DETROIT — The Detroit Lions opened the season with a 26-20 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field on Sunday Night Football.

In this post we discuss the numbers that Ben Raven, writer for MLive Lions, gave for the match.

Quarterbacks: Jared Goff wasn’t at his best to open the season. However, the Detroit Lions quarterback made up for the bad moments with more good ones en route to victory. Goff completed 18 of 28 passes for 217 yards with one touchdown and one interception. And sometimes it’s better to get lucky, as the Rams failed to grab their second interception in the fourth quarter before Goff led the Lions down the field to force overtime.

One of the quarterback’s biggest plays came on the ground from all over, as he attempted a 7-yard gain on fourth-and-6. He couldn’t rely on Amon-Ra St. Brown or Sam LaPorta as he usually does, but getting into a rhythm with Jameson Williams while the others are stuck and getting extra attention from the defense is what this offense needed. Grade: B

Running backs: What more can be said about David Montgomery’s performance? The Lions used the veteran back as a battering ram to finally put the Rams away, with 45 yards and the game-winning touchdown on five carries in overtime. Montgomery is the tone-setter for this offense, and he was right back where he left off last season, getting stronger as the game wore on and in the end zone to put the Lions ahead for good. He finished with 91 yards and the clutch score on 17 attempts.

Jahmyr Gibbs, who missed time in the offseason and training camp with hamstring issues, had 11 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown of his own. He slipped on a potential touchdown route in the fourth quarter but deserves a lot of credit for his limbo-extension touchdown. Gibbs will continue to get his chances, especially as he gets back into a rhythm. But this one-two punch opened the season the right way on a night when it wasn’t always pretty or easy. Grade: A

Wide receivers: Jameson Williams deserves all the flowers right now. Yes, there are concerns about the depth at receiver. But on a night where Amon-Ra St. Brown was held to three catches for just 13 yards, he was exactly what this team needed. Williams caught five passes for 121 yards and one touchdown, adding 13 yards on the ground. His speed was on full display on the 52-yard touchdown that left cornerback Tre’Davious White in the dust downfield.

St. Brown was the only other wideout with a reception. Kalif Raymond was the third receiver and Tom Kennedy saw some practice squad snaps. The Lions will need Tim Patrick or Allen Robinson, or both, to get up to speed sooner rather than later. But if Williams can continue to play at this level and grow his connection with Goff, this passing attack is going to be terrifying, because it’s hard to imagine the Sun God playing more games this quietly. Grade: B-

Tight ends: Sam LaPorta showed up late, with an 18-yard reception on the team’s final drive of regulation. He finished as the second-leading receiver, with 45 yards and four receptions. Brock Wright nearly scored on his only catch of the day. And Parker Hesse saw his fair share of action blocking and out of the backfield in his first game with the Lions. As we said for St. Brown, better and much more productive days are ahead for the tight ends. The blocking looked solid all night from this group, and there were no major missteps. Grade: B-

Offensive line: Outside of this group’s sheer dominance in overtime, the most impressive statistic from the trenches was that the Lions fell behind on just one rushing play. Frank Ragnow pancaked through LA’s defensive line on the game-winning touchdown and reminded the league why he’s considered one of, if not the best center on the planet. The Lions rushed for 163 yards and moved the chains on the ground 12 times in Sunday night’s victory.

There were a few false starts, but Goff seemed to take the blame for that. And while Kevin Zeitler and Taylor Decker were beaten for sacks in the first half, this group was steady and reliable, and seemed to get better as the game went on. Grade: A

Defense line: That sentiment applies to both the defensive line and the linebackers. But after a week of talking about the Rams and their new, altered approach to running the ball, the Lions held them to 83 yards on the ground. Kyren Williams ran 18 times for just 50 yards and one score, while rookie running back Blake Corum never even touched the ball.

Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport provided the pressure, finding Matthew Stafford at an impressive rate. And that’s a welcome sight, considering Hutchinson is in dire need of another running mate on the other end. Hutchinson and Davenport each hit Stafford four times, with the former coming home for a sack on the final play of the regular season. DJ Reader didn’t play after being considered questionable. But Levi Onwuzurike was able to translate his offseason and camp breakout into Week 1, coming home for a sack with a nasty swim move to split the guard and center in the first half. There were some miscues, as there are everywhere, but this defensive line was solid in the win on the ropes. Grade: B+

Linebackers: Alex Anzalone continues to earn more praise for his work as a provider and leader of this defense. He opened the season with a whopping 13 tackles and three tackles for loss and always seemed to be close to the ball. Anzalone was the only Lions defender to have multiple tackles for loss. More is expected of Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes, but there was nothing too bad to go over after this game. They contained a strong running game and made some plays behind the line of scrimmage and in the red zone, showing a bend but don’t break mentality. Grade: B+

Secondary: Matthew Stafford was up in this one, taking advantage of the cushion in coverage by targeting Cooper Kupp 21 times in the loss. Kerby Joseph made the big interception in the end zone before halftime, and Brian Branch and Carlton Davis III likely should have added two more interceptions. There were some tough moments for this group, more than anywhere else on defense. Branch missed two early tackles, and Terrion Arnold picked up two pass-interference penalties in the end zone. Those aren’t easy to survive and will need to be cleaned up going forward. Also, Tyler Johnson’s 62-yard catch-and-run to end the third quarter was one of those plays where it felt like things were turning for the better. But this defense was able to hold on enough to get the win. Grade: B-

Special teams: Jake Bates made both field goal attempts, including the late one, to send the game to overtime. Bates scored from inside 40 yards on both attempts and was clean on two extra points. Jack Fox had a beautiful punt that should have been downed at the 1-yard line, but rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr. came in a little too hot in a learning moment. There were no kickoff returns for the Lions and they were able to stop the Rams at the touchback spot on their only attempt of the period. Other than the missed opportunity on Fox’s perfect punt, this was a clean day that anyone will take as they settle in a new kicker and long snapper combo. Grade: A-

Accompaniment: Give credit where credit is due. When push came to shove, the Lions went back to their bread and butter, pounding the ball with Montgomery behind their powerful offensive line in overtime. There were some strong playmaking in this game, but some slip-ups on the turf and missed opportunities seemed to hold them back for most of the game. Ben Johnson plays short on the sideline at receiver, so the offensive coordinator deserves credit for getting so much out of Jameson Williams and the rushing attack.

Aaron Glenn’s defense played a lot more zone than expected, with Stafford looking like a wizard on some of those quick passes to Kupp in space. But the defense contained the running game, made some big plays and answered the call when they needed it most in most situations Sunday night. After a preseason of hanging out on the sideline and hitting each other, there was bound to be some sloppiness, and that’s what happened to open the year.

It’s just hard to doubt Dan Campbell’s ability to lead this team. He’s proven to be one of the best, if not the best, at what he does. And even on a night when the Lions weren’t at their best or cleanest, Campbell and his staff were able to limit the damage and come away with another win over these Rams. Grade: B+

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