The BBH/Big Hitter's Scouting Report: Detroit Lions Offense

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Detroit Lions Offense

Year-to-date, the story of the Detroit Lions is a tale of two teams. The offense is strong, ranking solidly top ten in points and yardage. The defense is awful, dead last in points and yardage, close to the bottom in both run and pass defense. So, what is the deal with the Lions? Let us take a look, starting with the offense.

Detroit Head Coach Dan Campbell, the Giants third-round pick in 1999, played ten years in the NFL. A tight end by trade, Campbell, now 46-years-of-age, played four years in New York, three years in Dallas, and three years in Detroit. Following his retirement, Campbell was hired by Miami as their tight ends coach. Campbell held this position from 2010-2015. Four games into 2015, Miami fired then-head coach Joe Philbin and promoted Campbell to interim Head Coach. Campbell steered the Dolphins to a 5-7 finish. Following the season, Miami let Campbell go in favor of Adam Gase. Campbell then hired on in New Orleans, where he spent five seasons under Sean Payton as tight ends/assistant head coach. In 2021, Detroit hired Campbell as head coach. Campbell's first-year tenure with Detroit was rocky at best, with the team finishing a disappointing 3-13-1. Expectations were higher for 2022, but, to date, the product doesn't look to be greatly improved. To date, the Lions are 3-6, projecting to a 5-7 win season.

The Lions offensive coordinator is 36-year-old Ben Johnson. Johnson began his coaching career in 2009 at Boston College, where he spent three years as an offensive assistant/tight ends coach. He then moved on to Miami, where he coached alongside Dan Campbell. Over seven seasons with Miami, Johnson coached quarterbacks, tight ends, and wide receivers. In 2019, he moved on to Detroit, where, from 2019-2021, he served as offensive quality control/tight ends coach. In 2022, Campbell named Johnson as his offensive coordinator, replacing Johnny Lynn.

The offense under Johnson has greatly improved. After finishing 2021 at 22nd in yards and 25th in points, the to-date 2022 Lions are 6th in yards and 9th in points, averaging 371.2 yards/game and 24.3 points/game. Detroit is 11th in rushing, averaging 129.8 Y/G. They are 17th in rushing attempts (245), tied for 9th in yards/carry at 4.8, and are 5th in rushing touchdowns with 11. The Lions have the 9th best passing offense at 241.4 yards/game. Quarterback Jared Goff, who has taken all 591 offensive snaps, ranks 19th in completion percentage (63.9%). Goff has 15 touchdown passes (tied 9) and 7 interceptions (tied 12). The Lions have allowed 15 sacks for minus 110 yards, ranking respectively 4th and 8th best in the league. Goff's quarterback rating of 93.7 is 8th best. The Lions show a balanced run/pass ratio of 43.6%. They are 28th in the NFL in time of possession (28:45) and are 14th in first downs (191). The Lions are 19th in third own conversion rate (40.0 %) and 20th in 4th down conversion rate (43.5%). The Lions offense is 14th in both penalties (53) and penalty yardage (436).

The Lions run an efficient West Coast style offense. They almost never have more than one back on the field, averaging 1.00 RB/play. The Lions do favor the tight end position: they average 1.31 tight ends/play, an average that has not changed since the trade of TJ Hockenson. 12 personnel are utilized on about 31% of the snaps; 11 personnel on 67% of the snaps, and 22 personnel only about 2% of the snaps. Jamaal Williams is the work horse ball carrier, with 58% of the carries. In the pass game, running backs are targeted at 18%, tight ends at 19.7%, and wide receivers 61.9%. The completion rate to running backs is 75% at 8.7 yards/completion, tight ends at 66.7% at 13.5 yards/completion, and wide receivers 64.2% at 12.4 yards/completion. (I know, these last completion averages don't exactly add up; blame Pro Football Reference.) At minus 2, the Lions are middle of the road in turnover ratio: 10 takeaways (4 fumbles/6 interceptions) vs 12 giveaways (5 fumbles/7 takeaways).

