The Indianapolis Colts run defense is going to be put to the test by the dynamic duo of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs in the Detroit Lions backfield.
“Detroit’s run game is the real deal,” said defensive coordinator Gus Bradley. “They’ve got two backs that are running at an extremely high level. Some say they’re the two best backs in the league, and they have them both on the same team.”
As an offense, the Lions will enter Week 12, averaging 4.7 yards per carry, which ranks as the eighth-best mark in football. That success begins with arguably the top offensive line in the game and then a backfield that features the aforementioned Montgomery and Gibbs.
Gibbs currently leads the league in yards per carry at a whopping 6.0, totaling 796 rushing yards on only 133 attempts, and has been one of the best at generating explosive runs. Montgomery, meanwhile, is averaging 4.3 yards per rush.
Each back brings something different to the Lions’ offense, with Gibbs the more shifty runner of the two and Montgomery the more physical presence; both have the ability to make defenders miss, with each in the top 11 in missed tackles forced.
That steady success on the ground keeps the offense ahead of the sticks and in manageable down and distance situations, where the entire playbook is then open for the Lions’ offense. On a 2nd-and-4, an offense can run, they can pass, they push the ball downfield, or dump it off, and to a degree, the defense has to be mindful of each option, which can then spread them out.
Or, in short, the defense is frequently at a major disadvantage in these scenarios.
Behind that run game, no team in football utilizes play-action more than Detroit or has put up more passing yards–and it’s not particularly close. Off of that play-action, and oftentimes with the defense on its heels trying to decipher whether it’s a run or a pass that’s coming, Jared Goff will pick opponents apart.
“When you have the challenge of they’re a really good run team and then they have the play-action off of it where they can get the big plays off of it, I think that’s what makes them so challenging,” added Bradley. “They’re very complete that way.”
The Colts run defense over the last month has improved with the return of DeForest Buckner to the mix, but this is still a unit allowing 4.4 yards per carry, which ranks 19th.
The Lions will enter Sunday’s game leading the NFL in scoring at over 33 points per game. The ultimate challenge with this team is that there doesn’t seem to be that one thing you try to take away.
If the plan is to load the box to limit the run, they have Goff and a talented group of receivers that will take advantage. If the defense goes light, then Detroit has zero problem running the ball all game.
Pick your poison, I suppose, but if the Colts are going to find a way to keep this Lions’ offense within reach, that is going to begin with not letting Gibbs and Montgomery run wild.
