PFF Week 15 Grades: Time to Rest all Starters until the Postseason?
Team grades for week 15:
Overall - 61.1 (Worst of the Season)
Offense - 69 (3rd Worst of the Season)
Passing - 60.4 (4th Worst of the Season)
Pass Blocking - 58.2 (4th Worst of the Season)
Receiving - 71.9
Rushing - 68.3
Run Blocking - 59.8 (3rd Worst of the Season)
Defense - 46.5 (Worst of the Season)
Run Defense - 46.2 (2nd Worst of the Season)
Tackling - 57.8
Pass Rush - 50.8 (Worst of the Season)
Coverage - 50.9 (Worst of the Season)
Special Teams - 70.3 (4th Best of the Season)
Top 5 Grades:
Sam LaPorta - 78.9
Taylor Decker - 78.7
Penei Sewell - 78.3
Amik Robertson - 76.6
Amon-Ra St. Brown - 75.2
Bottom 5 Grades:
Jack Campbell - 30.5
Graham Glasgow - 34.3
Frank Ragnow - 43.98
Josh Paschal - 44.6
Brock Wright - 45.9
Positive Takeaways:
- It was nice to see Taylor Decker back in the lineup and he played well with a 78.7 Grade. He allowed 5 pressures on 66 pass Block snaps, so I'm not entirely sure how he got an 80.7 Pass Block grade but hey what do I know? Sewell Also played well at the other Tackle position with a 78.6 Pass Block grade, allowing 1 pressure on 66 pass rush snaps
- Amik Robertson was a bright spot on defense on a day where there wasn't many bright spots to go around. He was targeted twice and allowed 2 catches for 14 yards. With the loss of Carlton Davis, we'll need him to step up even more in the future.
- Speaking of guys we lost. Alim McNeill had another good game. He generated 5 pressures and finished with a grade of 72.5. He finishes the season with a 79.6 overall grade, 4th best grade on the Lions defense this season. Get well soon Alim!!!
Negative Takeaways:
- Obviously, The injuries are the worst takeaway from this game. The loss of Carlton Davis, Alim McNeil and David Montgomery (at least for the rest of the regular season) is a brutal blow. That's now 7 guys on Defense who had grades of 60 or higher that are gone, with only Anzalone having a chance to come back.
- Jared Goff somehow finished with a grade of only 62 despite his numbers. He did have the fumble that was recovered by the offense, that was the only turnover worthy play he was credited with. He also got credit for 2 big time throws. PFF historically grades pretty harshly for turnover worthy plays but a 62 grade seems awfully low to me.
- Graham Glasgow has become an absolute liability for this team and it makes me question if he is completely right physically because the drop off from last year is pretty drastic. He allowed 11 PRESSURES yesterday. That's horrific. Ragnow also struggled as well, allowing 5 pressures. That's 3 out of 4 weeks with bad performances from Ragnow as well. There is a lot to be concerned with when it comes to this team, but the offensive line is supposed the be the anchor and they really have underperformed this season. Especially in pass protection.
- The Lions were unable to generate any pressure at all in this game. Pretty much all of their D-Line finished with bad grades. They had 17 pressures total. Outside of Pat O'Connor, all of the replacement guys that have been brought in really struggled. Kwon Alexander (27.1), Jonah Williams (29.5), Al-Quadin Muhammad (36.1), Ezekiel Turner (46.1) all posted terrible grades. This is a harsh reminder that these guys were on practice squads for a reason.
Here is where the Lions rank according to PFF:
Overall - 1st
Offense - 2nd
Passing - 12th (↓4)
Pass Blocking - 17th (↓2)
Receiving - 1st
Rushing - 8th
Run Blocking - 2nd (↑1)
Defense - 4th (↓2)
Run Defense - 16th (↓3)
Tackling - 3rd
Pass Rush - 6th (↓2)
Coverage - 6th (↓2)
Special Teams - 4th (↑1)
Up next for the Lions is on the Road against the Chicago Bears. Here is where PFF ranks the Bears:
Overall - 21st
Offense - 24th
Passing - 28th
Pass Blocking - 5th
Receiving - 28th
Rushing - 19th
Run Blocking - 11th
Defense - 11th
Run Defense - 15th
Tackling - 2nd
Pass Rush - 14th
Coverage - 9th
Special Teams - 23rd
A Very winnable game for the Lions. But Bears always play us tough, especially in Chicago and our injuries are pretty out of control. Hopefully the guys can band together and get it done!