When the Detroit Lions selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, it was no secret that the expectations were going to be high. Much like most first-round picks, those expectations tend to get put on players right away. Especially for running backs…
So far this season, Gibbs has been very consistent as a pass-catcher. He’s got 28 receptions on 33 targets that’s resulted in 165 yards. Against the Ravens, Gibbs was one of the lone bright spots for the Lions offense. He had 11 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. However, it’s felt like for some time that Gibbs was due for a breakout performance.
On Monday night football against the Raiders, he had that breakout performance. Against the Raiders, he had 26 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown. In addition to that, he had five receptions for 37 yards. He is showing that he can be a bell cow back; everything is pointing up for Gibbs and the Lions’ offense. Let’s jump into the tape from Monday night to showcase some of the best runs from Jahmyr Gibbs!
Starting with the play above, the Lions come out in a trips left formation but it’s a condensed set. As the center and left guard pull to the play-side, Gibbs takes the delayed hand-off from Jared Goff. In these tight areas, Gibbs shows quick feet, good burst and the ability to follow his blockers through the hole. Had he not got tripped up by the safety coming downhill, there’s a chance he would have taken this one to the end zone.
Moving to the next play, the play above was one of my favorite carries from Gibbs on Monday night. He shows terrific start-and-stop ability on this run. As he takes the hand-off from Goff, the original hole he was supposed to run through closes quickly. He bounces this run to the outside and shows terrific burst to hit the next opening. With great vision, effort and burst, Gibbs was able to make something out of nothing with this run.
Lastly, I want to cover the touchdown from Gibbs. It’s a perfect run, and it sums him up as the type of playmaker he can be for this Lions offense. On the play above, the Lions come out in 12 personnel and run a simple inside zone run.
As Gibbs takes the hand-off, he sees a defender pressing the line-of-scrimmage but he’s also able to see the slightest opening to his right. With a simple lateral cut, Gibbs cuts up-field and forces the initial defender to miss the tackle at the line-of-scrimmage. Getting through the opening, Gibbs has the explosiveness and burst to make defenders look silly. He does just that and once he makes another defender miss in the open field, he’s off to the races.
It was a career night for Gibbs with the 152 yards on the ground and the 37 yards through the air. He forced 11 missed tackles against the Raiders and 102 of his rushing yards came after contact.
As the Lions are on their bye week, Gibbs will get a much-needed break. However, I’d hope that he gets paired back up with David Montgomery in this Detroit backfield. Regardless, this type of performance should give the Lions and their fans reassurance that Gibbs can absolutely be one of the most dynamic weapons in the NFL.
