Lions fans know by now that it was a magical regular season ride, winning back to back NFC North titles and securing homefield advantage in the playoffs. They also know it was a train wreck in the playoffs… Enough said. It’s report card time.

QUARTERBACKS

Jared Goff: B+. Goff was flat out amazing in the regular season; best regular season for a QB in Lions history. He racked up more awards and accolades than can be mentioned here. However, when it comes to the playoff game against Washington, he completely failed the Lions. No reason to explain again. Lions fans have heard it enough already. Let’s not get lost in the fact that he cemented himself as the greatest QB in Lions history.

Teddy Bridgewater and Hendon Hooker receive incompletes

RUNNING BACKS

Jahmyr Gibbs: A. Wow. What a season for Sonic. Gibbs showed he is the superstar back that can run both outside and inside. He has elite speed around the corner and can get the tough yards up the middle, while also showing he can break one for a big gain. Gibbs had the second best season of any running back. He amassed 1,929 yds from scrimmage with 20 total TD’s. He also proved he can be the bell cow back when David Montgomery went down.

David Montgomery: B. Knuckles was on his way to another thousand yard rushing season before a somewhat significant knee injury against the Bills. To his credit, and showing the grit that the Lions preach, he came back for the playoffs. Though he had only 7 carries, he showed that he is a true warrior.

Craig Reynolds. B. Reynolds proved his value as a back up. When called upon, he ran hard. His pass blocking was superb and he was effective on special teams. He’s a free agent going into next season and I believe it would be wise to bring him back.

WIDE RECEIVERS

Amon-Ra St. Brown: A. St. Brown once again proved why Dan Campbell called him the Lions binky. Another All-Pro season for St. Brown, who had 115 catches for 1,263 yds and a career high 12 TD. A sure fire, move the chains on 3rd down receiver.

Jameson Williams: B+. Jamo had his first 1,000 yard receiving season, scoring 7 TD and 2 rushing TD, including one against Washington in the playoffs. His blocking is underrated as he does the dirty work and does it well. His hands have improved every season. He can catch any ball on any route.

Tim Patrick: B. An absolute steal off the waiver wire for Brad Holmes. The knock on Patrick is he couldn’t stay healthy. He played every game for the Lions. He had the trust of Goff on 3rd downs. His blocking was excellent and he had 3 TD. He hadn’t seen the endzone in forever until this year.

Kalif Raymond: Incomplete. Raymond was out a significant amount of time but did score 2 TD.

OFFENSIVE LINE

Taylor Decker: C. Decker did stay relatively healthy this year, only missing 3 games. He did not have a particularly good year grading out at a 77.0 by PFF. He allowed 8 sacks, 31 pressures and 4 QB hits. At 30 years old, and being in Hank Fraley’s system for quite some time, the Lions may be getting only one more solid year from Decker. Depending on Manu’s development, they may be addressing his replacement early on in this year’s draft.

Graham Glasgow: D. Glasgow definitely showed his age (32) this season. PFF graded him at a paltry 57.9 which included a 56.2 run blocking grade and a 57.8 pass blocking grade. He allowed 36 pressures and 4 sacks. Many times he would completely whiff on his block. One in particular almost got Jahmyr Gibbs slaughtered in the home game against the Vikings. With Chris Mahogany’s development this year we may have seen the last of Glasgow.

Frank Ragnow: A-. Ragnow is still as tough as a two dollar steak and is still playing at a high level, as he’s still considered one of the best in the game. Ragnow is only 28 years old, however, he has been through the meat grinder to say the least. Sometimes he’s out there with duct tape and he’s still dominating his opponent. With a PFF 85.3 overall grade and a road grading 90.8 run blocking grade, Big Frank is a stud. But how much more damage can be done to his body? It may be Super Bowl or bust for him next season.

Kevin Zeitler: B+. Zeitler at 34 was still a dude at RG. Grading out at an overall 86.8 and a 87.2 run block grade, he can definitely play with the best of them. Early on in the season he was struggling a bit adapting to Goff instead of Lamar Jackson’s style, but he picked it up rather quick. Being in the middle of Ragnow and Penei Sewell, Zeitler helped make the right side of the line the best in the NFL. Brad Holmes has already had conversations with him returning for one more season, so stay tuned.

Penei Sewell: A+. Plain and Simple, the best tackle in the game, and one could make the case that he is the best football player in the league.

Dan Skipper: B. The cult hero that is Skip once again was the greatest glue guy in the league. Heck, he even caught a TD pass this season. A dependable player up and down the line, it would be a shock if he doesn’t sign back with the club.

TIGHT ENDS

Sam LaPorta: B. LaPorta had a very good year. Not as good as his rookie year, but still very good. An overall PFF grade of 73.8, LaPorta played like a top 10 TE. He had some amazing catches at crucial times for the Lions. At times, it seemed that he wasn’t a big part of the game plan for some reason. Look for Dan Campbell to place an emphasis on looking for him much more next season.

