DETROIT – The Detroit Lions opened their season with a 26-20 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in overtime at Ford Field on Sunday Night Football.

In this post, we’ll look at MLive Lions sportswriter Ben Raven’s ratings for the game.

Quarterbacks: Jared Goff wasn’t at his best to start the season. However, the Detroit Lions quarterback was able to make up for the bad moments with more good moments en route to victory. Goff completed 18 of 28 passes for 217 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. And sometimes it’s better to be lucky, as the Rams failed to get the second interception in the fourth quarter before Goff led the Lions down the field and forced overtime.

One of the quarterback’s most important plays came on the ground, when he snatched a 7-yard gain on fourth-and-6. He couldn’t lean on Amon-Ra St. Brown or Sam LaPorta as he usually does, but he had to get momentum with Jameson Williams while the others were in coverage and getting extra attention from the defense, which is what this offense needed. Grade: B

Running backs: What else can be said about David Montgomery’s performance? The Lions used the veteran running back as a battering ram to finally defeat the Rams. He rushed for 45 yards and the game-winning touchdown on five attempts in overtime. Montgomery is the tone-setter of this offense and he was back where he left off last season. He got stronger as the game went on and put the Lions ahead for good in the end zone. He finished the game with 91 yards and the game-winning touchdown on 17 attempts.

Jahmyr Gibbs, who missed the offseason and training camp with a hamstring problem, was there for 11 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown of his own. He slipped in the fourth quarter on a route that could have resulted in a touchdown, but deserves plenty of credit for his limbo extension touchdown. Gibbs will continue to get his chances, especially if he gets back into the swing of things. But this one-two punch opened the season in all the right ways on a night that wasn’t always pretty or easy. Class: A

Wide receivers: Jameson Williams deserves all the flowers right now. Yes, there are concerns about receiver depth. But on a night when Amon-Ra St. Brown was limited to three catches for just 13 yards, he was exactly what this team needed. Williams caught five balls for 121 yards and a touchdown and added 13 yards on the ground. His speed was on full display on the 52-yard touchdown that outran cornerback Tre’Davious White down the field.

St. Brown was the only other wide receiver with a pass reception. Kalif Raymond was the third receiver and Tom Kennedy came in from the practice squad for some snaps. The Lions will need to get Tim Patrick or Allen Robinson or both up to speed much sooner rather than later. But if Williams can continue to play at this level and build his connection with Goff, then this passing attack is fearsome because it’s hard to imagine the Sun God having any more games this quiet. Grade: B-

Tight ends: Sam LaPorta came in late, with an 18-yard pass on the team’s final drive of regulation. He finished the game as the second-leading receiver with 45 yards and four catches. Brock Wright nearly scored on his only catch of the day. And Parker Hesse got plenty of play as a blocker and out of the backfield in his first game with the Lions. As we said for St. Brown, the tight ends have better and much more productive days ahead. The blocking from this group seemed solid all night, and there were no major errors. Grade: B-

Offensive line: Aside from the sheer dominance of this group in overtime, the most impressive statistic about the performance from the trenches was that the Lions only trailed on a single running play. Frank Ragnow ripped through LA’s defensive line for the game-winning touchdown, reminding the league why he’s considered one of the best, if not the best, centers in the game. The Lions ran for 163 yards and moved the chains 12 times on the ground in this win on Sunday night.

There were a few false starts, but Goff seemed to take the blame for those. And even though Kevin Zeitler and Taylor Decker took more sacks in the first half, this group was steady and reliable and seemed to get better as the game went on. Class: A

Defensive line: This sentiment applies to both the defensive line and the linebackers. But after a week of talking about the Rams and their new running strategy, the Lions held them to 83 yards on the ground. Kyren Williams ran 18 times for just 50 yards and a touchdown, while rookie running back Blake Corum didn’t even touch the ball.

However, Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport applied pressure, getting to Matthew Stafford with impressive speed. And that’s a welcome sight, as Hutchinson desperately needs another running mate on the other side. Hutchinson and Davenport each hit Stafford four times, with the former coming home for a sack on the final play of regulation. DJ Reader did not play after being substituted as questionable. But Levi Onwuzurike was able to capitalize on his breakout offseason and training camp move in Week 1, coming home for a sack on a nasty swim move that separated guard and center in the first half. There were some mistakes, as there were everywhere else, but this defensive line was solid in the close-quarter win. Grade: B+

Linebackers: Alex Anzalone continues to deserve more praise for his work making decisions and leading the defense. He opened the season with a whopping 13 tackles and three tackles for loss and always seemed to be close to the ball. Anzalone was the only Lions defender to have multiple tackles for loss. More will be expected from Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes in the future, but after this game there was nothing too egregious to criticize them for. They held a strong running game in check and managed to make some plays behind the line of scrimmage and in the red zone, mastering the “bend but don’t break” mentality. Grade: B+

Secondary: Matthew Stafford was in good hands in this game, taking advantage of the advantage in coverage, targeting Cooper Kupp 21 times in the loss. Kerby Joseph made the game-winning interception in the end zone before halftime, and Brian Branch and Carlton Davis III probably should have added two more interceptions. There were some rough moments for this group, more than anyone else on defense. Branch missed two early tackles, and Terrion Arnold was assessed two pass interference penalties in the end zone. Those are tough to overcome and need to be improved going forward. Tyler Johnson’s 62-yard catch-and-run to end the third quarter was also one of those plays where it felt like everything was finally taking a turn for the worse. But this defense was able to hold on enough for the win. Grade: B-

Special teams: Jake Bates hit both field goal attempts, including the late attempt that sent the game into overtime. Bates hit both attempts from under 40 yards and kicked two extra points. Jack Fox hit a beautiful punt that should have landed at the 1-yard line, but freshman Ennis Rakestraw Jr. came in a little too quickly in a learning moment. There were no kickoff returns for the Lions, and they were able to stop the Rams short of the touchback point on their only attempt of the period. Aside from the missed chance on Fox’s perfect punt, this was a clean day that everyone will take advantage of while working through a new kicker and long snapper duo. Grade: A-

Coaching: Credit where credit is due. When it mattered most, the Lions went back to their primary mission, pounding the ball in overtime with Montgomery behind their powerful offensive line. There were some strong plays in this game, too, but some slipping on the turf and missed opportunities seemed to hold them back for most of the game. Ben Johnson plays receiver without much size, so the offensive coordinator deserves credit for getting so much out of Jameson Williams and the rushing attack.

Aaron Glenn’s defense played a lot more zone than expected, with Stafford working like a wizard on some of those quick passes to Kupp in open space. But the defense kept the run game in check, made some big plays and responded in most situations Sunday night when they needed it most. After a preseason of hanging out on the sidelines and hitting each other, there was bound to be some sloppiness, and that’s exactly what happened to start the year.

It’s just hard to doubt Dan Campbell’s ability to lead this team. He’s proven he’s one of the best, if not the best, at what he does. And even on a night where the Lions weren’t at their best or playing clean, Campbell and his team were able to limit the damage and pull out another win over these Rams. Grade: B+

• BETS: Read our guide to best sports betting sites in Michiganwhere our team of sports betting experts reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and quality of odds for several sportsbooks.