Snap counts, PFF grades: Breakout Lions DB continues to excel in starting role

DETROIT -- Ifeatu Melifonwu has cemented his breakout stretch for the Detroit Lions since entering the starting lineup last month as so much more than a potential flash in the pan.

And with Detroit’s secondary taking some serious blows in recent weeks, including again in the team’s 24-23 wild-card win over Los Angeles Rams, it remains a much-needed development. The Lions will take the win, no doubt, but there are some concerns about their pass coverage.

Matthew Stafford hit elite throw after elite throw while tossing for 367 yards, with rookie wideout Puka Nacua doing his best to keep the Rams alive. Nacua had nine receptions on 11 targets for 181 yards and one touchdown, and was a machine after the catch, breaking tackles.

The Lions and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn adjusted down the stretch, making life harder on Stafford and Nacua with time running out. And they also put the clamps down in the red zone, keeping the Rams out of the end zone on all three trips, settling for three field goals from closer than 30 yards.

Melifonwu was instrumental in the red zone, with help from fellow safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and nickelback Brian Branch. The Rams tried hitting the Lions with quick snaps at the line, and tons of pre-snap motion, with wide receiver Cooper Kupp trying to get open out of the backfield on more than a couple of occasions.

Those three defensive backs have been physical at the line, and sound in coverage. And for a team lacking a shutdown outside corner on either side, it’s been a massive boost. Cam Sutton did find the right time to make a play, though, coming up big in one of those red-zone stops.

“It was huge, and it goes back to -- as long as we’re back there fighting and scratching and clawing and competing, that’s all that matters,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said. “That really is. And yeah we got hit on a couple of things, but I think that’s what you get encouraged with. Man, they don’t go in the tank, they don’t crawl in a shell. They go back and just keep fighting. And you know, Cam (Sutton) came up with a big play for us. That was huge. Got them back out of field goal range, forced the punt.

“And Ducey, you don’t have to worry about his confidence. He’s always going to come back and fight. So there again, ultimately we did what we needed to do, and look, I was proud of AG for not -- we made a couple of adjustments that I thought were crucial. We ran a little more match coverage, but we kept dialing up pressure, too.”

Pro Football Focus had Melifonwu allowing only one catch on two targets for 9 yards allowed in coverage. He was one of the few regulars not to miss a tackle against the Rams, with strong play containing breakout running back Kyren Williams and rushing attack.

Branch had three PFF run stuffs, second on the team to only Aidan Hutchinson. He allowed four catches on six targets for only 27 yards, and got hit with a supremely questionable defensive pass interference call.

And the rotation remained intact. Melifonwu led the safeties with 42 snaps, while Gardner-Johnson (38) and Joseph (37) weren’t far behind.

See below for more from the PFF grades and snap counts.

Five highest-graded defenders (with at least 10 snaps): LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin (97.5), EDGE Aidan Hutchinson (87.9), S Ifeatu Melifonwu (75.3), LB Alex Anzalone (70.3), DL Alim McNeill (69.5)

Five-lowest graded defenders (with at least 10 snaps): LB Jack Campbell (28.7), LB Derrick Barnes (40.2), EDGE Romeo Okwara (41.6), CB Kindle Vildor (42.9), DB C.J. Gardner-Johnson (46.4)

Five highest-graded offensive players (with at least 10 snaps): WR Amon-Ra St. Brown (90.7), QB Jared Goff (82.7), OG Graham Glasgow (79.1), WR Josh Reynolds (77.9), TE Brock Wright (71.4)

Five lowest-graded offensive players (with at least 10 snaps): C Frank Ragnow (53.8), TE Sam LaPorta (54.5), OG Jonah Jackson (55.3), WR Jameson Williams (58.5), RB David Montgomery (61.5)

-- Aidan Hutchinson had himself a playoff debut to remember, and not just because of the history-making victory. Hutchinson notched his second straight 90-plus graded game from PFF. He created nine pressures, notched two sacks and hit the quarterback five times.

