ARLINGTON, Texas -- Grading the Detroit Lions after the team's 24-20 loss to the Dallas Cowboys:
QUARTERBACKS: A-
This game will inevitably be added to the list of games Matthew Stafford failed to win, but it's not on him. The quarterback had a fine performance in defeat, completing 28 of 42 passes for 323 yards and one touchdown. His lone interception was the result of a tipped pass at the line of scrimmage.
Stafford was accurate, played under control and exhibited toughness, especially on a third-down run where he bounced off a would-be tackler to pick up the first down.
RUNNING BACKS: B+
There weren't a great deal of carries for the backs, but the duo of Reggie Bush and Joique Bell ran hard on their touches. One of the best plays of the day was Bush weaving through the Cowboys secondary for a first-quarter score. Great TD run by Bush.
Theo Riddick chipped in four receptions for 39 yards.
WIDE RECEIVERS: C+
Golden Tate got the best of the individual matchup with Barry Church, burning the safety for a 51-yard touchdown in the opening quarter and finishing with his best game in two months, six grabs for 89 yards.
Calvin Johnson was largely held in check by Dallas, at least compared to last season. He finished with five receptions for 85 yards. But in the late stages of the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, he dropped a catchable pass over the middle and got flagged for a false start.
The Lions also managed to get a small, surprising contribution out of Corey Fuller, who came up with a big third-down grab in the second half when the Lions were buried deep in their own territory.
TIGHT ENDS: C
Brandon Pettigrew and Eric Ebron chipped in four receptions for 32 yards and both threw key blocks in the running game. Pettigrew also managed to draw a pass interference flag on a third-down throw in the fourth quarter, but the flag was inexplicably picked up by the officials.
OFFENSIVE LINE: C-
The unit entered the contest without its best player in Larry Warford, then lost backup right guard Travis Swanson in the opening quarter. Still, with two third-stringers playing on the right side, the group held up well much of the contest, opening up quality lanes for the backs and limiting the rush from getting to Stafford.
But Stafford's protection crumbled late. Undrafted rookie Cornelius Lucas made a blunder in the closing minutes, getting beat off the edge. The defender was able to force a fumble, which Dallas recovered -- only to fumble it back over to the Lions on the return.
Nine plays later it was veteran Riley Reiff who was beaten on fourth-and-3. Again Stafford fumbled, sealing the loss.
DEFENSIVE LINE: A-
The front four got consistent pressure against one of the league's best pass-protecting offensive lines, sacking Tony Romo six times. Ndamukong Suh had a monster performance, recording back-to-back sacks in the second half and also making a stop on running back DeMarco Murray on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
Murray did have some early success against the Lions, gaining 62 yards on his first 11 attempts, but was slowed later in the contest.
LINEBACKERS: D+
Tahir Whitehead picked up his first career sack, but also got hit with an unnecessary 15-yard penalty for blowing up a defenseless receiver across the middle.
All-Pro DeAndre Levy had an uncharacteristically quiet performance, tallying just four stops and missing a huge tackle on Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant, allowing the wideout to turn a short gain into a 43-yard pickup. Levy was also flagged for a hold in the red zone on third down, giving Dallas three more cracks at the end zone on what turned into a game-winning touchdown.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: D
A rough day for the secondary, particularly Cassius Vaughn, who surrendered multiple receptions early in the game. None was bigger than a 76-yard touchdown to Terrance Williams late in the first half.
It was far from the only blown coverage assignment or missed tackle in the back end, which included safety James Ihedigbo losing Jason Witten in man coverage on fourth-and-6 on Dallas' game-winning drive.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
Jeremy Ross had a rough day, muffing a punt (which he recovered) and making an ill-advised decision to return a kickoff where he was dropped at the 5-yard line.
Sam Martin contributed to the special teams woes, shanking a critical fourth-quarter punt unnecessarily giving Dallas outstanding field position to drive for the winning score.
Matt Prater did covert both of his field goal attempts.
COACHING: B
The Lions clearly came out prepared for this contest, jumping out to a 14-0 lead with both outstanding defense and varied play-calling on offense.
The defense sustained it's success up front, but coordinator Teryl Austin wasn't able to effectively cover up the loss of cornerback Rashean Mathis, who missed half of the game with a quad strain.
Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi wisely leaned on Stafford for the get-go. And even with Warford out, managed to squeeze blood from a stone with the run game.
The Lions' decision to punt on fourth-and-1 from the Dallas 46-yard line, up three with just over eight minutes to go, was the right decision but looks far worse in hindsight after Martin botched the boot.
Finally, the staff made a decision to put Darius Slay on kickoff coverage and were rewarded as the young corner shoved return man Dwayne Harris out of bounds as he turned the corner and threatened a big gain. They also experimented with Tate returning punts, but got gun shy when the receiver got lit up on his first attempt.