Lions-Falcons Grades: Coaching Staff Steps up for Big Win

The Detroit Lions battled to the final seconds against the Atlanta Falcons, and managed to pull out a huge, improbable win the likes of which their franchise rarely gets to celebrate.

The 23-22 win was fueled largely by special teams and defense, but the team’s offense stepped up in a big way late and made some amazing plays to help lead in the effort.

How should the Lions be graded for this huge Week 7 win? Here’s a look at how things are graded out this week.

Lions Offense Grade vs. Falcons

B-

Detroit’s offense got the job done, but the late game drive didn’t overshadow the inconsistency the team’s offense had most of the afternoon. The Lions didn’t get their big play wideouts the ball nearly enough and struggled with finding balance with the run and pass. Matthew Stafford had a good day, Kenny Golladay made tons of huge catches and T.J. Hockenson is looking like a very valuable weapon. D’Andre Swift also scored. It wasn’t a great day for the team, as they left points on the board much of the afternoon. Still, the Lions made plays when it counted in crunch time and scored a huge win. That’s something to admire in what had been a tough season early on for Detroit.

Lions Defense Grade vs. Falcons

B+

Detroit’s defense made the plays they had to in crunch time and managed to get a pair of huge sacks in order to help the cause. After a rough start to the season, Cory Undlin is starting to come into his own as a play caller and the team’s defense is playing good enough to win on the back end. If the Lions can keep finding pass rush, the team will be in good shape moving forward. They did that well in spots and played with aggression in this game. It was impressive to see for another week.

Lions Special Teams Grade vs. Falcons

A-

Matt Prater was arguably the team’s MVP, drilling 3 huge field goals and a key extra point to win the game which was field goal distance. Jack Fox punted well again on the day as is usually the case. The return game didn’t do much, but they didn’t have to. Detroit played well and their special teams was arguably the reason they were able to win the game in the late stages. It had been a while since Prater had kicked a winner, so it was nice to see him get back on the right side of the ledger with a huge boot.

Lions Coaching Staff Grade vs. Falcons

A-

About the only negative on the day for the staff was the offense’s inability to unleash their wideout playmakers consistently during the game and mix in the right running back calls. Darrell Bevell prevented the team’s coaching staff from having a near perfect grade and is still a concern moving forward, but it hardly kills the vibe. Defensively, the Lions were sneaky good with Cory Undlin dialing up pressure in the right moments. Matt Patricia also helped Detroit win with a late challenge, catching the Falcons with too many players on the field. On the whole, the staff helped the Lions pull this game out and was an asset instead of a liability. It might have been one of this particular staff’s better games as a whole in their tenure. Matt Patricia was in control all afternoon and let the other staff make the crippling mistakes.

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