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

This post will run through MLive Lions beat writer Ben Raven's grades from the game.

Quarterbacks: Jared Goff wasn't at his best to open the season. However, the Detroit Lions quarterback was able to outweigh the bad moments with more good on the way 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, with the Rams unable to secure the second fourth-quarter interception before Goff led the Lions down the field to force overtime.

One of the quarterback's key plays came on the ground of all places, scrambling for a 7-yard gain on fourth-and-6. He wasn't able to lean on Amon-Ra St. Brown or Sam LaPorta like usual, but getting into a groove with Jameson Williams while the others are locked down and getting extra attention from defenses is what this offense has needed. Grade: B

Running backs: What more can be said about David Montgomery's performance? The Lions used the veteran back as a battering ram to put the Rams away for good, with 45 yards and the game-winning touchdown on five carries in overtime. Montgomery is the tone-setter for this offense, and he was right back to where he left off last season, getting stronger as the game went on and in the end zone to put the Lions ahead for good. He finished with 91 yards and the clutch score on 17 attempts.

Jahmyr Gibbs, who missed time in the offseason and training camp with hamstring woes, was there for 11 carries and 40 yards and a touchdown of his own. He slipped on a would-be touchdown route in the fourth quarter but deserves a ton of credit for his limbo extension touchdown. Gibbs will continue to get his chances, especially as he settles back into a groove. But this one-two punch opened the season the right way on a night where things weren't always pretty or easy. Grade: A

Wide receivers: Jameson Williams deserves all the flowers right now. Yes, there are concerns with the receiver depth. But on a night when Amon-Ra St. Brown was held in check to three catches for only 13 yards, he was exactly what this team needed. Williams caught five balls for 121 yards and one touchdown, adding 13 yards on the ground. His speed was on full display on the 52-yard touchdown, leaving cornerback Tre'Davious White in his dust down the field.

St. Brown was the only other wideout with a reception. Kalif Raymond was the third receiver, and Tom Kennedy saw some snaps off the practice squad. The Lions are going to need Tim Patrick or Allen Robinson, or both, up to speed much sooner than later. But if Williams can continue to play on this level, growing his connection with Goff, then this passing attack is terrifying because it's hard to imagine the Sun God having more games this quiet. Grade: B-

Tight ends: Sam LaPorta showed up late, with an 18-yard reception on the team's final drive in regulation. He finished as the second-leading receiver, with 45 yards and four receptions. Brock Wright nearly scored on his lone catch of the day. And Parker Hesse saw his fair share of action as a blocker and out of the backfield in his first game with the Lions. As we said for St. Brown, there are brighter and much more productive days ahead for the tight ends. The blocking seemed solid from this group all night, and there weren't any major miscues. Grade: B-

Offensive line: Outside of the pure domination from this group in overtime, the most impressive stat about the performance from the trenches was that the Lions went backward on only one rushing play. Frank Ragnow pancaked through LA's defensive line on the game-winning touchdown and reminded the league why he's considered one of, if not the top center on the planet. The Lions ran for 163 yards on Sunday night, moving the chains on the ground 12 times in the win.

There were a couple of false starts, but Goff seemed to take the blame for those. And while Kevin Zeitler and Taylor Decker got beat for sacks in the first half, this group was steady and reliable, seeming to get better the longer this game lasted. Grade: A

Defensive line: This sentiment goes for both the defensive line and linebackers. But after a week of talking about the Rams and their newfound altered approach to running the ball, the Lions held them to 83 yards on the ground. Kyren Williams ran 18 times for only 50 yards and one score, while rookie running back Blake Corum didn't even touch the ball.

Aidan Hutchinson and Marcus Davenport were creating pressure and getting to Matthew Stafford at an impressive clip, though. And that's a welcome sight, with Hutchinson badly in need of another running mate on the other side. Hutchinson and Davenport each hit Stafford four times, with the former getting home for a sack on the final play of regular. DJ Reader didn't play after entering as questionable. But Levi Onwuzurike was able to translate his offseason and camp breakout into Week 1, getting home for a sack with a nasty swim move to split the guard and center in the first half. There were some mistakes, like everywhere else, but this defensive line was solid in the tight-rope victory. Grade: B+

Linebackers: Alex Anzalone continues to deserve more praise for his work calling the shots and leading this defense. He opened the season with a whopping 13 tackles and three tackles for loss and always seemed to be near the ball. Anzalone was the lone Lions defender who had multiple tackles for loss. More is expected from Jack Campbell and Derrick Barnes moving forward, but there wasn't anything too egregious to hit them for after this game. They held a strong running game in check and managed to make some plays behind the line of scrimmage and in the red zone, owning the bend but don't break mentality. Grade: B+

Secondary: Matthew Stafford was dealing in this one, taking advantage of the cushion in coverage by targeting Cooper Kupp 21 times in the loss. Kerby Joseph made the big-time interception in the end zone before halftime, and Brian Branch and Carlton Davis III probably should have added two more picks. There were some tough moments for this group, more so than anywhere else on the defense. Branch missed two early tackles, and Terrion Arnold was hit with two pass-interference penalties in the end zone. Those aren't easy to survive and will need to be cleaned up moving forward. Also, Tyler Johnson's 62-yard catch-and-run to end the third quarter was one of those plays where it felt like things were turning bad for good. But this defense was able to hold enough for the victory. Grade: B-

Special teams: Jake Bates hit both field-goal attempts, including the late one to send the game to overtime. Bates connected from inside of 40 yards on both attempts and was clean on two extra points. Jack Fox hit a beautiful punt that should have been downed at the 1-yard line, but rookie Ennis Rakestraw Jr. came in a little too hot in a learning moment. There were no kickoff returns for the Lions, and they were able to stop the Rams short of the touchback spot on their lone attempt in that phase. Outside of the missed opportunity on Fox's perfect punt, this was a clean day, which anyone will take while breaking in a new kicker and long snapper combo. Grade: A-

Coaching: Give credit where credit is due. When it mattered, the Lions went back to their bread and butter, pounding the ball with Montgomery behind their mighty offensive line in overtime. There were also some strong play designs in this game, but some slipping on the turf and missed opportunities seemed to hold them back for most of this game. Ben Johnson is playing without much height out wide at receiver, so the offensive coordinator deserves credit for getting that much out of Jameson Williams and the rushing attack.

Aaron Glenn's defense played a lot more zone than expected, with Stafford looking like a wizard on some of those quick-fire passes to Kupp in space. But the defense kept the running game in check, made some big plays and answered the call when they needed it most in most situations Sunday night. After a preseason of hanging out on the sideline and hitting each other, there was sure to be some sloppiness, and that's what took place to open the year.

It's simply hard to doubt Dan Campbell's ability to lead this team. He's proven to be one of, if not the best at what he does. And even on a night when the Lions weren't at their best or cleanest, Campbell and his staff were able to contain the damage and get out with another win over these Rams. Grade: B+