stafford-ross-td.jpg

Detroit's Matthew Stafford celebrates with receiver Jeremy Ross after a touchdown.

(AP Photo)

Grading the Detroit Lions after the team's 24-17 road win over the New York Jets.:

QUARTERBACKS: A-

A fine performance by Matthew Stafford, completing 24-34 passes for 294 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he didn't turn the ball over.

With Calvin Johnson significantly limited by a sore ankle, Stafford did a nice job spreading the ball around, connecting with eight different receivers in the victory.

The only knock on the quarterback's play is how long he held onto the ball at times, which allowed the Jets' pass rush to get home more than it should have in the contest.

RUNNING BACKS: B+

It was far from a banner day for the running backs, picking up 80 yards on 21 carries. But when it mattered most, with both Joique Bell and Theo Riddick knocked from the game with injuries, Reggie Bush picked up important chunks of yardage to help run out the clock in the end.

The best play saw the shifty back make a tackler miss in the backfield before bouncing it outside to pick up the first down, all while staying in bounds.

In the third quarter, Bush added a critical third-down reception, fighting through a tackle attempt to get to the sticks and extend the drive. The series ultimately ended with a one-yard Stafford touchdown run.

WIDE RECEIVERS: A

As noted above, Johnson was not himself, putting the burden on the team's other receivers. Golden Tate responded in the big way, catching eight passes for 116 yards and doing much of his damage after the catch.

Jeremy Ross delivered the big blow, beating the cornerback on a double move for a 59-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. It was easily the longest catch of his career.

TIGHT ENDS: B-

While he disappeared in the second half, rookie Eric Ebron doubled his season's production with three receptions in the second quarter. That stat line includes his first career touchdown, a 16-yard score in the closing seconds of the half to put the Lions up, 17-3.

Veteran Brandon Pettigrew added two grabs for 19 yards, but had some struggles in pass protection, allowing the Jets to get a pair of hits on Stafford.

OFFENSIVE LINE: C-

The Jets are effective at getting pressure on the quarterback with a variety of blitz packages, often overloaded to one side. That requires excellent communication and help from the tight ends and backs to pick up the extra rushers. At times, the Lions struggled, but New York's four sacks weren't entirely on the o-line.

On the majority of snaps, Stafford had time and that's reflected in his final stat line. The run game, while not outstanding, could have been worse against a stout front seven allowing just 2.8 yards per carry coming into the contest. And when it mattered, at the end of the game, Detroit's front got enough push to seal the win.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A-

The day started off brutally as the Jets offensive line bullied Detroit up front during a 14-play, 71-yard opening drive. After that, the group responded, particularly with the pass rush, sacking Geno Smith twice and hitting him a couple more times, including a stiff shot to the chest from Ezekiel Ansah that led to an interception.

LINEBACKERS: C+

Tahir Whitehead and DeAndre Levy racked up the tackles, each topping double-digits, but the group struggled at times in coverage, including a leak in the zone that resulted in an 11-yard Eric Decker touchdown.

Whitehead was also devoured in the second level on Chris Johnson's 35-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, leaving no one to fill the run lane.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A-

This wasn't Darius Slay's finest performance in coverage, but the second-year cornerback was in the right place at the right time to come up with his first career interception. On the other side, Rashean Mathis was as sticky in coverage as he's been all season.

The Lions trotted out a three-safety look much of the game, with Glover Quin shifting to nickelback now that James Ihedigbo was healthy. Ihedigbo made a couple of monster plays, including forcing a fumble recovered by the Lions in the fourth quarter.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B+

Alex Henery had Lions fans excited when he drained a 51-yard field goal early in the game. But the kicker's second effort, from 52 yards out, was wide right, by a lot. There's still some concern with that area.

The rest of the special teams work was outstanding, especially the punt unit, which saw Sam Martin average 51.0 yards on six boots and the coverage limit the Jets to just 17 yards on four returns.

COACHING: B+

It felt like the Lions defensive backs were giving up too much space to the Jets receivers early, allowing New York to march down the field for an early score. That said, Geno Smith still finished 17-33 for 209 yards passing.

The offense did a nice job executing with balance and Joe Lombardi's call for a naked bootleg on Detroit's final drive, a play that netted the Lions the first down to seal the win, was brilliant.

The Lions took it to the Jets most of the day, and when the counter punches came, the team didn't wilt under pressure as it has on the road so many times in years past. The team's demeanor to close this one out is reflective of confidence the coaching staff has worked to instill since training camp.

Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets -- Sept.28, 2014 23 Gallery: Detroit Lions vs. New York Jets -- Sept.28, 2014

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