NFL Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions’ Full Report Card vs. Patriots

Detroit Lions' Full Report Card vs. Patriots

James Ihedigbo Lions
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It came as no surprise that the Lions lost on the road to the New England Patriots. It was surprising, however, to see how bad the Lions were dominated in all phases of the game. Not a lot went right as the Lions were held without a touchdown for the second consecutive game. Here now are the grades for each Lions' positional unit.

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford Lions
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Quarterback

Matthew Stafford Lions
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Stafford only completed 18-of-46 passes against New England, but while he was off for most of the day, he got little to no help from his receivers. Four of Stafford's throws were touchdowns that were dropped by his receivers, and neither Calvin Jonhson or Golden Tate could get away from Darrelle Revis or Brandon Browner.

Grade: D+

Running Backs

Joique Bell Lions
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Running Backs

Joique Bell Lions
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With Reggie Bush out once again, it was up to Joique Bell and Theo Riddick to carry the load. With Detroit down big for most of this game, neither Bell or Riddick made a big impact on the game. The running game gained 91 yards, with 60 coming from Bell and Riddick.

Grade: C

Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Calvin Johnson Lions
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Wide Receivers and Tight Ends

Calvin Johnson Lions
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Golden Tate said it best during the postgame interviews when he noted that the Lions' receivers play was "embarrassing." As mentioned earlier, four of Stafford's throws were touchdowns that the receivers dropped in the end zone. Tate and Calvin Johnson were targeted 21 times, but only came up with eight catches combined.

Grade: D

Offensive Line

Matthew Stafford Lions
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Offensive Line

Matthew Stafford Lions
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With Larry Warford out with an injury, and Riley Reiff leaving early due to another injury, the Lions' line was completely overmatched by the Patriots. The line allowed six hits on Stafford and two sacks, another performance that any Lions fan should be happy about.

Grade: F

Defensive Line

George Johnson Lions
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Defensive Line

George Johnson Lions
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Detroit's defensive line has been known to take over games by themselves. Unfortunately, Sunday was not one of those days. Detroit only managed three quarterback hits on Tom Brady, and were gashed in the running game for 4.5 yards per carry on 20 attempts. The Lions' defense has been without a sack since their win over Miami.

Grade: D+

Linebackers

Tahir Whitehead Lions
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Linebackers

Tahir Whitehead Lions
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DeAndre Levy and Tahir Whitehead racked up tackles, but the linebacking corps wasn't much of a factor on Sunday. In coverage, Detroit looked lost, especially when guarding Patriots tight ends Rob Gronkowski and Tim Wright.

Grade: D

Secondary

Glover Quin Jr. Lions
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Secondary

Glover Quin Jr. Lions
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For the first time on the road, the Lions faced an elite quarterback and were systematically torched. Outside of James Ihedigbo, who recorded an interception, the back four looked lost and confused against New England's experience receiving corps. The pass defense allowed 38 completions on 53 attempts for 353 yards and two touchdowns.

Grade: F

Special Teams

Matt Prater Lions
Greg M. Cooper-USA Today Sports

Special Teams

Matt Prater Lions
Greg M. Cooper-USA Today Sports

Detroit's kicking game was good, but the coverage units were just awful. Matt Prater hit three of his four field-goal attempts while Sam Martin nearly nailed half of his punts inside the 20. On the other side, Detroit's coverage units were poor. The Lions gave up an 81-yard kick return to Danny Amendola and gave up a punt return touchdown to Julian Edelman, but it was called back because of a penalty.

Grade: D

Brian Kalchik is a Detroit Lions writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter, like him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+.

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