Grading the Lions performance in the 20-30 loss at Green Bay:
QUARTERBACK: D+
Matthew Stafford's performance had a little bit of good and a little more bad, resulting in a below-average performance overall. On the positive side, he completed three well-placed touchdown passes, two to Calvin Johnson. Also, Stafford didn't throw an interception and picked up two first downs with his feet.
The bad included plenty of missed throws, some high, some low, some wide, leading to a completion percentage under 50 percent. Stafford also dropped too deep in the pocket in the fourth quarter, and when pressure arrived he was forced to take an intentional grounding on a safety.
In the biggest game regular season game for the Lions in recent memory, the franchise quarterback wasn't efficient enough.
RUNNING BACKS: D
Joique Bell had some outstanding runs in this game, making tacklers miss and picking up yards after contact. But the whole performance was undone by one play, a fumble early in the fourth quarter, giving the Packers the ball back in Lions' territory. Green Bay converted that turnover into a touchdown and a 14-point advantage.
Theo Riddick did some damage in the passing game late, including a touchdown, but it was too little too late.
WIDE RECEIVERS: C
Johnson came up with two scoring grabs, but just four catches for 39 yards, his fifth consecutive game against the Packers where his production was decreased.
Golden Tate led the team, but with just 45 yards. Jeremy Ross chipped in two grabs for 33 yards, both first downs, while Corey Fuller was held without a catch as his only target sailed out of bounds.
TIGHT ENDS: C
Rookie Eric Ebron had a nice blitz pickup and flashed some potential as a downfield option for the first time in several weeks, catching two long first downs including a personal-best 22-yarder in the first half.
OFFENSIVE LINE: C+
The unit held up well through three quarters, allowing little pressure to get to Stafford and creating quality running lanes around the edges for the running backs. But there were two key breakdowns in the fourth quarter, helping the Packers seal the win.
First, the front allowed too much interior pressure on a fourth-and-10 in Packers territory, which led to a tipped, and subsequently incomplete pass. Pressure on the next series forced Stafford into an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, giving the Packers a 16-point advantage.
DEFENSIVE LINE: D+
The bar for the defensive line has been set so high, but this was a disappointing performance any way you slice it. The Packers were able to run almost at will against the front four, with Eddie Lacy becoming the first back to gain 100 yards against the Lions this season. James Starks chipped in 26 yards on five carries, including a 21-yard romp on Green Bay's offensive possession.
As for the pass rush, despite a hobbled Aaron Rodgers, the group didn't get home enough, with the lone sack coming against backup Matt Flynn.
The group does deserve credit for the shining moment of the contest, a four-down, goal-line stand in the opening quarter.
LINEBACKERS: D
The linebackers are also culpable for the failure to slow Lacy and the Packers ground game. DeAndre Levy finished with another double-digit tackle day, but neither he or any another member of his unit had a stop for a loss. Levy also picked up a face mask penalty in the red zone trying to bring down tight end Richard Rogers near the sideline.
DEFENSIVE BACKS: D-
Rodgers had no problem picking apart Detroit's secondary, completing 77.2 percent of his passes. Slot corner Cassius Vaughn struggled handling Randall Cobb, getting burned for a 34-yard gain and a 13-yard touchdown, both on slants.
There were also multiple missed tackles in the back end, including big whiffs by safeties James Ihedigbo and Isa Adbul-Quddus, that allowed the Packers to extend drives. Ihedigbo did make up for one of his missed tackles by forcing Lacy to fumble, giving the ball back to the Lions.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D
The Lions special teams put them in an early hole, giving up a 55-yard punt return for a touchdown in the opening quarter. Then in the third frame, Sam Martin's attempted pooch kickoff trickled out of bounds. That gave Rodgers a short field, which he converted into a touchdown drive.
That should be enough to fail the group, but there were some big positive plays, including a blocked field goal by Abdul-Quddus, two quality returns by Jeremy Ross and a recovered fumble on a "onside" free kick following the safety.
COACHING: F
The defense didn't have a counter for Lacy or Rodgers' quick passing game, getting beat both on the ground and through the air.
On offense, despite the ground game being effective, the team was never able to establish a viable passing game, despite two of the best weapons in the NFL. Stafford's accuracy issues didn't help the cause here, especially when he overthrew Johnson getting behind the defense on one of the team's lone deep shots.
The call to go short on the kickoff backfired, costing the Lions valuable field position. And finally, Jim Caldwell's decision to challenge Lacy's catch and fumble, a pretty cut-and-dried call with the receiver on the ground at the time of contact, cost the Lions a potentially valuable timeout in the second half.