Grades: Lions Cruise Despite Shaky O-Line, Late Bengals Rally

Offensive line: C

Detroit downgraded Taylor Decker to doubtful, then ruled him inactive prior to kickoff Sunday, which paved the way for Giovanni Manu's first career start. Manu was shaky, but it was no easy first assignment for him as he was lined up against All-Pro pass-rusher Trey Hendrickson.

Manu was responsible for allowing two sacks, including one to Hendrickson that resulted in Goff's fumble in the first quarter. He was also beat by Joseph Ossai later in the game.

Detroit gave up four sacks in total, which ended their three-game streak of not allowing a sack. There were some mishaps in the run game on the interior, and as a result the Lions will be forced to go back to the drawing board with the potential for an extended absence for Decker.

Defensive line: A

Aidan Hutchinson continued to be a force, officially notching a sack, a forced fumble and five quarterback hits. He also had two other sacks negated, one by his own offsides penalty and another by a defensive holding on Terrion Arnold.

Al-Quadin Muhammad added three quarterback hits as the Lions' defense tormented Bengals backup Jake Browning. Roy Lopez added two assisted tackles, while Tyler Lacy added a tackle as well.

Linebackers: A

Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone both had big days for Detroit's defense, with both stuffing the stat sheet. Campbell led the defense with 11 combined tackles, along with a tackle for loss and a well-executed punch out for a forced fumble that the team was unable to recover.

Anzalone, meanwhile, had three combined tackles, three passes defensed and an interception. Derrick Barnes also got in on the action, logging seven combined tackles and a sack that resulted in the victory-sealing safety.

Secondary: B-

Without D.J. Reed, the Lions relied on Terrion Arnold and Amik Robertson. Arnold was inconsistent, as he was flagged once for defensive pass interference and another time for holding. The latter negated a safety, but he bounced back nicely with two passes defensed shortly after.

Robertson was also up-and-down. He got his first interception as a Lion in the second quarter, but was beaten on a double move by Ja'Marr Chase that resulted in a touchdown. As part of their late rally, the Bengals scored 21 on the Lions' defense in the fourth quarter.

Kerby Joseph added an interception, but had an unnecessary roughness penalty on Cincinnati's first drive.

Detroit lost Arnold to a shoulder injury in the second half, which led to more action for veteran Rock Ya-Sin. The veteran broke up two passes.

Special teams: A

Jacob Saylors continues to display aptitude as a kick returner, as he nearly broke one early in the game. He finished with an average of 29 yards per return on three opportunities.

Detroit did not have to kick any field goals today, and the coverage units were very solid throughout. Most notably, Isaac TeSlaa and Dominic Lovett teamed up to pin a Jack Fox punt inside the five. TeSlaa dove to tap the ball away from the end zone, and his rookie counterpart downed the ball.

Coaching: B

Ahead of a big showdown against Kansas City, the Lions very well could've looked past a Bengals team that is missing All-Pro quarterback Joe Burrow. However, Dan Campbell did a godo job of having his team ready to go.

Early on, John Morton was pulling all the right strings for the offense. Aside from the fumble, Detroit moved the ball well. They benefited from some short fields, which were set up by a solid performance from Kelvin Sheppard's defense.

Up next, the Lions will once again be tested in a showdown against a perennial Super Bowl contender in Kansas City. Patrick Mahomes is a vast step up from what the Lions saw Sunday in Jake Browning, and as a result the issues in the secondary late in the game will need to be ironed out.

Still, the Lions have all the ingredients to go get another big win, and despite a sluggish showing at times they still had enough to win comfortably.