Lions offense is thriving in 3rd-and-long situations

The Detroit Lions rank 2nd in the NFL in success rate on third down and seven or more yards to go.

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It’s not necessarily the greatest place to thrive, but the Detroit Lions offense is doing a great job on third-and-long. Through Week 11, only the Dallas Cowboys are more successful on 3rd-and-7 or longer, according to ESPN.

Detroit’s offense converts third-and-long at a 35.1 percent clip, well above the league average. It’s almost as high as their overall third-down success rate of 41.5 percent, which ranks 13th. They are 26-of-74 overall on 3rd-and-long, and that includes going 1-of-3 by running the ball.

Detroit’s offense faces third-and-long quite a bit more than the top-ranked Cowboys. Dallas has just 49 attempts, almost three fewer per game.

The top 10 is an eclectic mix of teams from all ranges of the NFL standings. The bottom five teams are all definitive playoff outsiders.

Thanks to ESPN NFL Matchup (via Twitter) for the graphic.