Jahmyr Gibbs keeps stacking up milestones, and this time he passed a name that lives deep in Lions history.
In Detroit’s 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Gibbs did plenty of damage on the ground, carrying the ball 25 times for 151 yards and two touchdowns. That second score pushed him into a place no NFL player had reached before: 58 career touchdowns before turning 25. That mark moved him past Barry Sanders for the most by any player younger than 25.
Gibbs, who is 24, has been on an early-season tear. He entered the game with five touchdowns and 353 rushing yards, numbers that had him sitting fifth in touchdowns and tied for fifth in rushing yards across the NFL. If he keeps rolling at this pace, he’s on track for a third straight 1,000-yard rushing season and a real shot at double-digit touchdowns.
The production has also put Gibbs into the mix for early Offensive Player of the Year talk. He is currently tied with Kenneth Walker III of the Kansas City Chiefs and Bijan Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons in DraftKings Sportsbook’s odds to win the award, per Vegas Insider.
But the bigger picture matters too. Gibbs’ big day helped lift the Lions to a 3-2 start, putting them in a three-way tie with the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears for second in the NFC North. The Minnesota Vikings also won on Sunday to stay unbeaten, keeping the division race tight.
Detroit now gets a bye week before returning on Sunday, Oct. 25, when it hosts the Packers.
In Other News...
Lions Head Into Bye With Real Momentum And One Defensive Concern
The Lions went into their bye week carrying the kind of momentum every team wants, fresh off a win over the Cardinals that featured important contributions on both sides of the ball. Jahmyr Gibbs was a steady force in the backfield, helping the offense with his running and his work in pass protection, while Sam LaPorta turned in one of his better outings with solid receiving production and a touchdown. It was the sort of balanced performance that can make a break week feel a lot better.
Even so, Detroits defense left the field with one issue that has lingered for a while: tight ends. The Lions were better in man coverage than they had been, but Arizona found repeated success attacking that position, and that is the sort of vulnerability opponents will keep probing until the Lions prove they can close it down. With the bye offering a chance to reset, that matchup problem now becomes one of the more important items on the postweek checklist. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Win Came With A Price Fans Will Be Watching Closely
The Lions Week 5 win over the Arizona Cardinals came with a pair of injuries that could ripple into the coming weeks, even if the scoreboard ended up in Detroits favor. Devin White and Tom Kennedy both went down during the game, and head coach Dan Campbell had little immediate clarity beyond ruling them out for the rest of the afternoon.
Whites situation is the more concerning one, as the veteran linebacker is dealing with an arm injury serious enough to put his short-term status in doubt. Kennedy also left with a knee injury, and the early indication is that he could miss some time too, leaving Detroit to wait on the next round of updates before it knows how much depth it has lost. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Gave Fans Real Hope And One Big Debate After Arizona
A shaky opening in Week 5 could have turned into one of those frustrating afternoons, but Detroit settled in fast against Arizona and spent the rest of the game looking like a team capable of handling the moment. Once the Lions found their footing, both sides of the ball started to click, with the offense solving things through the air and on the ground while the defense tightened up in a way that has to encourage a team still searching for consistency.
Arizona may not be the measuring stick that settles every question, but Detroits response still mattered because it looked cleaner and more complete than what many other teams have managed against the Cardinals this season. The bigger debate now is less about whether the Lions flashed real hope and more about how much of this performance represents a true step forward, especially after a start that could have easily sent the day in a different direction. [Read more 🡒]