif Raymond.
Detroit’s special teams feels as if it will be solid again, but in a shootout, it was probably good news that they weren’t seen more in this game.
Grading Lions’ Coaches vs. Eagles
B
The Lions managed to get what was in most cases a solid offensive plan. That lends to hope for the future, and hope for this season. Ben Johnson did a nice job in his first game and has managed to gain some hype. Defensively, the team has a long way to go.
Dan Campbell made a controversial call to go for an early onside kick, which felt as if it was a mistake. They get docked for that a bit, but overall, it was a decent performance from the staff.