Offensive Line

Former Giants General Manager George Young once famously stated, show me a team that is struggling, and I'll show you a bad offensive line. If that statement is true, then the 2022 Detroit Lions are the exception to the rule. The Lions, with all starters intact, have an excellent offensive line. Left tackle Taylor Decker, a 2016 first-round (#16 overall) pick from Ohio State, has started all 591 offensive snaps. A very solid player, Decker shows PFF scores of 69.0 run blocking/64.1 pass blocking/66.7 overall, ranking 39 out of 80 qualifying tackles. Second-year right tackle Penei Sewell, a 2021 first-round (#7 overall) pick from Oregon, has been nothing short of terrific. Sewell, who has also played all 591 snaps, grades 83.1(run)/74.5(pass pro)/79.2(overall), ranking 9th out of 80. Left guard Jonah Jackson missed Weeks 2-4 with a finger injury but has otherwise played 100% (378) of the offensive snaps. Jackson, a 2020 third-round pick from Ohio State, has played very well. He grades 75.7(run)/63.0(pass pro)/73.7(overall), ranking #10 out of 81 qualifying guards. Right guard Evan Brown had some early season ankle issues that cost him all or parts of Weeks 1, 4, and 5, but he has otherwise played 487 offensive snaps. A 2019 Giants' UDFA signing from SMU, Brown, a Lions reclamation project, has played very well. He scores 71.2(run)/56.6(pass pro)/69.6(overall), ranking #21 of 81 guards. Originally a center, Brown filled in at that position in the Week 2 victory over the Washington Football Team. Starting center Frank Ragnow missed that game with a groin injury but has otherwise played 100% of the offensive snaps. Ragnow's play has been outstanding. The Lions 2018 first-round (#20 overall) pick from Arkansas, Ragnow grades 80.0(run)/64.7(pass pro)/76.8(overall), ranking #4 out of 38 qualifying centers. Ragnow, who has been in a walking boot since last Sunday's game against the Bears, has not practiced this week and is questionable/doubtful for Sunday.

2017 UDFA Dan Skipper is the Lions' primary backup tackle/guard. With Jonah Jackson out in Weeks 2-4, Skipper started and played all 213 snaps at left guard. He has since played sparingly, taking just 22 snaps as a "tackle eligible." As a guard, Skipper grades 51.5(run)/31.4(pass pro)/45.7(overall), ranking #71 out of 81. Logan Sternberg started at right guard in Weeks 1 & 2, then was demoted to backup prior to Week 3. He has since taken just 29 offensive snaps, all of which were in the Week 5 blowout loss to New England. In 158 snaps, the 2020 fourth-round pick from Kentucky grades 61.3(run)/00.7(pass pro)/34.6(overall), ranking #80 out of 81. Guard Matt Nelson took a total of 40 snaps over Weeks 1-4, suffering a calf injury against the Patriots. He has not played since. He was listed as a full participant in Wednesday's practice and might be available for the Giants. On the year, Nelson grades 45.1(run)/55.8(pass pro)/45.6(overall). Guard Kavode Awosika has taken just 7 total snaps. The 2019 UDFA from Buffalo grades 55.2 overall.

Running Backs

The Lions have a fine set of running backs. Jamaal Williams, a 2017 fourth-round pick BYU, is the primary starter. A rugged runner, the 6'0"/224 lb. Williams has taken 248 (42%) of the offensive snaps. Year-to-date, he has 142 carries for 604 yards, 4.3 Y/C, 9 rushing touchdowns, with 2 fumbles. Williams has also caught 9 passes on 12 targets for 57 yards (6.3 Y/C). He earns PFF grades of 76.4(run)/36.9(receiving)/71.6(overall), ranking #23 out of 62 qualifying backs. The #2/change-of-pace back is D'Andre Swift, a 2021 second-round pick from Georgia. To date, Swift has 40 carries for 253 yards, 6.3 Y/C, and two rushing touchdowns, and 17 catches on 24 targets for 150 yards, 8.8 Y/C, and two receiving touchdowns. Swift grades #31 out of 62 backs. Last Friday, Craig Reynolds, the #3 back, was placed on the IR with a rib injury. Reynolds, a 2019 UDFA signing from Kutztown State, had been playing well. In 103 snaps, Reynolds had 23 carries for 102 yards, 4.4 Y/C, and 9 catches on 10 targets for 116 yards, an average of 12.9 Y/C. Reynolds graded 71.1/70.1/68.5. Moving into Reynolds' #3 slot is 2018 seventh-round pick Justin Jackson. Year-to-date, in 66 snaps, Jackson has 16 carries for 60 yards, 4.4 Y/C, and 4 catches on 6 targets for 18 yards, 4.5 Y/C, and one touchdown. He grades 70.0/47.2/60.4. The Lions activated fullback Jason Cabinda for last Sunday's Bears' game. Cabinda had zero carries and zero targets in 13 snaps.

Tight Ends

The trade deadline deal that sent TJ Hockenson to Minnesota was, to me, a head-scratching WTF. Hockenson, from the University of Iowa, had developed into everything the Lions might have expected when they drafted him in 2019 with the #8 overall pick. Prior to the trade, through 7 games, Hockenson had 26 catches on 43 targets for 395 yards, 15.2 Y/C, and 3 touchdowns, earning an overall PFF Grade of 71.5, #13 of 69 qualifying tight ends. For some reason, the Lions, concerned with signing Hockenson to a big contract, IN 2024, felt the need to move him now. As such, in a trade with Minnesota, A DIVISIONAL RIVAL, they traded Hockenson, plus 2023 and 2024 fourth-round picks, to the Vikings for a 2023 second rounder and a 2024 third rounder. CBS Sports graded the trade an A for the Vikings and a D+ for Detroit; I grade it an A+ for the Vkings and an F minus for Detroit.

