‘You could tell he was feeling it’ – Jahmyr Gibbs fuels Lions on MNF،
DETROIT — After exploding for 189 yards from scrimmage in his “Monday Night Football” debut, Lions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs delivered a message to fantasy managers who have questioned his production all season.
“I’m tired of hearing it,” Gibbs said with a smile from his locker room after Detroit’s 26-14 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. “My fault. My fault.”
With veteran running back David Montgomery declared inactive for a second straight game, the No. 12 overall draft pick isn’t expected to hear much criticism this week, as Gibbs racked up 29.9 fantasy points after rushing for 152 yards with a touchdown while carrying a heavier load. .
Pro Bowl offensive lineman Penei Sewell said the Lions “finally saw the real Jahmyr.
“He was really comfortable out there, he seemed like he had a clear head and knew the game plan well, so to see him do what he does best, it was honestly crazy,” Sewell said. “I didn’t know he was that fast, and he makes it look effortless – and that makes us look better.”
The Lions coaching staff made a conscious effort to get Gibbs off to an early start with 11 touches in the first quarter on eight carries and three receptions, which was the most touches in a first quarter in the league since the release by Christian McCaffrey in Week 15 last season. .
Gibbs would finish with 31 total touches, as he recorded five receptions for another 37 receiving yards. On the other hand, the Raiders offense only totaled 157 yards on the evening.
“It was fun and it’s nice to know that your coach and your teammates have so much confidence in you,” Gibbs said.
Over the previous two weeks, the Lions ground game struggled, with just 124 total rushing yards. Against the Raiders (3-5), Detroit rushed for 222 yards as Gibbs found a rhythm.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff said the performance would be a “nice little stepping stone” for Gibbs as Detroit gets off to a 6-2 start for the first time since 2014.
“I think it was seeing him get into a rhythm,” Goff said of Gibbs. “As you could see where his workload was kind of on the field, off the field, on the field, off the field, and it was just like, ‘Hey, we’re going to keep giving you the ball .’ And you could see him starting to feel the defense a little better, feel those holes a little better, and he can do some pretty special things in space.
Detroit enters its bye week with the second-best record in the NFC, and there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic, as the Lions have the fourth-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL based on their opponents’ record (combined winning percentage of 0.421).
Detroit has five games left in the NFC North after winning six straight division games, tied for its longest such streak since the 1970 merger.
Coach Dan Campbell said the Lions accomplished their most important goal of “reclaiming our identity” after last week’s blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He said entering Monday’s competition, the Lions’ goal was to refocus and trust their process, which included a bigger role for Gibbs.
“We felt like we could do some things and we wanted to move Gibbs forward,” Campbell said. “We wanted to be able to establish the run, and you could see he was feeling it. Every week he got a little bit better, a little bit better, and I thought last week was his best game and this week certainly topped it..
“I think the more he gains confidence in his own abilities, in this league, he’s going to continue to grow, and I think that was kind of the tip of the iceberg, if you will, for what he is able to do. do and I will be able to do.”
