It might seem odd that Pro Football Focus graded six Detroit Lions offensive players better than anyone on the Detroit defense in the Week 11 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Lions lost 13-10 and didn’t crack 100 passing yards in the latest loss, after all. But the grading highlights the relative importance of context.
The Lions run game performed quite well for the second game in a row. And while the defense did a fair job, poor offensive play from Baker Mayfield and the Browns offense was more culpable in why Cleveland only scored 13 than the Lions defense.
PFF took a shine to the Lions toughness, run game and blocking. RB D’Andre Swift earned the top grade at 83.1 overall, a figure bolstered by an 86.1 run grade.
The rest of the top-graded Lions from Week 11:
- RT Penei Sewell – 81.1
- WR Amon-Ra St Brown – 75.3
- TE Brock Wright – 71.3
- C Evan Brown – 69.6
- TE T.J. Hockenson – 69.4
They all graded out better than the top defensive player, LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who earned a 68.6 overall grade.
At the other end of the spectrum, these were the five lowest-graded Lions:
- LB Alex Anzalone – 29.0
- LB Derrick Barnes – 29.7
- S Tracy Walker – 38.0
- CB Amani Oruwariye – 43.8
- QB Tim Boyle – 44.6
