Get out your brooms and get ready to sweep the old porch. The Detroit Lions took care of business again, this time with a 34-31 win over the Green Bay Packers on “Thursday Night Football.”

Let’s take a look at some grade levels and see how things unfolded the night the Lions secured their spot in the playoffs and increased their season record to 12-1.

Quarterback: A-

Before everyone yells at me, listen to me. Aside from the one interception where I think he thought he saw something before the snap that wasn’t there after the snap (it happens), Goff was surgical against the Packers.

He finished the night 32-41 for 283 yards, three touchdowns and the aforementioned interception. Notably, he completed at least five receptions to six different pass catchers. a rare feat that has never been achieved before. He was once again great in the pocket, making small adjustments with his feet before making throws to the receivers down the field. Patience, precision and a confident command of the offense were on full display during the game-winning drive that helped set up Jake Bates’ go-ahead shot.

Running Backs: B+

It wasn’t their most efficient night, but combined running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs still managed 157 yards of total offense and two touchdowns.

For the most part, Green Bay did a good job of slowing down the Lions’ vaunted ground game, but when the Lions needed simultaneous plays, they relied on the best running back duo in football.

How many coaches would trust their running back to gain a yard on fourth-and-1 with only 43 seconds left in a tied game? Dan Campbell would do it. And Montgomery didn’t just pick up one yard, he picked up six more and helped run down the clock to set up Bates’ game-winning kick as time expired.

Wide receivers: B+

In addition to the 11 receptions for 66 yards from the running backs, listen to how balanced the Lions’ receivers were against Green Bay. Amon-Ra St. Brown with five catches for 43 yards, Jameson Williams with five catches for 80 yards and Tim Patrick with six catches for 43 yards and two scores.

St. Brown was consistent as usual and had big wins late in the game when the money was down, while Williams continues to be one of the most explosive players in the NFL. And while neither had outstanding numbers against the Packers, Patrick’s two second-half touchdowns helped seal the deal for Detroit.

The reason the Lions are widely considered the best offense in football is because of the variety of ways they can threaten opposing defenses. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson forces teams to defend every blade of grass, and with Patrick seemingly fully integrated into the offense, things only get more difficult defensively.

Tight Ends: A

The stats for tight end Sam LaPorta aren’t exactly impressive, but anyone who saw the game live knows how big he was in the crucial moments. He finished the day with five catches for 54 yards on seven targets and was a chain player for Goff against Green Bay.

For one reason or another (perhaps his injury lingered early in the season), it took a while for LaPorta to get going in 2024, but with the regular season schedule now stretching into December, there’s no better one Time than now to get him up to speed within the offense.

Offensive line: A

As I mentioned, Goff was only sacked once on Thursday night, allowing him to remain comfortable. And what’s more, he wasn’t under much pressure most of the evening – even when starting left tackle Taylor Decker was in street clothes and reserve tackle Dan Skipper had to take his place.

Right guard Kevin Zeitler also missed some time in the middle of the game, and rookie defensive back Christian Mahogany filled in for three snaps while Zeitler was being cared for.

And while I obviously still need to watch the All-22, it once again looked like an incredible performance from All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell. Sewell was a key reason Montgomery went untouched on the Lions’ first touchdown and the team constantly chased after him in key moments.

Defensive line: A-

As banged up as this unit was early in the game, things got even worse when star defensive tackle Alim McNeill left the game with a head injury. Simply put, there may be no other position group in the entire NFL more impacted by injuries than the Lions’ defensive line.

Despite all of this, Green Bay running back Josh Jacobs only managed 66 yards on 18 carries. And while quarterback Jordan Love was sacked just once, the Lions recorded seven quarterback hits and generated two more tackles for a loss.

Linebacker: B

Aside from Love escaping while having free run at quarterback, it was another strong performance from linebacker Jack Campbell. He played all 50 snaps on defense and totaled eight tackles and a quarterback hit of his own.

In addition to him, the Lions also showed strong performances from Ezekiel Turner, Kwon Alexander and David Long. Turner made a crucial tackle on Love late in the game, eventually forcing the tie with a Green Bay field goal, while Long recovered a fumble after cornerback Carlton Davis III ripped the ball loose from Packers receiver Christian Watson.

Defensive Backs: B-

It wasn’t a perfect performance from the defensive backs, but overall they did enough to win the game against an offense with a lot of firepower. Love finished the day with a pedestrian 206 yards and a touchdown, and his only big play came when Watson took a few steps past Carlton Davis down the sideline for a 59-yard completion.

Aside from the one deep shot, Davis came away with a pass breakup and a forced fumble. Let’s also praise cornerback Amik Robertson. Packers receiver Jayden Reed is one of the more dynamic slot receivers in the game, and he had no receptions on the night. Thanks to Robertson, I’m out there doing cardio right now.

Special Teams: A

Another game-winner for Jake Bates and another game ball for the rookie kicker. The moment never seems to be too big for him, and for that, all of Detroit and the entire fan base are very grateful.

Coaching: A+

Listen, people outside of this team and this fan base will always question Dan Campbell’s decisions. And to be completely honest, I really don’t care. His decisions consistently help this team win. Yes, sometimes it will annoy you if you try it on your own turf, but once they pick up on it, no one talks about it.

Given the decision to hand the ball to Montgomery, I completely understand that thought process. The Lions could have lined up there and taken the lead with just under 40 seconds left in the game. But as we know, Campbell loves to end games on offense. Their defense is shorthanded and the Packers’ offense is dangerous even with no timeouts remaining.

Defensively, this was another masterclass from defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.

“A hell of a job by AG, and those guys just laid it on the line,” Campbell said during his postgame media release. “We call them the savages of the north, they just walk through the door and are in the middle of the game. It’s a damn good job”

We have to give Glenn a lot of credit for managing to get all the newcomers up to speed on such short notice.

“So we just wanted to cut it down enough so that these guys could play fast, and that was really just a loosening up,” Campbell said of the defensive game plan. “It won’t be perfect, it doesn’t have to be perfect, and with that we can take any burden off of you that you can just let go of. We knew there might be a few mistakes, but I just want to turn on the tape and know that the effort and the goal is there and we’re watching the football and finding a way to get a takeaway. We got something to take away. It was huge, man, it was huge. Carlton Davis (III), big shot out there. Then we’ll spread the load a little bit to the offense or special teams if necessary.”