Some NFL teams will spend years trying to find a running back who can make the difference in all situations. The Detroit Lions have two. And they are dominant mainly thanks to the production of this tandem.
Posted at 1:23 a.m.
Updated at 8:00 a.m.
When they became free agents, a ton of teams were vying for the services of Derrick Henry and Saquon Barkley. In the different evenings of fantasy football organized before the start of the season, Bijan Robinson and Christian McCaffrey were selected before the main meal was even served.
In fact, all of these players, except McCaffrey, were able to prove their value after eight weeks of activities.
However, none of them are closer to reaching the promised land than Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery among the Lions. We believed that the aerial attack and the ferocity of the defense would carry this team with a thousand aspirations, but it is rather the ground game which is the proof of everything in this first half of the season.
No other team in the NFL can boast of having such an effective combination on hand. Statistically, no team can count on two running backs having accumulated more than 400 yards.
With 591 yards and 415 yards respectively, Gibbs and Montgomery shook up the offensive identity of the Lions.
With Jared Goff as mastermind, Amon-Ra St. Brown and Sam LaPorta had fun like children last season. The Lions used the aerial game 56.46% of the time. This season, Dan Campbell’s team fell below the 50% threshold.
With the performance of the ground game, it is difficult to imagine a world in which the Lions would change their formula. Having two running backs is a luxury. And this luxury acquires inestimable value when the two elements of the backfield complement each other like Gibbs and Montgomery.
The Lions score more points than anyone in the NFL, averaging 33.4 points per game and 4.1 touchdowns scored. Between them, Gibbs and Montgomery have 13 touchdowns, a third of the team’s total offensive production.
PHOTO PAUL SANCYA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
David Montgomery (5) touchdown catch in last Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, which ended 52-14
But beyond the statistical output, this two-headed monster gives infinite options to Ben Johnson, the team’s offensive coordinator. In the beating given to the Tennessee Titans last Sunday, we saw how creative the Lions are.
And even though the ground game may seem less spectacular, it is incredibly important in the Lions’ game plan.
The diversity of their offerings, more precisely, shakes up opposing defenses. The best teams in the NFL, as is customary, prioritize central corridors through running. The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, for example, run their running back between the two guards on 58% of their ground plays in first down situations. Few teams excel at edge runs.
However, thanks to their versatility and complementarity, Lions are adept at varying their attacks. They use the center lane in 32% of their races, the same for the right lane, and 36% on the left flank. Thanks to their consistency and unpredictability, the Lions mishandle their rivals. This is why they have won their last five games.
Jared Goff is lucky
Because sometimes you also have to pass the ball, Jared Goff is no stranger to his team’s success.
Less flamboyant than some of his contemporaries, the 30-year-old quarterback does a good job even if he uses his arm a little less. The quantity may not be there, but the quality is. Unlike the Fast and Furious film franchise.
Goff is certainly not fast, but he is dangerous. With a 74.1% pass completion rate, he is more accurate than any quarterback in the NFL. Averaging 8.9 yards per pass, he wins a first down almost every time the ball leaves his right hand.
PHOTO BRUCE KLUCKHOHN, ARCHIVES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff
But we come back to it, Goff is the quarterback who throws the fewest passes among those who have played all of their team’s games. However, don’t see this as a problem. His receivers are reliable and resourceful. LaPorta ranks third in pass catch ratio at 86.96% and St. Brown has already scored five touchdowns.
Still, the list of receivers who can make a real difference is limited. If one of the two players, targeted by 43% of Goff’s pass attempts, were injured, the latter would find himself without a target. And in the case of a playoff breakthrough, the Packers and Vikings excel against the aerial game.
Since Goff can’t pull off miracles like Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, the ground game will have to continue to deliver, because that’s what makes this contending team successful.
