5 Lions Stars Are Quietly Dominating the NFL, According to PFF

Detroit got a nice boost today as Cade Mays and Brian Branch both returned to practice. Unfortunately, Kerby Joseph was not activated, but he did remain on the sidelines encouraging his teammates and appeared to be in good spirits.

When asked about Joseph, Branch responded, “He’s gonna be aight. He gonna be back.”

That is certainly encouraging to hear, but it will also make it all the more devastating if Joseph is unable to make it back on the field this season.

At practice, Ben Bartch did not participate as he continues to deal with a foot injury. Tight end Williams also did not practice due to a foot injury. Rock Ya-Sin was also held out while dealing with a hamstring injury after exiting last week’s game against the Panthers early. DJ Wonnum was a limited participant.

Through four weeks, the Lions have had several players perform at a high level according to their PFF grades. Here are the top five highest-graded Lions players through four games.

1. Aidan Hutchinson — 92.0

Hutchinson has the second-best PFF grade for edge rushers in the NFL, trailing only Will Anderson Jr. He also has the best pass-rushing grade in the NFL at 91.9. His run-defense grade is 71.6, while he even has a 64.1 coverage grade.

Hutchinson has been a monster this season, recording 3.5 sacks while posting a 27.1% pass-rush win rate, which ranks first among all edge rushers.

2. Jahmyr Gibbs — 87.4

Jahmyr Gibbs has the fourth-best offensive grade among all running backs. Gibbs has an 82.9 rushing grade and the third-highest receiving grade at 89.3.

The concerning part of his game has been his pass blocking. Gibbs currently has a 44.2 pass-blocking grade, which ranks 23rd-worst in the NFL.

Through four games, Gibbs has 80 rushing attempts for 353 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and 88.3 rushing yards per game. He also has 22 receptions for 187 yards and two receiving touchdowns.

3. Christian Mahogany — 86.7

Christian Mahogany is the biggest surprise on this list and is currently the highest-graded offensive lineman on the Lions. Mahogany also has the third-highest offensive grade among all guards in the NFL.

He has the third-highest pass-blocking grade at 83.7 and the seventh-highest run-blocking grade at 82.8 for all NFL guards.

Although Mahogany has played just 147 snaps after missing one game and most of another, he has been outstanding when on the field. Mahogany has not allowed a sack this season, has just one penalty and has allowed only one quarterback hit and three total pressures.

4. Jared Goff — 85.8

Jared Goff is having a solid season, but if you were to look solely at his numbers, it would appear that he is having a phenomenal year.

Don’t get me wrong, Goff is playing very well, but his numbers are making his season look even better than his PFF grade suggests.

Goff currently has the seventh-best overall PFF grade among quarterbacks and the second-best passing grade at 86.4.

Goff is currently on pace for 5,160 passing yards and 38 touchdowns, and he has yet to throw an interception this season.

This would mark Goff’s fourth straight season with more than 4,500 passing yards and his fifth straight season with more than 4,000 yards.

For the Lions to win a Super Bowl, Goff’s decision-making will have to be nearly perfect, especially given how poorly this defense has struggled throughout the first four weeks.

5. Penei Sewell — 83.7

Penei Sewell is playing his first season at left tackle in the NFL, and overall, he has done a pretty good job. Sewell currently has the second-best grade among all tackles in the NFL, trailing only Darnell Wright.

Sewell’s pass-blocking grade is what brings his overall grade down slightly. He currently has a 76.4 pass-blocking grade, which ranks 15th in the NFL.

However, Sewell has an impressive 88.9 run-blocking grade, which ranks second among all tackles.

Sewell has two penalties this season, which is uncharacteristic for him, and I expect that number to remain low moving forward. He has allowed just one sack, two quarterback hits and seven total pressures while playing 278 snaps.

Overall, the Lions have had several players perform at an extremely high level through the first four weeks. While the defense has struggled mightily as a unit, Hutchinson has continued to dominate, and several key offensive players are putting together strong seasons.