The Detroit Lions lost a third-string undrafted rookie quarterback who caught eight passes for 51 yards, barely offsetting his loss of 48 sacks.
Such was the poor performance from the Lions in their (basically) season-ending loss on Christmas Day against the Minnesota Vikings. Let’s break it all down in the Lions’ second-to-last report card from the 2025 season.
advertise
Quarterback: D-
Goff’s shot was outstanding and he made some incredible plays to help the Lions score three-and-16, three-and-9, three-and-15 and four from the 4-yard line. Everything else is a pretty big disaster. Goff was sacked five times — sometimes his fault, but usually not — and committed four turnovers. All the Lions had to do to win this game was win the field position battle, and Goff’s turnover clearly cost Detroit the game.
Running back: D
Speaking of turnovers, Jameer Gibbs’ fumble was extremely costly. The Lions had just entered Vikings territory when Gibbs coughed up the ball, denying Detroit one of its few scoring chances of the day.
advertise
Facing an aggressive defensive front, pass protection was key in this game for the running backs, but they didn’t step up.
To Montgomery’s credit, he did run hard and converted a fourth-and-1 that he had no business converting, but Detroit’s running game was so over the top that even those physical yards amounted to a paltry 2.5 yards per carry for Montgomery and 2.3 yards per carry for the team.
Tight End: F
As the Lions tried to chase down a fourth down, Giovanni Ricci suffered a brutal fumble. The tight end still looks lost in run blocking and pass protection. They had 0 yards receiving and 0 catches in this game.
advertise
This team probably misses Sam Laporta and Brock Wright more than it misses Frank Ragnow.
Wide Receiver: C-
There’s nothing bad about this team offensively, but they failed to make a big enough impact in this game. Goff held the ball too long, which I assume was because the receivers didn’t get enough open looks.
That being said, Isaac Tesla had a nice touchdown grab.
Offensive Line: F
The offensive line was an absolute disaster. Detroit made an interesting decision to start with Kingsley Eguakun at center and a healthy Graham Glasgow, which resulted in three egregious errors. Two failed quarterback/center exchanges resulted in turnovers and Eguaquin was whistled for a steal on fourth down (admittedly a bad call).
advertise
But nothing positive to say about the others either. The Lions gave up five sacks, pushed absolutely zero in the run game (the longest run was 8 yards), and looked at a disadvantage against a defense that lacked its best pass rusher.
Defensive Line: A
Aidan Hutchinson had two sacks. Al-Quadin Muhammad had two sacks. Tyreke Williams even added one. Detroit made Max Brosmer uncomfortable all night long.
In the running game, the Lions took a big step in the right direction. Beyond the 65-yard run that sealed the game — this is no Mistakes on the defensive line – Minnesota rushed for just 93 yards on 27 carries, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry.
advertise
Granted, the Lions’ offensive line was more vulnerable than Detroit’s, but it was nice to see them take advantage in the end.
Defender: C+
I don’t think the Lions linebacker guys were particularly good or bad in this game. Alex Anzalone did have one sack, but it’s hard to imagine more plays that had a positive or negative impact on this unit.
Middle school: C
When Brosmer throws the ball, he has almost nowhere to go. Jalen Mills and DJ Reed intercepted the ball, and Vikings receivers totaled four catches for 30 yards – all from Justin Jefferson.
However, the Lions’ secondary was hit with three penalties and looked completely lost on the crucial 65-yard run that sealed the win. The angle taken by Jalen Mills – the then-defensive safety – not only lost control of the outside, but instead chose to follow the ball-carrier’s stride to Amik Robertson.
Special teams: C
In a game where field position is so important, there were some disturbing plays and a great one. Earlier, Jake Fox kicked the ball over midfield into the end zone, but the touch was disappointing. On the next possession, the Vikings drove upfield and after a strange pass from Kalief Raymond at the 6-yard line, they limited the Lions to the 10-yard line. Detroit would get the ball off the ball quickly, and the Vikings would take advantage of the short field to score. This is a prime example of special teams making a difference.
advertise
However, late in the game, Fox redeemed himself with one of the best punts you’ll ever see. His 70-yard bomb impressively bounced out of bounds at the 1-yard line.
The long field resulted in a three-and-out and gave Detroit’s offense a much-needed short field. They turned the score into 3 points.
Coach: D
In terms of game management, I don’t have any qualms about using timeouts, time management, attempts versus punts or anything like that.
However, the offensive game plan was a disaster. When I heard Dan Campbell say at halftime that they needed some explosive running play to get the offense going, I knew this team was doomed. The Lions running game has been dead for weeks, and Campbell seemed to be the last to figure it out.
advertise
I’m not saying he needs to give up running entirely, but there needs to be some variety or creativity. All you have to do is look to the sidelines. The Vikings’ offensive line was more tired than Detroit’s, but they were still allowing a much better 3.4 yards per carry before the big late rush. Speaking of, that is This was a great example of making a big tactical call at a crucial moment – something Campbell failed to do throughout the game.
I knew Campbell was in trouble when the offensive line couldn’t block or run-block, but Detroit didn’t run-screen passes against the Vikings defense until late in the fourth quarter — and it worked. There’s a reason Drew Brees immediately said, “Where did all this go?”
Instead, Campbell insisted on supporting a running game like Detroit’s “Bernie’s Christmas Weekend,” which ended in predictable disaster.
But to the defense’s credit, they showed more variety in their defensive plays, which clearly had Max Brosmer in a tizzy for four quarters. It’s a smart and effective plan despite the struggles Kelvin Sheppard has had for months.
advertise
I know some of you are going to be angry that I didn’t give my all in coaching considering how underwhelming the team was in a must-win game, but at some point, six Mistake It has to be put on the players as well. I will say, though, that I don’t like playing Eguaquin at center rather than having a veteran like Graham Glasgow to counter his complex defense. It was a strange decision that was doomed from the start.
