DETROIT — Richard Silva grades the Detroit Lions in their 44-30 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.

Quarterback

Jared Goff took an absolute beating early on, having to deal with five quarterback hits and a sack on his first seven dropbacks. It resulted in a slow start for the QB, outside of a couple short throws to Jahmyr Gibbs that the running back turned into larger gains. Goff was fairly clinical when given time, with the exception of a misfire to Amon-Ra St. Brown midway through the second quarter and an overthrown pass to Isaac TeSlaa that should’ve been a touchdown, given cornerback Shavon Revel slipping while in coverage. Goff redeemed himself by rifling a laser to Jameson Williams in the fourth quarter, and doing it while getting a hand to his face from former teammate James Houston. Grade: A-

Running backs

The Cowboys entered Thursday with the NFL’s second-best run defense since Week 11 (69.7 rushing yards allowed per game), which is when they acquired defensive lineman Quinnen Williams in a trade with the New York Jets. The Lions elected to combat that stout defensive front by only having Gibbs and David Montgomery run the ball six times on the team’s first 30 plays. The duo still found a way to make an impact. Gibbs finished with 120 total yards and three scores on 19 touches, and Montgomery ripped off a 35-yard run to give the Lions their second touchdown. Gibbs forced multiple missed tackles, including one on a third-and-long conversion against cornerback Daron Bland. Grade: A

Wide receivers/tight ends

Facing a third-and-medium near midfield and with the Cowboys mounting a dangerously-close comeback, Jameson Williams came through when the Lions needed him most by beating defensive back Markquese Bell on a crossing route for a 29-yard catch. Williams led the Lions in receiving yards (96). Amon-Ra St. Brown, fighting through his ankle sprain, complemented Williams with 92 yards on six catches, including a 26-yard reception to set the table for Gibbs’ first touchdown two plays later. On the rep between his catch and Gibbs’ touchdown, St. Brown laid a nice block to help spring Williams on a 7-yard sweep. Grade: A

Offensive line

The offensive line, down to their third option at left guard (Trystan Colon), certainly got off to an inauspicious start. But it responded well, and it was able to a moderate level of consistency running the ball in the second half. Penei Sewell made a key block on Montgomery’s touchdown, and Colon climbed to the second level to make sure linebacker Kenneth Murray wouldn’t make the tackle. Miles Frazier, who alternated in at LG, was encouraging in his debut, though he had a pivotal mistake on the first play of the fourth quarter, jumping early on what could’ve been a huge chunk to Williams on a screen to the receiver. Grade: B

Defensive line

For the first time since Week 11, Detroit’s defensive line produced a sack in regulation. It came at an opportune time, as Al-Quadin Muhammad, who had a career-best three sacks, won around the edge on third down to force the Cowboys to settle for a field goal on their first possession. The defense also got back to limiting the run. Javonte Williams was limited to 3.9 yards per attempt, well below his average before Thursday (4.8). DJ Reader was integral here, as was Tyleik Williams. Grade: A

Linebackers

Jack Campbell added another strong performance to a season that could end with All-Pro honors, notching a team-high 12 tackles while also sacking quarterback Dak Prescott for a near-safety and punching the ball free from tight end Jake Ferguson for a fumble. He was also impactful as a run defender, as usual, positing two run stops. Derrick Barnes had his first career interception in the regular season on the first play of the second half, as he corralled a deflected pass to put the Lions in the red zone. Grade: A

Secondary

George Pickens was held in check (37 yards on five catches), but CeeDee Lamb was productive (121 yards on six catches) before leaving with a concussion and second-year pro Ryan Flournoy took advantage of some botched coverage with a 42-yard touchdown. D.J. Reed had a tough outing, allowing Lamb to to break free for explosive gains of 21 and 32 yards, and he was was flagged twice for penalties while working against Pickens (one was offsetting). Amik Robertson was responsible for a handful of receptions — including Flournoy’s long score — but give him credit for popping the ball into the air on Barnes’ interception. Grade: C+

Special teams

Another one of Jake Bates’ kicks was blocked (this time by defensive lineman Sam Williams), but that was the only negative in an otherwise promising evening. Bates made his three other attempts (from 38, 46 and 47 yards away), and the Lions averaged 32.6 yards on a combined eight kickoff returns by Tom Kennedy and Jacob Saylors. Jack Fox punted twice and averaged 42 yards. Fox, with the help of a penalty, pinned the Cowboys at their own 5-yard line once. Grade: A-

Coaching

Make it 15 wins in a row in games immediately after a loss within the same season. The Lions desperately needed this victory to keep their playoff hopes alive, and they found a way against the red-hot Cowboys. Credit to Dan Campbell for the way he handled the end of the first half, showing aggression by calling timeouts after second and third down on defense to present his offense a chance to score points. The result was Bates’ 47-yarder to give the Lions a two-possession lead at the break. That’s very different from how Campbell handled an end-of-half situation at Philadelphia in Week 11, when he was content with the first-half clock expiring. Grade: A