The Detroit Lions’ ground game is heading into a real test, and the timing couldn’t be more awkward.
Through Week 8, Detroit’s stuff rate sits at 20.9 percent, according to Pride of Detroit’s Jeremy Reisman. That number lands fourth-worst in the league, and it helps explain why the run game has felt stuck in neutral even though the Lions also rank fifth in rushing success rate over that span. The plays that get blown up are dragging down the rhythm of an offense that hasn’t been able to quite get rolling on the ground.
That’s a problem with the Minnesota Vikings coming up next. Minnesota’s defense has posted a 31 percent run stop success rate this season, and the Lions’ own run block success rate of 72 percent will need a serious jump if they want to keep the Vikings from dictating the terms.
The Vikings enter this matchup with a six-game winning streak, but the way they’ve built it is worth a closer look. The defense has been overwhelming at times, but the run-stopping numbers haven’t always told the full story.
Green Bay was held to 66 rushing yards in Week 1, while Chicago still managed 134 on the ground in a game played in torrential downpour and finished with Caleb Williams exiting because of a hamstring injury. Tampa Bay was limited to 57 rushing yards in a game that saw Baker Mayfield dislocate his thumb on a desperation heave, and New Orleans was held to 55 rushing yards in another game where the Vikings kept the pressure on.
Miami is, well, Miami. Indianapolis was held to 10 points, but Jonathan Taylor still ran for 95 yards.
The broader point is that Minnesota has been suffocating overall, but it hasn’t exactly erased every opponent’s run game from the map. That matters because Detroit needs a cleaner path to getting Jahmyr Gibbs involved.
Gibbs is more than a runner; he’s also a dangerous part of the Lions’ passing game. But the Vikings shut him out of that element last year on Christmas Day, and that kind of outcome is exactly what Detroit needs to avoid again. If the Lions want to open up everything else, they have to get the run game established early, force Minnesota to respect it, and make life easier on a passing attack that should, at least on paper, work behind Jared Goff.
The answer may be in a little more variety. Detroit needs to give Gibbs chances to use his speed on the edge and keep Brian Flores’ defense from pinning its ears back. Against what has looked like the NFL’s best defense, that’s the challenge in front of offensive coordinator Drew Petzing: find a way to make the run game matter, and do it before Minnesota can take it away.
In Other News...
Lions Suddenly Have A Tougher Cornerback Decision Than Expected
The Lions have gotten healthier in the secondary with Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph back in the mix, but the cornerback picture still looks unsettled enough to keep the front office on alert. Ennis Rakestraw Jr. has quietly given Detroit something to think about, showing encouraging coverage results while the defense as a whole continues to search for more consistency against the pass.
DJ Reeds numbers have been part of that concern, and the combination of uneven play and lingering questions at corner has made this a more complicated decision than the Lions probably expected a few weeks ago. With the trade deadline approaching, Detroit has reason to keep looking at outside help even as it tries to sort out how much trust to place in the corners already on the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Trade Deadline Plan Just Got A Telling Hint
With the NFL trade deadline drawing closer, Dan Campbell said the Lions are still actively weighing their options and that Brad Holmes and his staff have been working the phones as they sort through potential moves. It is the sort of familiar late-season posture for a contender trying to stay ahead of the market, especially with other NFC teams already making notable trades and reshaping the landscape around Detroit.
Campbell also made clear that the teams upcoming trip to Germany is not going to interfere with its ability to get something done before the Nov. 10 deadline. The timing adds a little extra intrigue to a front office that has stayed aggressive in the past, and it leaves open the possibility that Detroit is still looking to bolster a roster that expects to be in the thick of the race. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Are Juggling Two Injury Timelines That Could Matter Soon
Dan Campbell spent part of his latest injury update sorting through a few different timelines, and for Detroit that kind of news matters as the season tightens. Brian Branch is back without limitations after his Achilles injury, which is a welcome sign for a secondary that has had to manage its depth carefully, while Thomas Harper continues to work back from an ankle issue and could be in line to return in the coming weeks.
The more immediate watch is Kerby Joseph, who has been limited in practice because of a left knee injury. Campbell said the safety is expected to do much more next week, which at least gives the Lions a clearer sense of where his recovery stands as they try to keep the back end steady. Another injured player, Isiah Pacheco, is also moving in the right direction after back surgery, with a late-December return still in play. [Read more 🡒]