It’s been way too long since the Detroit Lions led the NFL in a positive category at pretty much anything. But league-best marks in the rushing offense?
Yeah, it’s been a long time.
Detroit hasn’t finished in the top 10 in rushing yards per carry since 1998. In the seasons since, the Lions have just two seasons (2013 and 2021) where their rushing attack didn’t finish in the bottom 10 in either yards per carry or total rushing yards, and most years both metrics were in the basement realm.
So far in 2022, the Lions run game has been a runaway success. Through Week 2, the Lions are running wild:
| Rank | ||
| Yards per carry | 7.2 | 1st |
| Rushing yards per game | 186.0 | 3rd |
| Runs of 40+ yards | 3 | 1st |
D’Andre Swift leads the charge. Swift has had one run of exactly 50 yards in each of Detroit’s first two games. Swift ranks fourth in the NFL in rushing yards at 200, but his 10.0 yards per carry tops the league. It looks even better when looking at some of the advanced rushing metrics.
When facing seven or more defenders in the box (a “stacked” box) Swift has been sensational. His yards per carry remains at the gaudy 10.0, by far the best in the league of players with at least five attempts.
Jamaal Williams has also been quite effective, and better than the raw stats might indicate. Williams averages just 3.5 yards on his 23 rushing attempts, but two of his runs were short-yardage TDs and two others were successful short-yardage conversions.
The blocking deserves considerable credit, too. Swift leads the league in average yards before contact at an absurd 6.2 yards figure. That’s almost triple the league average of 2.1. Craig Reynolds has only three carries but No. 46 gets 3.7 yards before he’s touched on those carries. Williams is at 2.6 overall, and he is just outside the top 10 on runs between the tackles at 1.87 yards before contact. Keep in mind three of his carries have been goal-line snaps.
It’s not just the line that is doing the blocking work, though OL coach Hank Fraley’s unit has battled through multiple injuries and still been very good. Wide receivers Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds and DJ Chark have all blocked well to help out the run game, too.
The 7.2 yards per carry isn’t sustainable over the course of the season. But the Lions being very near the top in rushing yards per carry, yards per game and explosive plays is something that could last all year.
All advanced stats are courtesy of The 33rd Team – The Edge
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