On Sunday, the Detroit Lions squeaked by Green Bay at the bell, 20-17. Jake Bates kicked the game winner after DJ Wonnum deflected Trey Smack’s go-ahead attempt for the Packers about three minutes of game time prior.

The game got off to a solid start, but the expected shootout did not occur, as the Lions and Packers defenses each got the stops needed to keep in striking distance.

Here are the good, bad, and ugly as the Lions jumped to 4-2 on the young season.

The Good

Player Awareness and Discipline

The Lions showed superb situational awareness on Sunday. Jahmyr Gibbs was relied upon as the feature back, but his pass blocking set up a next play touchdown on the opening drive of the game. Then, when the back got two free chances at a touchdown late, he refused to run the ball in, sliding down to drain the clock over his accolades.

In addition, the Lions refrained from a defensive pass interference or defensive holding penalty, which has rarely been seen with the secondary. 

Another showcase of player awareness was with offensive lineman Penei Sewell. The All Pro tackle was given a package where he could be eligible to run routes, and Sewell took advantage, running a hitch and shuffling to open grass, forcing a linebacker to cover him. That freed up Jameson Williams for his second touchdown of the game on a Jared Goff scramble drill.

Kicking Game

Normally, special teams would be the category here, but a pair of kick return penalties soured the special teams day. On the kicking and kickoff front, however, the Lions executed well. Bates made all his attempts, and none of his kickoffs put the Packers in advantageous positions. 

On a day where the Packers miss two field goals, the Lions can be thankful that their kicker stood tall to hit the game winner.

Star Wide Receiver Duo

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams decimated the Packer secondary on Sunday. The two receivers found more holes in the defense than on the foam cheese headgear the Packer fanbase is known for. 

St. Brown was the driving force of the first half, hauling in seven of his eight targets for 135 yards. He helped set up both Lions’ scoring drives, along with being in position for a third scoring drive before a Gibbs fumble. The All Pro pass catcher was held in check in the second half, only adding less than 20 yards, but still finished with his fifth career game over 150 yards receiving. 

Williams, meanwhile, contributed both touchdowns for the Lions during the contest, his second straight game with a pair of scores. The former Lions first round pick did his damage, racking up 91 receiving yards on the day.

The Bad

Offensive Line Play

The offensive line squared off against an extremely strong Packer front seven, but it did not execute at the level expected. The Lions, fresh off of a bye week and adding Cade Mays into the lineup, struggled. Jahmyr Gibbs averaged four yards per carry, which only occurred after the Packers gave up nearly 20 yards at the very end to try to encourage the back to score.

Mays had a shaky game, with a bad exchange to open the second half causing a turnover, missing the cadence on another play, and being knocked into Gibbs for a fumble at the end of the first half.

Christian Mahogany contributed his own false start in a critical situation, moving at a defensive flinch to try to give the Lions a free first down. If it was not for the strength in the Green Bay front four, this likely gets an “ugly” grade.

Secondary Play

The Lions surrendered 274 passing yards on Sunday, or 264 yards after taking out sack yardage. That is progress compared to their Arizona game, but it is still a high amount. While Green Bay had 46 drop backs, it was not a lockdown effort with Brian Branch back in the lineup.

Branch did record an interception on the day, and the secondary added a few crucial Khalil Dorsey coverage plays with Ennis Rakestraw Jr. missing time with injury. DJ Reed has a solid game as well. However, this game was much too close to consider the day an overwhelming success. 

The worst passing defense in the NFL took a step forward, but there is much more progress to be made. 

The Ugly

Pass Rush Woes

When the Packers were forced to trot out their third string center making his offensive debut by the second drive of the game, the Lions were expected to rack up pressure. Instead, the Lions were held to a single sack. Outside of Aidan Hutchinson, the Lions hit Jordan Love exactly once. 

Alim McNeill and Tyleik Williams could not take advantage of an inexperienced center with the duo of defensive tackles on fresh legs. Love had 46 drop backs and only got sacked once, which is concerning when the Lions take on the undefeated Vikings next week.

Falling Flat 

The Lions had all the momentum after forcing multiple defensive stops in the first half, including a tackle for loss in the red zone. However, the team could not capitalize.

In an attempt to make it a two score game at the halftime break, Jahmyr Gibbs fumbled. On the ensuing drive to open the third quarter, Cade Mays and Jared Goff botched an exchange. The Lions fell flat, and the Packers got their first lead of the game.

Detroit grabbed the lead back, but the game went from a potential blowout to a last second win. In multiple key moments, the Lions fell flat. In the third quarter, the Lions could not finish in the red zone. The very next drive came courtesy of a Brian Branch turnover near midfield, and the Lions went three-and-out. 

In a crucial third-and-one, the Lions offense went backwards and failed to convert in two plays. They wound up needing Wonnum’s outstretched hand to barely deflect a field goal and keep the score tied late. A strong finish was only necessitated by critical missed assignments and failures to execute starting with the final drive of the second quarter.