It was easy for anyone to see that rookie wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown was the Detroit Lions’ best player on the field in the Week 17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. St. Brown scored two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving) and was the most consistent weapon on the Lions offense all afternoon.
The Pro Football Focus grades from the game reflect St. Brown’s excellent game. No. 14 earned the highest grade of any Lions player in the matchup, scoring a fantastic 88.4 overall mark. St. Brown was the only Detroit player to top 80 overall on either offense or defense.
The rest of the top-scoring Lions predominately features key young performers the team is hoping can emerge as more integral and consistent pieces in 2022 and beyond. That includes the top three Lions from defense:
- OLB Julian Okwara – 76.8
- NT Alim McNeill – 75.8
- LB Derrick Barnes – 69.6
Okwara is in his second season and played his best game of his career. McNeill and Barnes are rookies and two of the few defensive players who weren’t liabilities against the Seahawks, who rolled to a 51-29 win and scored on eight possessions in a row.
After St. Brown, the line highlights the top offensive grades.
- LT Taylor Decker – 79.7
- WR KhaDarel Hodge – 78.5
- RG Tommy Kraemer – 70.8
- LG Jonah Jackson – 70.3
On a team level, the Lions tackling grade of 44.1 and coverage mark of 41.7 are both in the bottom range for the season. It’s the third time in four weeks the tackling grade has been below 45, a mark that represents below-average.
