Lions notes: D-line steps in to save offensive second half

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions (11-1) fought their way to a 23-20 victory over the Chicago Bears (4-8) from Ford Field on Thanksgiving Day.

This post will feature MLive Lions writer Ben Raven’s notes from the win.

Quarterbacks: Jared Goff put a pair on the line but escaped before intervention. Goff also appeared to throw more passes down the field than we’ve seen in a while in this game. But quarterback wasn’t the biggest problem on offense.

The Lions, who scored on two net goals to Sam LaPorta in their first two outings, were ruined by turnovers and penalties in the red zone.

They completed two of five shots inside the 20-yard line, making too many field goals with a chance to bury the Bears. Goff did his best to right some of those miscues by making an 18-yard pass on third-and-22 after Jameson Williams’ cynical penalty, giving Jake Bates a better chance for a field goal. Also, on the first drive of the game, Amon-Ra St. went over the defense. He bowled beautifully, throwing a perfect ball to Brown.

Goff completed 21 passes in 34 attempts for 221 yards and two touchdowns. It was better than it looked from the outside, but it wasn’t as lively as before. Grade: B+

Running back: In terms of yardage and typically reliable production, Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery hit that mark. They entered the first half with great tempo, having covered a great distance.

Montgomery rushed 21 times for 88 yards and added another 36 yards through the air against his former team. Gibbs had 87 yards on just nine rushing carries. But the second-year running back fumbled in the red zone after taking a big hit.

This failure prevented the Lions from completing a dominant first half with more points. He also prevented Gibbs from seeing the ball much with just two carries in the second half. Grade: B

Wide receiver: It was a similar game for wide receivers.

Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown showed flashy and result-oriented games. However, they were hit with penalties that halted the team’s red zone efforts.

St. Brown was asked to hold for second goal from the 4-yard line, and the Lions decided to score their second field goal of the day. Williams’ sentence was nearly as costly. He was caught taunting Tyrique Stevenson after throwing the ball into his face. This 15-yard penalty pushed the Lions back and ultimately contributed to Bates missing a 45-yard field goal.

Williams also blocked a defender from scoring. He also added some tough third-down receptions early in the game. St. Brown led the way with five catches on seven targets for 73 yards. Grade: B-

Tight ends: Sam LaPorta and Goff looked a little off last week. That wasn’t the case this week, as LaPorta scored twice. The second-year tight end made the most of his appearance with three catches for 6 yards and those two scores. Brock Wright added a 13-yard reception early in the fourth quarter.

Generally, this group worked in the blocking department. Grade: A-

Offensive line: Speaking of solid showings in the blocking department — the offensive line paved the way for an explosive first half on the field. Even though they missed left tackle Taylor Decker, they did an admirable job protecting Jared Goff.

The Lions rushed 33 times for 194 yards, good enough for an average of 5.9 yards per attempt. Goff was sacked only once and hit only three times. They couldn’t move the chains on third-and-1 in the second half, and they weren’t perfect. But they were the furthest from the problem on Thanksgiving. Grade: A-

Defense line: Za’Darius Smith made a game-changing play in the final minute. Smith came home on second-and-20, pushing the Bears out of field goal range and keeping the clock ticking down. The Bears did the rest.

But Smith’s addition at the trade deadline is already paying off. He had 1.5 sacks and three quarterback hits. Al-Quadin Muhammad made some plays, seeing an increased role after Josh Paschal and Levi Onwuzrike exited the game with injuries and enjoyed a post-win celebratory meal for their efforts.

The Lions held D’Andre Swift to 39 yards on 11 carries and gave him no room to breathe in a suffocating first half. DJ Reader was the best player on the field at times yesterday too. The veteran clogged the offensive lanes and added two sacks and three quarterback hits for an all-around showing. Grade: A-

Defenders: Malcolm Rodriguez left this win with a knee injury, and the Lions are most concerned about his status on the team’s growing list of ailments. Rodriguez added five steals and was right there on Swift’s fourth pass late in the first half.

The Lions have trouble keeping defenders upright; Alex Anzalone, Jalen Reeves-Maybin and Derrick Barnes are already on injured reserve.

Jack Campbell had a quiet but aggressive day. He had only three interceptions but added a quarterback hit, including one on the sideline that caused the Bears’ quarterback to complain. Caleb Williams gave up scrambling to keep drives alive in the second half, rushing for 39 yards on four attempts. Grade: B+

Secondary: The Lions haven’t been blown away by many big plays this season. But the Bears were able to get back into it, with Williams throwing a pair of 31-yard touchdown passes to Keenan Allen and DJ Moore.

Brian Branch led the defense with six tackles and added a quarterback hit on Williams. He lost to Moore on a long touchdown pass, but it was a clean move by a veteran quarterback.

The Lions started Kindle Vildor and Khalil Dorsey at cornerback; Carlton Davis III was out, Emmanuel Moseley was inactive following a pregame injury, and they were watching Terrion Arnold return to action. Dorsey continued his strong development from the first-round rookie month, as Arnold and Kerby Joseph flirted with tackles at different points.

Vildor was hit with a questionable defensive pass interference call on what appeared to be a no-catch move. The corner kick was much better this time around and Dorsey continues to play like a solid depth play. Grade: B-

Special teams: Jake Bates missed his first field goal of the season and it came at a difficult time in the fourth quarter. The Lions were able to recover from that late miss combined with Williams’ cynical penalty. Bates made his first three shot attempts of the day and is still a desirable 19/20 on attempts.

Jake Fox also did his best to make life difficult for the Bears. He returned two punts, each inside the 20-yard line, and pinned his second of the day at the 1-yard line on Chicago’s final drive. He makes it look easy. Grade: B+

Coaching: While most of the attention is on Chicago’s clock mismanagement, it’s 100% understandable, and rightly so.

Dan Campbell deserves some credit for not calling any timeouts in the chaotic final moments, maintaining the lead and keeping the Bears in scoring position. Smith’s sack sent the Bears stumbling over their toes for the next 20 seconds, until they eventually ran out of time and were only able to pick up one pass.

The Lions were smart to sit back and let the madness unfold, despite the threat of not getting the ball back if the Bears scored or made a field goal.

Ben Johnson put his offense in great positions to have a field day. But some mistakes and misfortunes marred a truly creative and perfectly timed day of games. Aaron Glenn also continues his punches. His defense was missing a few more defensive pieces, losing some before and during the game. They managed to put in a dominant game in the first half, then put in adequate play and survive long enough to hold on for the win. Grade: A

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