Lions grades: Detroit survives vs. Giants despite offensive miscues, defensive breakdowns

Detroit — Richard Silva grades the Detroit Lions in their 34-27 win over the New York Giants.

Quarterback

Jared Goff wasn’t done any favors by his teammates. His lone interception was caused by a tipped pass that should’ve been caught — there were other drops, as well — and his mobility was the only reason he wasn’t sacked more than three times. He had a couple of big-time throws, including a rifled ball to Amon-Ra St. Brown that went for 20 yards on third-and-medium. Goff’s final line: 28-of-42 for 279 yards and two touchdowns. Grade: B

Running backs

What more is there to say about Jahmyr Gibbs? One of the best players on the planet dominated for the third week in a row, and this was the best game of his career. He took the first snap of overtime 69 yards to the house. He ripped off a 49-yard rush before catching a touchdown two plays later to cap a pivotal drive in the second quarter. He scored on another 49-yarder later in the game. He’s an incredibly special talent. Grade: A+

Wide receivers/tight ends

Drops have officially become a problem for St. Brown. The receiver entered Week 12 with five on the season, and he couldn’t corral two balls he should’ve caught, including a costly pass in the third quarter that tipped off his fingers and into the arms of safety Jevon Holland. St. Brown was Detroit’s most productive pass-catcher, snagging nine of his 13 targets for 149 yards and a touchdown. His score was the result of a screen. He showed good initial patience and proceeded to carry a handful of defenders with him into the end zone. Kalif Raymond hauled in a 30-yard reception with less than 30 seconds remaining in the first half, putting kicker Jake Bates in position to make a 37-yarder before halftime. Grade: B-

Offensive line

Kayode Awosika struggled in his third game filling in for the injured Christian Mahogany at left guard, allowing two of New York’s three sacks. He was swiftly beaten by Rakeem Nuñez-Roches on the second instance, giving Goff no chance to get through his progressions. The third sack came due to defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence getting initial pressure against Graham Glasgow, which forced Goff to scramble into Darius Alexander, who had two sacks. The rookie previously only had a half-sack on the season. Grade: D

Defensive line

I’m concerned about the pass rush, but Aidan Hutchinson saved the day by sacking Jameis Winston on fourth down to slam the door on the Giants. The grade here also gets a significant boost (it’d be much lower if it only focused on rushing the passer) because of Detroit’s run defense; the Giants averaged 3.1 yards per attempt, and the interior of the line defensive line (notably, Roy Lopez) deserves credit. Grade: D+

Linebackers

Jack Campbell once again paced the Lions in total tackles (11), and he had as much to do with the team’s efforts in stopping the run as anyone, notching at least three run stops. Alex Anzalone had a couple run stops, too, but he was one the wrong end of an impressive 24-yard catch from tight end Theo Johnson, who went up and high-pointed the ball with Anzalone in coverage. Derrick Barnes wasn’t at fault for a deep pass to Winston on a trick play, but he was in the wrong for not being able to get Winston to the ground after the QB caught the pass. Grade: B

Secondary

Covering Wan’Dale Robinson proved difficult. There were a handful of gains that were the result of well-schemed passes to the nimble receiver out of the slot, but Robinson also flat-out beat Amik Robertson. Robinson (a career-best 156 yards on nine catches) caught a touchdown on New York’s opening drive. It was a double-pass, and Thomas Harper, who later hauled in an interception, was baited out of position. D.J. Reed lost Isaiah Hodgins on a critical third-and-10 with the Giants backed up near their own goal line, and Brian Branch had a pass interference against Johnson later on that same drive. Robertson made up for some of his earlier errors with a crucial pass breakup late in regulation. Grade: D

Special teams

Bates made both of his field-goal attempts, knocking through the aforementioned 34-yarder and an absolutely massive 59-yarder to tie the score with 28 seconds remaining. Jack Fox had perhaps his best game of the season, as he averaged 40 yards across five punts and pinned the Lions inside their own 10-yard line on four occasions. Grade: A+

Coaching

With their backs against the wall, the Lions answered. Was it pretty? No. Were there mistakes? Plenty. But for the first time this season, the Lions rallied from down multiple possessions and snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. That’s coaching. Dan Campbell made his errors — wasting his final timeout in regulation after a spiked ball sticks out — but this grade was saved by the culture he’s built. Grade: B

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18