PHILADELPHIA — Free Press sports writer Dave Birkett grades the Detroit Lions, after their 27-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field.

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford had another good day throwing the ball, even if it was statistically his worst performance of the season. Stafford completed 18 of 32 passes for 201 yards and a touchdown. He skipped a third-and-8 pass to an open Marvin Jones with less than 4 minutes to play that would have given the Lions more breathing room, but otherwise was sharp with his throws. Stafford did not have a turnover for the first time this year and he showed good mobility in the pocket to avoid a handful of sacks. He wasn’t perfect, but he continues to play winning football.

Grade: A-minus

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Running backs

The Lions couldn’t get much going against one of the best run defenses in the NFL. J.D. McKissic had a 44-yard carry on a reverse, but Lions players said the Eagles only had 10 defenders on the field for that play. Take that gain out and the Lions got 41 yards rushing on 24 carries from their running backs. Kerryon Johnson scored on a leaping 1-yard run, and he spun out of several tackles to avoid negative plays. He appeared to miss a block on the first offensive play and had a quiet day receiving (one catch, 7 yards on his only target). Backup Ty Johnson had five touches for five yards.

Grade: C-plus

Receivers/tight ends

Jones seemed like the forgotten man on offense for much of training camp and the early part of the season, but he had a huge day Sunday. Jones led all players with 101 yards receiving on six catches. He made an impressive diving catch in the second quarter and beat Sidney Jones with a physical route to score from 12 yards out in the fourth quarter. Kenny Golladay caught two passes, but his first-quarter grab on third-and-10 kept the Lions’ opening touchdown drive alive. Danny Amendola also made a huge sideline catch on third-and-11 late in the fourth quarter. Tight ends T.J. Hockenson and Logan Thomas were called for false-start penalties and none of the Lions’ three tight ends had more than one catch.

Grade: A-minus

[ Seidel: For once, the Detroit Lions got the breaks to win, so let's enjoy it ]

Offensive line

The Lions ran for zero or negative yards five of the nine times they tried a first-down rush in the second half (not including a late kneel-down), and those struggles were due largely to blocking breakdowns up front. The line did a great job blocking McKissic's reverse, but had trouble staying ahead of the chains in the rushing department overall. Graham Glasgow had the only lineman penalty Sunday, a false start in the third quarter, and Frank Ragnow allowed a big hit on Stafford by Vinny Curry that preceded one of the Lions’ lost-yardage runs. Give the line credit for not allowing a sack for the second straight game, though the Eagles probably should have dropped Stafford for losses two or three times.

Grade: C-plus

Defensive line

The Lions collected sacks on the Eagles’ first two offensive plays of the fourth quarter, but gave Carson Wentz far too much time to throw the ball overall. Damon Harrison’s sack was a clean-up job made possible by good coverage in the back end, and Trey Flowers was credited with his first sack of the year — Devon Kennard at least deserved an assist on the play — when Wentz gave himself up on the final play of the first half. Flowers and Kevin Strong had neutral-zone penalties that gave the Eagles first downs in the first half, and Flowers drew a tough personal foul when he rolled into Wentz’s leg. A’Shawn Robinson recovered a fumble and Romeo Okwara forced another, but the Lions gave up 127 rushing yards.

Grade: B-minus

Linebackers

With Jarrad Davis back in action after missing a month with an ankle injury, the Lions rotated their linebackers. Davis had six tackles and forced a fumble, but he also was called for a helmet-to-helmet hit in the fourth quarter. Christian Jones beat tight end Dallas Goedert with a good pass-rush move for a sack, but he also gave up a 33-yard pass to Miles Sanders after Davis left to get his ankle taped in the fourth quarter. Jones also got beat by Goedert for what should have been an Eagles touchdown, if not for a drop. Jahlani Tavai beat Brandon Brooks to throw Jordan Howard for a 1-yard loss on a red-zone run in the third quarter, but neither he nor Jones could get off blocks on a 14-yard run by Sanders.

Grade: B-minus

Defensive backs

Normally dependable safety Quandre Diggs missed at least three tackles, including one on Nelson Agholor’s 20-yard touchdown catch-and-run in the third quarter. Justin Coleman gave Agholor far too much room on that play, a third-and-5. Coleman also was called for pass interference on third-and-11 on the game’s opening drive. Darius Slay got beat for a 40-yard gain by Sanders on the opening drive when he bit on a pump fake, but he recovered a fumble before leaving in the third quarter with a right hamstring injury. Rashaan Melvin said he got a fingertip on Carson Wentz’s fourth-and-15 incompletion that ended the game. Give Tracy Walker credit for a breakup on a pass to Zach Ertz at the start of that drive, and Mike Ford held his own as Slay’s replacement in the second half.

Grade: B

Special teams

It was a mixed day for the Lions on special teams. Jamal Agnew bounced back from a couple rough performances with a 100-yard kick return, but the Lions also allowed a blocked field goal that nearly cost them the game. McKissic and Dee Virgin had the key blocks to spring Agnew’s touchdown, while Johnson might have gotten away with a block in the back on the play. Officials also missed a facemask penalty on Miles Killebrew on kick coverage, but the Lions were flagged on special teams for illegal formation on a kickoff that had the Eagles pinned inside the 15. Sam Martin had two touchbacks, but Virgin missed a chance to down one of the punts when he played return man Darren Sproles instead of the ball.

Grade: C

Coaching

The Lions entered the game intent on shutting Ertz down, and they mostly did that, holding the Eagles’ tight end to four catches and 64 yards by bracketing him on seemingly every play. That didn’t totally stymie Philadelphia’s offense, but it made things tough enough that the Lions were able to come away with a win. Offensively, the Lions got a little too conservative early. They had a chance to put extra points on the board at the end of the first half, but chose to let the clock run out after Wentz took a sack with about 40 seconds to play. In the second half, they couldn’t put the Eagles away because of continued struggles in the run game. Patricia failed on his challenge of a non-call on a pass interference penalty. It was a worthwhile challenge given the situation, but Amendola didn’t make enough of a play on the ball to warrant a call from the booth.

Grade: B

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Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Read more on the Detroit Lions and sign up for our Lions newsletter.