Tag: Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions highlights: Jahmyr Gibbs kept Lions alive with pair of touchdowns

Lions highlights: Jahmyr Gibbs kept Lions alive with pair of touchdowns against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15

Just when it looked like the game was over following the botched onside kick, Jahmyr Gibbs is keeping the Lions alive against the Bills.

First, Gibbs got the Lions within 38-28 after catching a 12-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff.

 

After the botched onside kick and subsequent Buffalo touchdown, Gibbs got right back in the scoring action with a one-yard touchdown run, with an assist fr Penei Sewell, to make the score 45-35.

 

Gibbs has 93 total yards and two touchdowns, helping his fantasy owners in the playoffs after a quiet first half.

Detroit Lions Podcast: Bisch and Brown preview Lions and Bills

Detroit Lions Podcast: Bisch and Brown preview Lions and Bills in Week 15 and cap off the win over the Packers

In a NEW episode of Bisch and Brown for the Detroit Lions Podcast, Russell Brown and Scott Bischoff return to talk everything Detroit Lions! In this episode, the guys talk about the following:

  • Lions gutsy win over the Green Bay Packers
  • Was that Thursday Night game a top-5 game of all-time?
  • Also, it feels like we’ve reached a turning point in the season. Russ explains it in this episode.
  • Lastly, the guys preview the Lions matchup against the Bills!

All that and more with Bischoff and Brown on the Detroit Lions Podcast! Be sure to rate, review and subscribe to the Detroit Lions Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcast, YouTube and wherever else you get your favorite shows!

Why Bills-Lions promises to be offense explosion in Week 15

Why Bills-Lions promises to be offense explosion in Week 15

When the Buffalo Bills travel to Ford Field to take on the Detroit Lions in Week 15 they will face the only team in the NFL that scores more points than them.

The Lions (12-1) average 32.1 points per game, leading the NFL. The Bills (10-3) average 30.5 points per game, second in the NFL. They are the only two teams in the league that average over 30 per game.

Though both teams are well-rounded in all phases, their explosive offenses are the reason they are both among the favorites to win the Super Bowl.

But, they haven’t always produced these types of numbers. Both Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and Bills offensive coordinator Joe Brady made drastic differences recently for their franchises.

Johnson took over the reigns as OC in Detroit in 2022 and immediately enhanced the offensive output. The Lions improved from the 25th-most ppg in 2021 (19.1) to the 5th-most in 2022 (26.6). And in return, the team improved from a 3-13-1 record in 2021 to 9-8 in 2022.

In 2021, quarterback Jared Goff posted the 17-highest passer rating in the NFL (91.5) and with Johnson in 2022, he shot up to 7th-best in the NFL (99.3). It was his best passer rating since the 2018 season in which he went to the Super Bowl under the offensive-minded Sean McVay with the Rams.

Goff earned a Pro Bowl appearance in 2022 and posted a career-low interception percentage (1.2%). Fast forward a couple of years and the combination of Goff and Johnson continues to get better. He is currently second in the league in passer rating (109.1).

Brady had had a similar effect on Josh Allen. From 2021 through 2023, Allen averaged a passer rating of 93.7, and so far in 2024, Allen has a rating of 101.9.

In 2024 (Brady’s first full year as OC), the Bills are averaging the second-most points per game in a season in Bills history. Their 30.5 ppg trails only the 2020 team (31.3 ppg).

Since Brady took over as the interim OC in Week 11 of 2023, the Bills are 16-4. But, both Johnson and Brady would tell you that they wouldn’t be as effective as coordinators if they didn’t have the special talent that they do on offense. And it’s not just the talent of the players they have but rather the versatility of their guys that can allow their offenses to win in many different ways.

In the 2024 offseason, Brady coined the phrase “everybody eats” as he was sharing his vision for the Bills offense. In July, he said, “We’re kind of in the process of trying to see what all of our guys can do, their different skill sets. I’m so excited about the group that we have, the tight ends and the receivers, because it’s so many different skill sets. You hope that the versatility allows it to play a little harder for defenses to defend.”

His vision has come true. The Bills have multiple weapons at running back, tight end, and receiver that can all hurt a defense in different ways. As for Johnson and the Lions, they are taking a similar approach due to their plethora of playmakers at the skill positions.

