The Detroit Lions continue to evaluate everything this season. On Sunday they proved they can win in the elements and can handle almost any situation. Their 24-14 win over the Green Bay Packers wasn't great, but it didn't have to be. They were fundamentally solid, and that can't be said for both teams.

Let's distribute some grades in our Week 9 report card.

Quarterback: A-

Jared Goff didn't have to do much in this game. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown, and only two of those completions were more than 10 yards down the field.

But therein lies Goff's brilliance all year. He takes what the defense gives him, lives to see another deficit and allows his teammates to make plays with the ball in his hands. While Goff tied a league-low 3.7 air yards per pass attempt for the week, he still managed to post the highest completion percentage, which was above expectations for the week (+16.7%).

Running Backs: A

The Lions were successful again on site. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery combined for 28 carries, 138 yards (4.9 YPC) and a touchdown. The two also totaled 34 yards in the passing game.

The fantastic thing about this duo is their ability to be interchangeable. Gibbs can run between the tackles just as easily as Montgomery. Montgomery caught almost as many passes (17) as Gibbs (20).

Gibbs finished Week 9 fourth in exceeding expected rushing yards per attempt (1.04), while Montgomery ranked 15th (0.25).

Tight Ends: A-

I swear this group is getting better as pass/run blockers every week. Sam LaPorta continues to develop into a versatile weapon. Shane Zylstra has won the role of full-back and has played with it. The receiving production may not be as good as last year, but make no mistake, this unit still makes a big difference on Sundays.

Wide Receiver: A-

Amon-Ra St. Brown carries most of the burden here for another perfect performance. For the fifth straight game, St. Brown caught every single one of his targets, and the concentration it took to haul in that touchdown pass was impressive.

It was a pretty quiet day for everyone else, but that was simply because the Lions didn't feel the need to attack the Packers' defensive line. They just flooded the short, middle part of the field and it mostly worked. Still, it was nice to see Allen Robinson catch a crucial third-down pass late in the first half to keep the scoring going.

Offensive Line: A-

Jared Goff was protected extremely well in this game, his only sack being an extremely uncharacteristic loss of Penei Sewell that may have been caused by a trip with Kevin Zeitler. Otherwise, the Packers produced just four quarterback hits and zero passes defended.

The Lions were quite successful in the running game between the 20s. And the blocking on Gibbs' 15-yard touchdown run was flawless.

I'm only including the offensive line here because of the red zone running game, which was a problem for most of the game. The Lions had nine attempts in the red zone and five were stopped for 3 yards or less. According to NFL Pro, Detroit actually finished with a negative EPA run (-1.2, 15th) and their overall success rate of 34.4% was the ninth-worst of Week 9 and well below their season average (45.6%).

Defensive line: D

It wasn't a particularly great day for the Lions' edge defenders, underscoring their need to make a trade at the deadline. Not a single defensive end managed as much as a quarterback hit, and Al-Quadin Muhammad, James Houston and Isaiah Thomas combined for a total of… one tackle (with a total of 77 defensive snaps between the three). Things weren't any better in the running game, as the Lions' edge defenders were routinely picked off by tight ends.

Still, I thought Alim McNeill was fantastic inside and created disruption in both the running and passing games. Plus, that was one heck of a performance from Levi Onwuzurike at the pick-six.

Linebacker: B+

An underrated part of the Lions' performance on Sunday was the consistently consistent play of the linebackers. Although tackles aren't the most meaningful statistic, it's no surprise that Jack Campbell (10) and Alex Anzalone (six) were among the top tacklers on the team. Their steady tackling often forced the Packers into third- and fourth-down situations, and Green Bay wasn't very good on those critical downs (3 of 12 on third downs, 2 of 3 on fourth downs).

Anzalone's pressure also led to Jordan Love's pick-six.

Secondary level: B+

Admittedly, the secondary was often bailed out by Packers receivers who dropped a ton of passes. But there is a lot of credit this group deserves. Because there was no pass rush, they often had to maintain their coverage for four seconds in slippery conditions. This isn't easy. In addition, the defensive backs kept almost everything in front of them and took away Green Bay's biggest threat on offense: the long ball. Love's only significant shot from long distance that he made was a 41-yard pass to Jayden Reed Ennis Rakestraw had almost perfect cover. No other receiver had a catch of 20 yards or more.

Oh, also Kerby Joseph is an alien.

As for Brian Branch, it was a stupid move on Branch's part, and whether you think it should have been a ejection or not, Branch ultimately takes the blame for a clear violation of the rules.

Special Teams: B

Jack Fox was excellent again, often making big kicks to get Detroit out of a positional jam on the field. Jake Bates delivered a perfect four-on-four system with his kicks (three XPs, one FG). Isaiah Williams had a nice kick return and the Packers return team didn't do anything special.

The only bad news from the group was a waiting tackle on Terrion Arnold — who isn't usually a protective shooter — that placed Detroit inside its own 10-yard line.

Coaching: A+

First, let's take a moment to appreciate Dan Campbell's aggressive nature. How many coaches do you think have shown their offense on fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line in a 3-0 game in the first half? I bet the answer is only one. An encroachment penalty and a 3-yard touchdown pass later, Campbell's risk-taking turned early three points into seven. The Lions' only other offensive touchdown of the day was also on fourth down.

I also thought the Lions' time management was excellent. Their last offensive attack of the first half cost four of the remaining five minutes. And they were just aggressive enough on the final drive of the day to close the game on offense.

Most importantly, the Lions coaching staff had prepared this team for the elements. While the Packers dropped balls, botched snaps and called untimely penalties, the Lions looked like the team that played regular outdoor games. They were obviously prepared for rain, while the Packers were completely caught off guard.

If I didn't spell it out here, Campbell's challenge would have been an obvious loss, but the risk was low as he had a three-point lead at the time, and he had to make a hasty decision. I also thought the Lions were a little conservative on offense in the red zone, but they were still 2 of 3 on red zone trips (technically they were listed as 2 of 4, but I'm counting the last possession). not with). as they knelt).