Grades: Fs across the board again for lifeless Lions

Quarterback

Matthew Stafford threw two more interceptions Sunday, giving him 11 on the year. And while coach Jim Caldwell said neither was Stafford's fault – one came on a tipped pass (to a covered receiver) and the other, Caldwell said, came after Ameer Abdullah ran the wrong route – both throws were second reads that appeared to be rushed. Stafford finished 22 of 36 for 217 yards and took six more sacks before being lifted late in the fourth quarter. He needs to take better care of the ball.

Grade: F

Running backs

Joique Bell was the Lions' most effective back Sunday, carrying seven times for 56 yards. His 32-yard run in the first quarter was the Lions' longest gain of the season. Abdullah had just one carry for 3 yards, and his wrong route on the INT won't help him get out of the doghouse. Theo Riddick had six more catches but just 17 yards rushing.

Grade: F

Receivers/tight ends

Calvin Johnson (five catches, 85 yards) became the fastest player in history to reach 11,000 yards receiving, but left late in the game with an ankle injury. Johnson and Eric Ebron had drops. Tate led the way with six catches (for 59 yards), but the Lions struggled to get receivers open deep against a mediocre defense and once again lacked big plays on offense.

Grade: F

Offensive line

The Lions talked about simplifying their blocking schemes, but they still gave up two sacks to unblocked rushers in the first half and six for the game. Tamba Hali owned Riley Reiff. He was only credited with a half sack, but he also ran by Reiff to earn the pressure that led to Stafford's first pick and had another sack that won't show up in the stats because the Chiefs accepted a holding penalty on Reiff instead. LaAdrian Waddle had his hands full with Justin Houston (1.5 sacks). Warford had one bright spot for the line, opening a big hole on Bell's first-quarter run.

Grade: F

Defensive line

Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith ran for 78 yards in part because the Lions were undisciplined in the rush lanes. Ziggy Ansah also crashed to Smith on De'Anthony Thomas' 10-yard first-quarter touchdown run, giving him an open lane to the end zone. Devin Taylor had four tackles, including two for loss, and a sack, while Jason Jones drew a facemask penalty late in first half with Chiefs backed up near the goal line. Kansas City averaged a whopping 6.4 yards per carry.

Grade: F

Linebackers

Stephen Tulloch had seven tackles and made a nice play to diagnose a screen pass to Charcandrick West, but he struggled in pass coverage early against Travis Kelce and couldn't catch Smith on his 49-yard run. Kyle Van Noy played sparingly, but looked lost on Kelce's touchdown catch early in the third quarter. Travis Lewis (two tackles) didn't have much of an impact.

Grade: F

Defensive backs

Nevin Lawson had a rough day starting in place of Rashean Mathis. He missed a tackle on West on the second play of second half, was called for pass interference while trying to climb over Albert Wilson's back in the third quarter, and drew an illegal hands to face penalty. James Ihedigbo took a bad angle on Smith's long run and was spot-subbed in the second half by Isa Abdul-Quddus. Glover Quin had a quiet day and drew a horse collar penalty, and Darius Slay had a nice pass breakup early but ended the game with a concussion.

Grade: F

Special teams

Matt Prater made a 35-yard field goal to stay perfect on the year, but there wasn't much else good about the Lions' special teams. Van Noy missed a tackle on the first kickoff, Corey Fuller and Josh Wilson had penalties, and Don Muhlbach was left to make a touchdown-saving tackle after a coverage breakdown set up a long Thomas return.

Grade: F

Coaching

Monday's coaching shake up did little to inspire a Lions team that played lifeless football. New offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter ran some no-huddle offense and emptied his backfield on the Lions' opening field goal drive, but the Lions grew stagnant on offense thanks to their poor blocking after that. Defensively, the Lions got beat by Smith's leg in man coverage early, then couldn't stop West late. Caldwell is officially on job watch with the Lions 1-7 heading into the bye.

Grade: F

Contact Dave Birkett: dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett. Download our Lions Xtra app for free on Apple and Android!