Every week Pro Football Focus releases the top pass blocking and run blocking grades for offensive linemen from the previous slate of games. This week, three Detroit Lions were on the list of the top five pass blocking grades for Week 3. Left tackle Penei Sewell (90.3), left guard Christian Mahogany (88.5) and right guard Tate Ratledge (88.5) finished No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4.
"I felt like it looked good, but there are definitely things I have to clean up and there's definitely things we all have to clean up," Mahogany said Wednesday. "It probably looked better than how we feel because we are so hard on ourselves. We're excited to finally be able to play all together and just keep meshing and keep growing."
Rookie right tackle Blake Miller and Mahogany returned to the lineup in Sunday's win over the Jets after missing Week 2 in Buffalo due to injury. Sunday was the best this revamped unit has looked this season - against a good Jets defense - and that's encouraging moving forward.
Detroit's offensive line allowed just one quarterback hit and two total pressures while opening holes in the run game to the tune of 131 rushing yards (4.4 avg.) and two rushing touchdowns.
"What's encouraging is we got Blake back in there and then Mahogany goes in there and both of those guys played well," Lions head coach Dan Campbell said.
"And the longer we can get them all to play together, the more growth is going to transpire. The longer that (Ratledge) and (Miller) play together, the better we're going to be. Juice (Scruggs) is settling in nicely at center. He's getting better. And so, to have those guys in there together and play the way they played, protection, run game, it's encouraging. And so, they're only going to get better. So, I like where they're at right now."
Sewell has been the anchor for that unit. He's been terrific to start this season after making the shift from right to left tackle. He delivered the NFL's best all-around offensive line performance in Week 3, pairing dominant run blocking with a flawless day in pass protection. Sewell earned a 91.8 PFF overall grade, the highest mark among all offensive linemen. He led the position in both run-blocking grade (93.0) and pass-blocking grade (90.3). He didn't allow a sack, hit, hurry or pressure across 37 pass-blocking snaps, and he won 100 percent of his pass-blocking reps, per PFF.
It was a performance upfront Sunday the Lions will try to take on the road to Carolina against a Panthers' defense that ranks 27th in scoring and 28th in total defense.
PANTHERS INJURY UPDATES
The Panthers entered the season with one of better cornerback tandems in the NFL in Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson.
Both players were placed on Reserve/Injured Wednesday morning, leaving Carolina with several young players who will need to step up in Sunday night's game against the Lions.
Horn, a two-time Pro Bowler, suffered what Panthers head coach Dave Canales called a 'significant quad injury.' Jackson left last week's loss to Cleveland with a groin injury.
Carolina will look for rookie Will Lee III, Akayleb Evans and Chau Smith-Wade to step in at cornerback.
PASSING MONTANA
Lions quarterback Jared Goff grew up in Southern California as a San Francisco 49ers fan.
With 128 passing yards Sunday in Carolina, Goff can pass Joe Montana for 24th on the NFL's all-time passing yards list. Montana currently has 40,551 career passing yards just ahead of Goff with 40,424.
"Oh wow, cool," Goff said Wednesday when told how close he was to passing Montana. "That's awesome. I think you play long enough you start getting into those volume numbers like that. Very cool. That absolutely will be a cool moment. Grew up in the Bay and (Montana) is obviously the man there and that's awesome."
EXTRA POINT
The Lions signed linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga to the active roster from the practice squad and signed wide receiver Lawrence Keys to the practice squad Wednesday.
