The Detroit Lions earned a 20-6 victory during their Week 3 showdown against the Atlanta Falcons at Ford Field.

Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 243 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder countered with 201 passing yards. The Lions defense ended the day with seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, seven pass deflections and eight quarterback hits.

“I just know collectively as a defense, we were on it,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said, via The Athletic Staff Writer Colton Pouncy. “The guys came out and everybody was in tune with the way we wanted to play.

“And it's not like we didn't play hard last week. It's just, man, you gotta clean things up and you gotta have everybody on board. And I just thought that the game plan was great, I thought the guys executed it well and I thought we played with a lot of intensity and tempo and set the tone for the day and just really never stopped.”

Who were some studs and duds from the Lions Week 3 win over the Falcons?

Lions Studs

Amon-Ra St. Brown

St. Brown, Detroit's leading receiver from the 2022 NFL season, finished the Ford Field matchup with 102 receiving yards and nine receptions on 12 targets. He hauled in a 20-yard pass from Goff with less than one minute in the second quarter, diving to make the reception near the boundary despite solid coverage from Falcons defensive back Tre Flowers.

St. Brown must continue his excellent play when the Lions take on the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sept. 28.

Brian Branch

Branch totaled 11 tackles, three tackles for loss and two pass deflections against the Falcons. The second-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft had recorded four tackles, three solo, during a loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. He stopped a run from Falcons running back Bijan Robinson as he gained a tackle for loss at the beginning of the second quarter.

“He really stepped up,” Campbell said after the game of Branch, via DetroitLions.com Senior Writer Tim Twentyman. “You could feel his energy. He gets better every practice.

“Every day he gets a little bit better. He's making big plays in critical moments as opposed to the other way. The more he plays the better he gets and the more he understands what we're trying to do. He's a playmaker.”

Aidan Hutchinson

Hutchinson notched four tackles, three solo tackles, two pass deflections, one tackle for loss and one quarterback hit. He recorded a strip-sack against Ridder, recovering the fumble from the former third-round pick near the Falcons 10-yard line with 1:59 remaining late in the fourth quarter.

Hutchinson and Detroit's defense kept constant pressure on the Falcons during the home win. Led by two from Hutchinson, six Lions ended the game with at least one sack. Six players recorded at least one quarterback hit, including two from defensive tackle Alim McNeill.

Sam LaPorta

LaPorta logged 84 receiving yards and eight receptions in the matchup with Atlanta. He proved to be a reliable target for Goff on short-yardage passes, but highlighted his day with a 45-yard touchdown reception that gave the Lions a one-touchdown lead with 10:05 remaining in the second quarter. LaPorta set a new NFL record for the most receptions through the first three games of a tight end's career, according to The Detroit News Staff Writer Nolan Bianchi.

“It's cool. I mean, it's cool to acknowledge for a little while and then gotta move on,” LaPorta said, via The Detroit News. “We got a game in four days, so gotta get ready for that.”

Lions Duds

Lions penalties

Detroit ended the game with 10 total penalties for 119 yards. Offensive tackle Penei Sewell was called for two penalties, according to Pro Football Focus. Offensive linemen Matt Nelson and Frank Ragnow were each called for one. Branch and cornerback Jerry Jacobs finished the home win with two apiece. Atlanta recorded a total of four penalties for 24 yards.

“They really won their one-on-one's today, a lot of guys and we fought on the back end, we really did. I thought we covered pretty good,” Campbell said, via All Lions. “Certainly there's some penalties we've got to clean up. We knew there would be but that's still too much. We can't have that but we overcame it and defense really set the tone for the day and I though the offense finished it.”