Brock Wright: B. Wright played well as the second TE. He was a very good run blocker and showed good hands when his number was dialed up.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Aidan Hutchinson: A+. Yes, he only played four games, but to have 7.5 sacks and be graded out at a 94.9, I had to put him in here. I feel sorry for left tackles when he comes back for 2025

DJ Reader: D. The big FA signing of the season, Reader did not live up to his contract whatsoever. With Alim McNeil getting doubled all season, Reader should have been much more productive. When McNeil went out for the year, teams had all kinds of success running C gap. Reader needs to look at his bank account and feel embarrassed by his performance this season.

Alim McNeil: A-. McNeil got a very generous extension from Brad Holmes and proved he was worth every cent. A season ending knee injury was devasting to the defense. McNeil was one of the most unheralded DT’s in the game entering the season. He proved that teams should know where he’s at when they break the huddle. A top 5 DT McNeil is only going to get better.

Levi Onwuzurike: C+. Big O had his first healthy season as a Lion. The former 2nd round pick had a solid season and showed flashes of why he was drafted so highly. It will be interesting to see if Holmes chooses to offer him another.

ZaDarius Smith: C. Trade deadline acquisitions are always hard to assess. It takes a few games to adjust to a new system. Smith got caught getting sucked in and not setting the edge more than he should this year. However he did bring considerable pressure and had some big sacks. A full off-season and being paired with Hutch should definitely help the pass rush from Smith.

Broderic Martin: F. An inactive almost every game, Martin has not proven worthy of where he was taken in the draft.

Josh Paschal: C. Paschal battled health issues for a good portion of the season. He did show gradual improvement as the year went on. The 2025 campaign will be a big test for Paschal as far as being in the Lions long range plans.

Al-Quadin Muhammad: B-. Nobody was supposed to hear Muhammad’s name called as much as it was this season, but he was thrust into action and performed admirably. Another player who will be closely watched in the off-season, Muhammad could be even more of a contributor next season.

Alex Anzelone: A-. Thor, quite frankly, is the heart and soul of the defense. Teams were taking advantage of the middle when he was out with the broken forearm. When he returned, the defense was lights out in the final regular season game against the Vikings. Anzelone shouldn’t have played for the rest of the season after that injury, but as all warriors do, he came back.

LINEBACKERS

Jack Campbell: B+. Campbell took a major step forward this season, as is the case with many second year LB’s. He called the D when Anzelone was out and was rarely caught out of position. His instincts were great and his angles were even better. Could be looking at a Pro Bowl season in 2025.

Malcolm Rodriguez: C. Rodrigo had a solid year in his backup role. When called upon to start, he unfortunately suffered a season ending knee injury.

CORNER BACKS

Carlton Davis: A-. Davis was playing at a Pro Bowl level before he broke his jaw, ending his season. He took on all teams’ number one receivers and won most of the battles. His run support was also outstanding. Holmes has a huge decision to make here as the Lions need to add a top CB to pair with Terrion Arnold. Davis is going to command big bucks.

Terrion Arnold: C. Life is tough in the NFL for most rookie corners, and it proved to be for the first half of Arnold’s season. Flags, flags and more flags. Arnold likes to be handsy and physical, which is what you want to see from a corner. He just needs to do it more subtly. Arnold did show good growth in the second half of the season, having key PBU’s and showing he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in and tackle.

Amik Robertson: B+. Robertson came over as a free agent signing from the Raiders. You could make the case that he was the steal of the FA class. Robertson played extremely well in the slot for the Lions. Rarely did you hear his name called for being beaten. In the crucial game with all on the line against the Vikings, Robertson was pressed into duty as the CB1 and completely shut the best receiver in the game, Justin Jefferson, down. He won every battle and had Jefferson talking to himself in frustration all night. Robinson broke his arm early in the game against Washington and it showed as Jayden Daniels torched the secondary.

Kindle Vildor: F. There was always a collective groan when Vildor entered the game. Why? Because he was flat out garbage. Too much to point out. I know all Lions fans want to see him launched into the sun.

SAFETIES

Brian Branch: A-. Branch sure got his money’s worth with the fans after he was tossed out at Green Bay. Personal foul penalties did plague Branch this season, though. Branch took his game to the next level achieving a starting Pro Bowl honor. Branch this season has cemented himself in the Lions defense for many years to come. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s offered an extension heading into next season.

Kerby Joseph: A. Joseph received his first All-Pro honor this season. He led the league in INT’s and he also led the league in ticking off other team’s receivers and QB’s. It was a crime that it cost him a starting Pro Bowl bid. Joseph made a very credible case for winning the DPOY award as well. He and Branch have combined to become the best safety duo in the NFL. Holmes has alluded to getting an extension done with him in the near future.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Jack Fox: A. Fox was All-Pro this year, and rightly so. He led the league in Net Average and could pin a team inside the 20 on a regular basis. Fox flipped the field whenever asked. A true weapon for the Lions.

Jake Bates: A. Bates went from being a SportsCenter Top 10 clip for his kick with the Panthers to having arguably the best season of any Lions kicker, and that is high praise with the history of kickers the Lions have had over the years. Bates was a question mark coming in, but erased all those questions early on by nailing the game winning kick as time expired against the Vikings. He was ultra cool under pressure on the road in Houston, nailing kicks over 50 yards to tie the game and eventually win it as time expired yet again. Bates will be looked upon to do the same next season to prove he is not a one year wonder.