Without Hockenson, The Lions' tight end unit is underwhelming, garnering a season-long total of just 12 catches on 14 targets for 117 yards, 9.8 Y/C, and three touchdowns. The new starter, Brock Wright, is a 2021 UDFA signing from Notre Dame. In 277 snaps, he has 7 catches on 8 targets for 90 yards, 12.9 Y/C, and 1 touchdown. Wright earns PFF grades of 64.1(receiving)/43.4(run blocking)/53.5(overall), ranking 42nd out of 69. James Mitchell, a fifth-round rookie from Virginia Tech, has played 49 snaps. To date, Mitchell has 4 catches on 4 targets for 26 yards, 6.5 Y/C, and 1 touchdown. He grades 79.0/43.1/68.6. Shane Zylstra, a second-year UDFA from Minnesota, is primarily a blocking TE. In 48 snaps, he has 1 catch on 2 targets for a one-yard touchdown catch. He grades 50.2/47.9/48.0.

Wide Receivers

Across the board, the Lions are solid at wide receiver. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a second-year former fourth-round pick from USC, has blossomed into a terrific player. As a rookie, the 6'1"/195 lb. St. Brown had 90 catches for 912 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns. This season, in 368 snaps (62%), he has 49 catches on 70 targets for 518 yards, 10.6 Y/C, and 3 touchdowns. St. Brown is also a threat on the reverse. In 2021, he had 7 carries for 61 yards, long of 26, and one touchdown; this season, he has three carries for 70 yards, including a long of 58 yards. St. Brown grades 82.8(receiving)/65.6(running)/83.2(overall), ranking 8 out of 117 qualifying wide receivers. Veteran Kalif Raymond, the slot receiver, is a former 2016 UDFA signing of the Broncos. In 338 snaps, Raymond has 23 catches on 31 targets for 302 yards (13.1 Y/C) and has three carries for 23 yards. He has one fumble. Raymond grades 66.1/63.1/64.8, ranking 60 of 117. Z receiver Josh Reynolds has missed the past two games with a back injury. He has not practiced this week and is questionable for Sunday. On the year, the former Texas A & M standout, a 2017 fourth-round pick, has 26 catches on 42 targets for 357 yards, 13.7 Y/C, and 2 touchdowns. He earns a 68.0 PFF grade, ranking 48 out of 117.

DJ Chark, a season-opening starter, suffered an ankle injury in Week 3 and has since been on the IR. This week, Chark has been designated for return and is back at practice. At this point, his return for Sunday's game against the Giants is unknown. Prior to his injury, Chark, in 158 snaps, had 7 catches on 18 targets for 98 yards, 14.0 Y/C, and one touchdown. The 2018 second-round pick from LSU holds an overall PFF grade of 61.1. Tom Kennedy, a 2019 UDFA signing from Bryant University, was promoted to the active roster for Game 4 and has since played 204 snaps. Kennedy has 7 catches on 14 targets for 128 yards, 18.3 Y/C, with a long of 44 yards. Quintez Cephus, a 2020 fifth-round pick from Wisconsin, took 51 snaps through Week 4 before a foot injury forced him to the IR. Prior to the injury, Cephus caught 2 passes on 3 targets for 15 yards, earning an overall PFF grade of 68.0. Maurice Alexander, a rookie UDFA from Florida International, was promoted to the active roster for Game 4 and has 8 total offensive snaps that are scattered over 4 games. He has 1 catch for 7 yards and has zero snaps the past two games. Stanley Berryhill was promoted to the active roster for last week's Bears game. He had 3 offensive snaps but did not make the stat sheet.

Quarterback

Jared Goff, the 2016 #1 overall pick, is having a solid season, perhaps his best season since 2018, when he led the Rams to a Super Bowl LIII loss to New England. Goff, who has played all 591 offensive snaps, has completed 192 of 301 passes for 2277 yards, a 63.8 completion percentage, 11.9 yards/completion, 7.6 yards/attempt, with 15 touchdown passes and 7 interceptions. Goff has been sacked 15 times for -110 yards, ranked 4th and 8th best in the league. Never much of a run threat, Goff has 17 carries for 43 yards, 2.5 Y/C, with five fumbles. He even has a single five-yard pass reception, thrown by punter Jack Fox of all people.  He holds a 93.7 quarterback rating and a 54.5 QBR. He receives PFF grades of 62.2(pass)/54.5(run)/62.8(overall), ranking 29th of 39 qualifying quarterbacks.