-- The analytics site was pretty tough on Detroit’s offensive line. Frank Ragnow was the lowest-graded offensive player among those with at least 10 snaps. Ragnow allowed only one pressure across 56 snaps. Jonah Jackson got hit with three pressures allowed, and one of the lowest pass-blocking grades (26.2) of his career.

-- Let’s end on a high note. And it doesn’t get much higher than Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown. The pair connected seven times for 110 yards, with all seven receptions resulting in a first down, including the game clincher on second-and-9 down the stretch. PFF had them as the two highest-graded offensive players for their showings.

OFFENSE

QB Jared Goff -- 56 (100%)

OT Taylor Decker -- 56 (100%)

OT Penei Sewell -- 56 (100%)

OG Graham Glasgow -- 56 (100%)

OG Jonah Jackson -- 56 (100%)

C Frank Ragnow -- 56 (100%)

WR Amon-Ra St. Brown -- 52 (93%)

WR Josh Reynolds -- 48 (86%)

TE Sam LaPorta -- 45 (80%)

WR Jameson Williams -- 39 (70%)

RB David Montgomery -- 30 (54%)

TE Brock Wright -- 23 (41%)

RB Jahmyr Gibbs -- 19 (34%)

FB Jason Cabinda -- 7 (12%)

RB Craig Reynolds -- 7 (12%)

TE Anthony Firkser -- 4 (7%)

WR Antoine Green -- 3 (5%)

WR Donovan Peoples-Jones -- 2 (4%)

OL Dan Skipper -- 1 (2%)

DEFENSE

CB Cam Sutton -- 58 (100%)

CB Kindle Vildor -- 58 (100%)

DB Brian Branch -- 57 (98%)

LB Alex Anzalone -- 54 (93%)

EDGE Aidan Hutchinson -- 44 (76%)

DL Alim McNeill -- 43 (74%)

DL Josh Paschal -- 43 (74%)

S Ifeatu Melifonwu -- 42 (72%)

S C.J. Gardner-Johnson -- 38 (66%)

S Kerby Joseph -- 37 (64%)

LB Derrick Barnes -- 32 (55%)

EDGE Romeo Okwara -- 31 (53%)

LB Jack Campbell -- 22 (38%)

DL John Cominsky -- 22 (38%)

DL Tyson Alualu -- 22 (38%)

DL Levi Onwuzurike -- 13 (22%)

LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin -- 11 (19%)

DL Benito Jones -- 11 (19%)

SPECIAL TEAMS

Will Harris -- 20 (80%)

Chase Lucas -- 20 (80%)

Anthony Pittman -- 20 (80%)

Jalen Reeves-Maybin -- 20 (80%)

Jason Cabinda -- 19 (76%)

Malcolm Rodriguez -- 15 (60%)

Jack Campbell -- 14 (56%)

Khalil Dorsey -- 14 (56%)

P Jack Fox -- 12 (48%)

Ifetu Melifonwu -- 12 (48%)

Craig Reynolds -- 10 (40%)

Benito Jones -- 9 (36%)

Donovan Peoples-Jones -- 8 (32%)

Antoine Green -- 7 (28%)

LS Jake McQuaide -- 7 (28%)

Anthony Firkser -- 6 (24%)

John Cominsky -- 6 (24%)

Derrick Barnes -- 6 (24%)

Kerby Joseph -- 6 (24%)

Alim McNeill -- 5 (20%)

Colby Sorsdal -- 4 (16%)

Kayode Awosika -- 4 (16%)

Dan Skipper -- 4 (16%)

Brock Wright -- 4 (16%)

Graham Glasgow -- 4 (16%)

Penei Sewell -- 4 (16%)

K Michael Badgley -- 4 (16%)

C.J. Gardner-Johnson -- 1 (4%)

Aidan Hutchinson -- 1 (4%)

Alex Anzalone -- 1 (4%)

Kindle Vildor -- 1 (4%)

Cam Sutton -- 1 (4%)