Lions PFF grades: Taylor Boggs is your MVP

If you are not aware by now, Pro Football Focus is a website that focuses on grading NFL players for their individual performances based on an in-depth review of every snap of every game. If you're interested, here is a look at their grading system.

Let's see what they had to say about the Detroit Lions' preseason victory over the New York Jets, shall we?

Offense

Best Grades

Taylor Boggs: +5.4
Greg Salas: +3.2
Michael Williams: +2.9
Golden Tate: +2.4
Laken Tomlinson: +2.2
Zach Zenner: +1.8
Matthew Stafford: +1.4
Theo Riddick: +1.4
Lance Moore: +1.2
Brandon Pettigrew: +1.1
Dan Orlovsky: +1.1

Worst Grades

Kellen Moore: -2.7
Larry Warford: -1.7
Darren Keyton: -1.5
Braxston Cave: -1.2
Jordan Thompson: -1.2
Jeremy Ross: -1.1

Analysis

The Lions had a whole lot of players in the green on offense, which, despite it being a preseason game, is great to see. I was a little shocked that Ameer Abdullah didn't receive a high enough grade to make the list, but this should all be taken with a grain of salt, regardless.

Two of the most impressive performances to me came from offensive guard/center Taylor Boggs and wide receiver Golden Tate. The fact that Tate was able to post the fourth-highest grade on just five snaps is astonishing. I know a lot of us are worried about wide receiver depth and who's going to emerge as the No. 3 WR, but is there a better one-two punch than Calvin Johnson and Tate in the NFL? I hesitate to even call Tate a No. 2, because it truly feels like the Lions have two No. 1 receivers across from each other.

Boggs had the performance of a lifetime and posted by far the highest grade of the night. He was on the field for 67 of the offense's 77 total snaps and paved the way for the run game with a +3.9 run grade. It will be interesting to follow him more closely during camp, and I'd say he's making a pretty strong case for a roster spot.

Boggs wasn't the only O-lineman wreaking havoc in the trenches, though. Rookie OG and first-round draft pick Laken Tomlinson had a pretty stellar performance of his own and had that look in his eye as if he was ready to hurt some people. This guy is the nicest person off the field and you would have no idea by how angry and tenacious he looks on the field.

Zach Zenner also had a great night and appeared to be the better of the two between him and George Winn. At this point, I would consider Winn the better contributor on special teams, but Zenner looks like a better runner. We'll see in a few weeks what the coaches value more out of a fourth-string RB.

The worst performance of the night on offense and defense has to go to Kellen Moore. His -2.7 overall grade was the lowest on the team, and it doesn't help that the guy he's competing with for the backup quarterback job (Dan Orlovsky) had a solid performance. Between his interception in the red zone, bobbled snap and low yards per attempt, it was a night to forget for Moore.

Defense

Best Grades

Corey Wootton: +2.2
Jermelle Cudjo: +2.0
Devin Taylor: +1.5

Worst Grades

Tyrunn Walker: -1.6
Ezekiel Ansah: -1.3

Analysis

There weren't many standout performances, bad or good, as far as the defense is concerned, but you have to give a lot of credit to the entire defense itself for limiting the Jets to just three points on the night.

Defensive linemen Jermelle Cudjo and Corey Wootton both had a great showing versus the Jets and combined for a +4.7 run-defense grade. Cudjo has had an impressive start to training camp this year, and his performance in Thursday night's preseason opener was just an extension of that.

The only two defensive grades that landed in the red came from starters Tyrunn Walker and Ezekiel Ansah. I wouldn't be too concerned over this, considering neither player was on the field for more than 15 snaps. However, with Walker competing for his first ever starting gig at defensive tackle, you'd like to see a little more out of him during some live game action.