It was another week, another loss for Detroit this past Sunday as the Lions fell to the Steelers, 28-20.  However, Detroit was almost able to pull a miraculous comeback.  The Lions had first and 10 on Pittsburgh’s 21-yard line with a couple minutes remaining in the game, down by 8.  Then, the offensive line allowed three consecutive sacks, and Daunte Culpepper was forced to throw up a prayer on fourth and 34 from the 45-yard line.  It’s safe to say that my grade for the offensive line this week won’t be too good.  My report card: 

Quarterbacks: Daunte Culpepper filled in for the injured Matthew Stafford, and played fairly well.  Clearly, Culpepper’s physical improvements have paid off, as he showed his mobility on several plays throughout the game.  Overall, he played a good game, although he threw one interception that killed a solid Lions drive.  Culpepper finished 23 of 37 with 282 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The Lions should be content to have a solid backup quarterback in Culpepper. There are a few teams in the league that would consider starting Culpepper (Cleveland, Washington, Buffalo, Oakland, Tampa Bay), so Detroit must be satisfied to have him on the roster. Culepper was a bit lucky: he fumbled three times but the Lions recovered on each occasion. Grade: B+

Running Backs: Kevin Smith rushed the ball 20 times for 53 yards to no avail, as the Steelers rush defense was impenetrable.  Detroit’s offensive line could not get any sort of push against Pittsburgh, and Smith averaged less than 3 yards per carry.  He did rip off a big 10-yard gain at one point (wow!), but he was basically ineffective.  On the other hand, Culpepper was effective on the run, rushing three times for 44 yards, including a 32-yard scamper.  Credit the Detroit coaching staff for trying to establish the run, but it did not pay off at all.  Don’t blame Smith for Detroit’s failures, however; blame must rest mostly with the offensive line. Grade: C

Receivers/Tight Ends: It is impossible to know how this game would have turned out had Calvin Johnson not injured himself in the first quarter.  According to Coach Jim Schwartz, Johnson has an insignificant knee injury.  However, he was unable to play for most of the game on Sunday.  In his absence, Dennis Northcutt stepped up and caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Derrick Williams also made an impact, catching two passes for 37 yards on the final drive and making some solid kick returns. Tight end Brandon Pettigrew caught three passes for 27 yards, and continues to improve each week.  But without Johnson, this unit is very limited.  The game’s final result may have been different had Calvin been in the game. Grade: B 

Offensive Line: Oh boy.  Here’s where it gets fun.  The offensive line was just atrocious against Pittsburgh on Sunday.  Simply awful.  Give credit to Dick LeBeau’s defense for effectively executing their game plan.  But the Lions offensive line has regressed during the first few weeks of the season.  They seemingly get worse every game.  And Sunday, they might have hit a low point.  James Harrison had three sacks, and the Steelers finished with seven total.  On the final drive, with the Lions threatening to tie the score, Pittsburgh ripped off three consecutive sacks to push the Lions near midfield.  It was truly embarrassing that Pittsburgh was able to confuse the line to such a great extent.  The offensive line is clearly the weakest position in the entire offense, and you can bet the front office will use a draft selection or two to shore up the big guys up front this offseason.  Grade: D-

Defense Line: The defensive line this season has not been good, but it has not been bad either.  Picking up a fast, pass-rushing defensive end in the upcoming offseason would be of great assistance to the entire defense. When the Lions have generated pressure, the defense has had success.  This Sunday, the unit generated two sacks (out of three total for Detroit), but remained a bit shaky in run defense.  Rashard Mendenhall only rushed for 77 yards, but he averaged over 5 yards per carry.  The line must get a bigger push up front.  But the unit has been adequate this season, and is definitely not the most pressing concern on defense. Grade: B

Linebackers: The linebackers are unquestionably the strongest unit of the defense.  The Lions are very deep at the position and have a nice mix of veterans and young players.  Julian Peterson and Larry Foote continue to prove their worth.  Foote had seven tackles, and Peterson had three tackles and a sack.  Rookie DeAndre Levy has been impressive, and he recorded five tackles against the Steelers.  It would be nice to see the linebackers dominate the tackle statistics, but there is not too much to complain about so far with this unit. Grade: B+

Anthony Henry and the rest of the Lions secondary are slowly but surely showing improvement as the season advances.

Defensive Backs: It feels like the defensive backs are improving, yet they are still horrid.  However, they have started to make a couple big plays per game, which is a refreshing change.  Anthony Henry is a solid first corner, and William James returned an interception for a touchdown against Pittsburgh.  (I asked my grandfather, a longtime Lions fan, when was the last time the Lions returned an interception for a touchdown.  He replied, “it’s been a long, long time.”)  Louis Delmas is developing into a playmaker at safety and is a very solid tackler.  But Ben Roethlisberger still managed to have a 123.9 quarterback rating on Sunday, throwing for three touchdowns.  The defensive backs are still the weakest aspect of the defense by far.  And for those keeping score at home, the Lions have allowed 15 passing touchdowns on the season, compared to forcing only 43 incompletions. It looks like incompletions have started to pull away after touchdowns nearly took the lead in Week 2.  Congratulations to the defensive backs! Grade: B-

Overall: The Lions played a pretty good game against the defending champions and might have even been able to pull out a victory with Calvin Johnson on the field. Detroit has had a very tough schedule to start the season (losses to the undefeated Saints and Vikings, defending champion Steelers, and highly regarded Bears), and the schedule only gets slightly easier after the Packers game this Sunday.  If Stafford and Johnson can stay healthy, Detroit might be able to surprise a few teams in the next few weeks.  Overall, it was a solid performance against a very tough Steelers team.  Give credit to Schwartz for preparing a smart game plan, and credit Culpepper for nicely managing the game. Grade: B

--STANLEY KAY