We often like to play the blame game after a Detroit Lions loss, but in their 41-34 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams, there is not just one finger to point. Detroit had their struggles on both sides of the ball. The offense stalled dramatically at the worst possible time, and the defense didn’t capitalize enough times on their opportunities to get off the field.
Let’s break down the entire Lions’ performance with our Week 15 report card.
Quarterback: A-
Hard to blame Jared Goff for anything that happened on Sunday. The Lions quarterback produced stellar numbers against a tough Rams defense and often created plays on his own. His 52-yard pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown displayed his sneaky ability to maneuver in the pocket and excellent touch on the pass.
More importantly, on a day in which the offense needed to play mistake-free football, he avoided any major errors. He didn’t turn the ball over, he got rid of the ball fast enough to only be sacked once on 42 dropbacks, and I didn’t see many missed opportunities he passed up.
Obviously, Goff’s efficiency dropped significantly in the second half, but that was largely based on a running game that was non-existent and some questionable play calls.
Running backs: C-
It’s hard to place direct blame on the running backs for Detroit’s poor rushing attack (20 rushes, 75 yards, 29% success rate). I didn’t see many rushing lanes that they missed or tackles they should have broken. In a shootout game, Jahmyr Gibbs needs to contribute more than 58 yards of offense, but he can only do so much. David Montgomery did have one drive of promise and finished with a respectable 32 yards on seven carries (4.6 YPC), but neither player posted a single explosive play.
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Tight ends: D-
I think the Lions are really starting to feel the loss of Sam LaPorta and Brock Wright. Tight ends didn’t account for a single passing target, and their most notable contribution all game was a holding penalty on Giovanni Ricci that led to the first of three consecutive three-and-outs.
The return of Shane Zylstra went largely unnoticed, and I get a strong feeling that when I dive into the all-22 tape, the tight ends are going to be a big reason why the run game struggled.
Wide receivers: A
Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams are superstars. For the entire season, the Rams had allowed just a total of five 100+ yard receivers. Both St. Brown (164 yards) and Williams (134) managed to cross that threshold—almost in the first half alone.
St. Brown continues to be as reliable as they come, and Williams has become so much more than a big-play threat. If the conversation hasn’t begun already, a very good case could be made that Detroit has the best receiver duo in football, and that’s saying a lot considering the competition.
Offensive line: C-
For the third straight week, I was actually pretty impressed with the offensive line’s pass protection. Even though the Rams were credited with eight quarterback hits, it felt like Goff had ample time to let plays develop, and they deserve a fair amount of credit for his success.
Unfortunately, for as good as they were in pass protection, they really struggled in the run game. The Lions averaged -0.02 yards before contact against the Rams—the worst mark of Week 15 and the second-worst mark of the Lions’ season. That’s really all you need to know.
Defensive line: D+
While I thought the pass rush looked better in this game—their 2.61 average seconds to pressure was seventh-best of Week 15 games—they were moved around in the run game in a way we haven’t seen this year. The Rams may have the best rushing attack in football, but this was an outstanding performance even for them. They averaged 2.28 yards before contact (second-best of their 2025 season) and +0.21 EPA per rush (fourth-best). Detroit was getting equally gashed up the middle and on the edges, as they failed to keep contain.
Aidan Hutchinson’s interception saves the unit from a failing grade, but it was still massively disappointing to see Detroit dominated in the trenches.
Linebackers: D
It was a rare bad day for the Lions’ second line of defense. Coverage was the primary issue with this unit, as Rams tight ends Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen combined for eight catches, 85 yards, and two touchdowns.
It was specifically a day to forget for Derrick Barnes, who lacked any pass rush, lost contain multiple times on the edge, and allowed three catches on three targets in coverage.
At least Jack Campbell continues to be a tackling machine (14 tackles, 10 solo).
Secondary: D-
It’s becoming far too common to see the Lions’ defensive backs tally a ton of passes defended (five vs. Rams), but give up what seems like double that in explosive plays. Some credit certainly goes to the Rams’ receivers, who made a few ridiculous catches in tight coverage, but D.J. Reed and Amik Robertson looked outmatched for much of the afternoon, as well.
Avonte Maddox is still providing strong play at safety, but Erick Hallett’s third NFL game and second career start was rough. He was often tricked by the Rams’ eye-candy and was flat-out beaten by some Rams receivers. Admittedly, he did make some plays in the run game, but it will mostly be a night to forget for him and the rest of the secondary.
Special teams: D
Yet another missed kick from Jake Bates, who is now 21-of-27 on the season. Detroit now ranks 26th in the NFL in field goal accuracy for the season.
It was also an oddly poor day from Jack Fox. Of his three punts, one resulted in his first touchback of the season, and one was just a 40-yard kick that set the Rams up at midfield. They promptly scored in two plays.
Nothing to speak of in the return game, as the Rams were perfectly happy booting the ball through the end zone.
Coaching: D+
Let’s start with the good. Dan Campbell’s gutsy decision to go for it in the first half at his own 29-yard line turned out to be a huge benefit. Had the Lions punted there, the Rams would have an opportunity to take the lead before halftime, and they’d get the ball to start the second half as well. Instead, the Lions converted, bled most of the remaining clock, and scored a touchdown. That allowed the Lions to remain competitive deep into the game, even as the Rams dominated the third quarter.
What makes that decision odd, though, is that Campbell went conservative earlier in the half, passing up a fourth-and-4 opportunity to kick a 43-yard field goal (that Bates missed).
As for in-game management, Campbell not knowing the rules when it comes to challenging is certainly concerning, even if he eventually got the result he wanted. Even challenging what amounted to a 1-yard respotting of the football would have been a waste—even if it was allowed. Detroit also had to burn a second-half timeout because the play call was late getting in.
But the most egregious errors, in my opinion, came with the offensive play-calling in the third quarter. After a holding penalty backed them up into a second-and-15, Campbell called a running play that resulted in a third-and-long. Then, to start the next drive, the Lions fell behind the sticks again when Campbell dialed up a low-percentage, all-or-nothing deep shot to Williams. That allowed the Rams to dial up the pressure on obvious passing downs, and Detroit couldn’t hold them off. Those calls led to two of the Lions’ three consecutive three-and-outs, and that’s where the game was lost.
…and don’t even get me started on the third-and-11 draw play in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, there are serious questions to be had about whether this defensive scheme puts their players in the best position to succeed. By all means, they have talented players at every level of the defense. Yes, injuries have plagued the secondary, but there is still more talent on this defense than many across the league. But I’m just not sure that playing a man-heavy scheme is the right move in today’s NFL. The receivers are too good, Detroit’s pass rush is too passive, and it’s killing Detroit’s ability to stay in games. I hope for Detroit’s sake that there will be some serious discussion about their overall defensive philosophies.
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