Following a Week 5 win over the Cowboys in which they scored 47 points, Johnson talked about the ways he can get creative as a playcaller and give a defense different looks due to the variety of talent he has to work with. Not only can he spread the ball around, but he can mix in trick plays, too.

“The well is deep,” Johnson said regarding his playbook. “We can run a million different types of plays. With that, I don’t like to run the same one twice.”

Over their last four games, the Lions have four pass-catchers averaging at least 35 receiving yards per game: Amon-Ra St. Brown (84.8 ypg); Jameson Williams (74 ypg); Tim Patrick (43 ypg); Sam LaPorta (36.3 ypg). And, they have two running backs averaging at least 60 rushing yards per game over that time: Jahmyr Gibbs (72.3 ypg); David Montgomery (62.8 ypg). Add in the fact that both Gibbs and Montgomery can hurt you in the passing game, and that St. Brown and Williams can take a jet sweep, and you can see why defenses have been in a bind all year against them.

As for the Bills, they have a strong possibility to get WR Keon Coleman and TE Dalton Kincaid back into the lineup after they have both missed time. They would join an offense that just scored 42 points last week without them, scoring six touchdowns and committing zero turnovers.

The Bills are looking to get the sour taste of last week’s loss to the Rams (44-42) out of their mouth. With Week 15 being another game in cozy dome between two high-powered offenses, this one may be a second-straight shootout for Bills.

Both teams still have a lot to play for, with the Bills chasing the one-seed in the AFC and the Lions trying to fend off an 11-2 Vikings team in the NFC North.

Getting Taylor Decker back should help the Lions run game

Getting LT Taylor Decker back after missing two games should help the Detroit Lions rushing attack in Week 15 against the Buffalo Bills

Taylor Decker was back as a full participant in Wednesday’s Detroit Lions practice. That’s a very welcome sight as the Lions prepare for Sunday’s showdown against the Buffalo Bills in Ford Field.

Decker, the Lions’ starting left tackle, has missed the last two games after suffering a knee injury in the Week 12 win in Indianapolis. Dan Skipper has filled in capably as Decker’s replacement, but there’s a noticeable difference in Detroit’s offense when Decker isn’t on the field. It’s most evident in the run game, specifically Jahmyr Gibbs and also the inside runs.

Gibbs was still able to hit a couple of home runs in the Thanksgiving win over the Bears, but nearly all of his success came to the right side of the line, following Kevin Zeitler and Penei Sewell. On three carries to the left of center Frank Ragnow, Gibbs netted a total of 11 yards. A week later against Green Bay, Gibbs had his worst game of the season, netting 43 yards on 15 carries. Anything between the tackles was quickly snuffed out, as the combination of Skipper and left guard Graham Glasgow really struggled to complete their run-blocking assignments.

Green Bay’s defensive front deserves some credit for that, but Decker’s physical presence and savvy were missed, too. His quickness off the snap and readiness at the point of attack just isn’t there with Skipper, and it appears to impact Glasgow’s effectiveness, too.

David Mongtomery has also suffered when Decker hasn’t played. When Decker missed the win over Houston, Montgomery had a season-worst 32 yards on 12 carries. That game was Detroit’s worst rushing grade from Pro Football Focus in 2024, and Decker’s absence was not coincidental.

The Lions have been utilizing zone running concepts more than in prior years under Ben Johnson as the offensive coordinator and Hank Fraley as the offensive line coach. That shift from being more gap and duo-dominant has suited Decker very well. No. 68 carries his power well in zone, and his vision and engagement balance in zone blocks, which focus more on blocking a spot than a specific player, greatly exceeds what Skipper offers.

Getting Decker back also shifts Skipper into his familiar 6th lineman role, where the giant veteran might be the NFL’s best. The Lions haven’t used the sixth OL much with Decker out and Skipper at LT; Detroit went “heavy” three times (all practice squad elevation Jamarco Jones) on Thanksgiving and didn’t use that package once against Green Bay. With Decker back, it opens up that portion of the playbook for Johnson & Co. against the Bills.

Provided Decker remains a full participant and carries nothing worse than a questionable designation for Sunday’s game against Buffalo, the Lions run offense is poised for a more diverse, bigger game in Week 15.

