D’Andre Swift could never find his footing in the Lions offense during his three seasons with them. After being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Swift was seen as a potential centerpiece of the offense. while that role never came to fruition, Swift may have found his perfect home for a fresh start.
After the Lions drafted Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of April’s draft, Swift was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles. Swift returned to his hometown and the thought was he could be a fit in their run-heavy offense. After one carry for three yards in week one, he bounced back in a big way in week two.
Not only did he bounce back with a career day but he did so against a former division rival, the Minnesota Vikings.
Swift’s previous career-high rushing came 368 days ago as a member of the Lions against the Eagles of all teams. Swift against the Eagles last September 11 rushed for 144 yards on 15 carries and found the endzone once. The Lions lost the game but that game potentially set the table for the Eagles eventually trading for him.
D'Andre Swift ran for a career-high 175 yards and a TD on 28 carries in his first start for the Eagles (+41 rushing yards over expected).
Swift recorded the 8th-highest success rate (64.3%) by any player with 25+ carries in a game since 2016.
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— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 15, 2023
Fast forward to last night and Swift created his own history by setting a new career mark. Against the Minnesota Vikings, Swift ran the ball 28 times and rushed for 175 yards on the ground while finding the endzone once. Behind that performance, the Eagles were able to hold off a late surge from the Vikings on their way to improving to 2-0.
As for the Vikings, they fell further down the NFC North rankings as they dropped to 0-2 to start the 2023 season. The Vikings and Bears remain winless to start the season with both the Lions and Packers starting their seasons with wins. The Lions won’t meet the Vikings until week 16 this season and by then the duo of David Montgomery and Gibbs should be a well-oiled machine.
The running back duo could be in for a big day against a division rival in December.