Sione Vaki may have given the Lions exactly what they needed at exactly the right time.
Detroit has spent much of the season trying to sort out the running back spot behind Jahmyr Gibbs, and against the Minnesota Vikings, Vaki finally looked like someone the staff can trust. In the Lions’ 19-15 win, he turned in the best outing of his pro career, finishing with 65 rushing yards.
The box score doesn’t tell the whole story. Vaki didn’t find the end zone, and he didn’t rip off the kind of explosive runs Gibbs produced in the game.
But what he did provide mattered just as much: tough, physical carries in the fourth quarter that helped wear down Minnesota’s defense. He also held up as a pass blocker, and he looked comfortable doing whatever was asked of him.
That’s a meaningful development for a player who had not always looked the part during training camp and the preseason. This time, he answered the call.
Dan Campbell made it clear before the game that Vaki was under the microscope. The Lions needed him to deliver in a meaningful spot, and they needed more than just token snaps. Campbell said:
"Vaki was one of the guys we challenged this week going into this game. We were going to need him.
He needed to show up. (We said) he's going to need to get some carries for us, some significant carries.
They needed to be real yards and he was going to need to be able to pass protect for us. I thought he took he took a big step.
A huge step. He gained a lot of trust today.
A ton."
That kind of performance could keep Vaki in the mix as Detroit’s No. 2 running back. With Isaiah Pacheco expected back at some point in December, the backfield depth chart could get even deeper, but the Lions may also have more urgent issues to sort through elsewhere.
And that’s where the trade deadline picture starts to shift.
What had looked like a possible search for running back help may no longer be the priority. Detroit could be forced to focus on bigger concerns, especially on defense.
Jack Campbell’s situation leaves a major hole at linebacker, and Jimmy Rolder is out for the year. Add in the separate issues involving D.J.
Wonnum, Brian Branch and D.J. Reed, and the Lions may have more pressing depth problems than they do at running back.
For now, Vaki’s rise gives Detroit one less thing to worry about. More importantly, it gave the Lions a glimpse of what he might be able to become.
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