Dan Campbell not at all worried about Jahmyr Gibbs leaking the Lions OL calls

Lions head coach Dan Campbell not at all worried about Jahmyr Gibbs inadvertently leaking Detroit’s OL calls in a social media post

There was considerable consternation last week when Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs posted on social media a picture from inside the Lions meeting room. Behind fellow RB Jermar Jefferson was a whiteboard that showed the offensive line pass protection calls, exposing the code words and adjustments for the world–and opposing defenses–to see and study.

The post was brought to Detroit head coach Dan Campbell’s attention at the end of a press conference, and a clearly bemused Campbell walked off while noting,

“I need to check on that. Did not know that. Yeah, I’d rather our stuff not be out there.”

The head coach doesn’t seem fazed by the situation. Far from it, in fact.

“I don’t really give a crap,” Campbell said Monday during his weekly radio spot on 97.1 The Ticket. “If we’re going to lose because of code words then we’re not good enough anyway. So I think we’ll just post the whole fricking playbook out there and every code word we’ve got. And it doesn’t matter. It’s not going to hurt us, it won’t affect us and it’s all good.”

Campbell noted that everything is already out there on tape,

“It’s all out there and you can find any and everything that you need on the tape and how to attack people, how they’re going to attack you and no, listen, I’m not losing sleep over that.”

He added that Gibbs was not fined for unintentionally leaking the info.

Film Room: What’s been going on with Lions TE Sam LaPorta this season

LaPorta isn’t coming close to his record-setting rookie performance, and there are a few indicators as to why

One year ago, Detroit Lions TE Sam LaPorta was having a historic rookie season. Through 10 games of that rookie season, he recorded 50 receptions for 492 yards and four touchdowns. Ultimately, he ended up with 86 receptions for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023.

This season, things have changed and the sophomore slump seems apparent. Through 10 games this season, LaPorta only has 28 receptions for 385 yards and three touchdowns. Certainly, it’s not the worst stat line but the expectations for LaPorta were going to be high due to what he did last season as a rookie.

Put the production aside and it’s evident that LaPorta looks “off” this season. While he’s struggled with staying healthy, he’s played through injuries but just doesn’t look as sharp as he did a season ago. Let’s dive into some film and see if we can spot the differences.

https://x.com/RussNFLDraft/status/1861395481974448197

Starting with LaPorta blocking, there will always be ups and downs for tight ends in this area. Much of that is due to alignment, blocking in space or who they have to block. Sometimes there are just mismatches for the position. However, the play above is a positive from LaPorta.

Looking at the play above, you can see LaPorta aligned next to Taylor Decker (LT 68). Once the ball is snapped, he comes off the line with a jab step using his left foot. This forces the defensive end to take an extra step out and away from the ball and most importantly, it gives Decker a better chance or angle to seal the defensive end.

As for LaPorta, he begins to climb to the second level. From there, his aiming point is the outside shoulder of Colts cornerback (40) Jaylon Jones. Once LaPorta gets close, he throttles down with good pad level and begins to buzz his feet as he approaches the defender. Within striking distance, he hits with his hands and follows through with his feet. From there, he keeps his feet chopping and clears the defender 10 or 15 yards downfield.

https://x.com/RussNFLDraft/status/1720269409875320894

Going back to last season, there was obvious trust between Jared Goff and Sam LaPorta. Using the play above as an example, we go back to the Monday Night game between the Lions and Raiders.

Looking at the play above, the Lions use pre-snap motion to get into a 2×2 set. Once the ball is snapped, you’ll see LaPorta running a post route but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s running an option route. That route would change depending on the depth and direction of the middle linebacker for the Raiders defense.

Reading the safeties, Goff knows there’s a potential mismatch and opening for LaPorta to score a touchdown. Meanwhile, there’s some obvious trust for Goff to throw the ball in a tighter window due to the linebacker’s coverage drop.

https://x.com/RussNFLDraft/status/1861397242906603542

All of that said, it just feels like there’s a disconnect between Goff and LaPorta this season. Moving back to last week against the Colts, the Lions are faced with a 3rd and short on their opening drive of the game. These down and distances tend to be very manageable for the Lions but this one ended up being a negative play.

Looking at the play above, the Lions use pre-snap motion to get into a condensed 3×1 set with their ’12’ personnel (one running back and two tight ends). Rather than running the ball, the Lions drop back to pass and coming off an exit motion is Sam LaPorta.

As LaPorta starts to get upfield, he breaks to the middle of the field on what appears to be a snag route at 5 or 6 yards. Rather than throttling down, sinking his hips and sitting in the passing window, LaPorta runs with high pad level and drifts towards the middle of the field. Despite very good coverage from Colts LB (44) Zaire Franklin, it felt like Goff would have tried to fit this pass into this window last season. Additionally, it feels and looks like LaPorta would have ran this route a lot cleaner a season ago.

Overall, we should all be very pleased to have Sam LaPorta as the starting tight end for the Lions. He’s an asset to the offense due to the fact that at any point, he could produce a big game. Meanwhile, defenses have to honor him whenever he’s on the field. If not, the Lions offense could really stay hot like they’ve been for most of this season.

Despite it looking evident of some type of disconnect between Goff and LaPorta, we’re starting to see increased targets for the second year tight end. Over the last four weeks, LaPorta has seen 21 targets and it’s led to 14 receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns. The four weeks prior to that, he had only seen 9 targets.

As the Lions reach the final month of the season, it wouldn’t be surprising for their offense to start featuring more of LaPorta in the passing game. Especially now that we’re starting to see injuries to some of their playmakers such as Kalif Raymond, David Montgomery and Amon-Ra St. Brown. There’s no reason to hit the panic button but through this point of the season, there’s been some concern with Sam LaPorta. This Thanksgiving against the Chicago Bears

 

Lions now 10-0 when Gibbs and Montgomery both score TDs

Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery each scored TDs in the Lions win over the Colts. Detroit is now 10-0 when both score i the same game

When Jahmyr Gibbs scores, good things usually happen for the Detroit Lions. When David Montgomery scores, good things usually happen for the Lions.

But when they both score? That almost guarantees a win for the Lions. Sonic and Knuckles, as they are now affectionately known as, have each scored a touchdown in the same game ten times. Detroit has won all ten games.

Montgomery, who rushed eight times for 37 yards and a score before leaving with an injury, knows that there are still bigger goals ahead of them, saying they want “the whole cookie”, the cookie being a Super Bowl win.

When asked why it’s a big cookie, Montgomery said “It’s so much sweeter.”

Monty and Gibbs look to continue their roll on Thanksgiving against the Chicago Bears. The Lions moved to 10-1 with their 24-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

Jahmyr ‘Sonic’ Gibbs gets Lions on board with one-yard score

Jahmyr ‘Sonic’ Gibbs gets Lions on board with one-yard score

After spotting the Colts a field goal in the first quarter, the Lions got on the board in the second quarter, thanks to their own Sonic. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs ran left near the goal line and found the end zone from a little over one yard out. That gave the Lions their first lead of the game at 7-3.

The Colts have since added another field goal, cutting the Lions’ lead to 7-6. But for now, Sonic is the difference maker as the Lions look to push their record to 10-1 and continue closing in on the No. 1 seed in the NFC and home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit’s Sonic, responsible for two of the fastest runs this season

Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit’s Sonic, responsible for two of the fastest runs this season, including one vs. the Jaguars

Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is fast. Glad we got that out of the way. There’s a reason he’s now known as Sonic with David Montgomery as Knuckles.

Thanks to Zebra Technology/Next Gen Stats, we have some actual numbers to prove how fast he is. For example, Gibbs reached a speed of 21.8 miles per hour on his 54-yard catch in the second quarter of Detroit‘s 52-6 blowout win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. That was tied for the 6th-fastest speed for a ball carrier this season and the 2nd-fastest in Week 11.

On top of that, Gibbs is responsible for two of the top six fastest runs in the league this season. He hit 22.03 miles per hour in Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams. That still marks as the third-fastest run for a ball carrier this season.

So just to be clear, yes, Jahmyr Gibbs is pretty darn fast.

Lions set record for consecutive games with rushing touchdowns

Lions set record for consecutive games with rushing touchdowns

It’s nice having David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. The Lions are almost a virtual lock to score a touchdown on the ground between those two. In fact, they just set an NFL record Sunday because of them, specifically Monty.

Montgomery’s first-quarter touchdown run marked the 24th consecutive game, including the playoffs, in which the Lions have scored a rushing touchdown. That is the longest streak in NFL history. The streak dates back to Week 6 of last season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They are also now at 21 straight regular-season games with a rushing touchdown. That’s tied with the 1974-76 Miami Dolphins for the 3rd-longest streak in the NFL history.