When the Lions drafted running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round this year, they envisioned games like the one he had on Monday night against the Raiders.
Head coach Dan Campbell said that they “wanted to get Gibbs going” and the team got him the ball 11 times during the first quarter of the game. Gibbs turned those touches into 45 yards and he was just getting warmed up.
Gibbs ended the night with 26 carries for 152 yards and a touchdown that saw him climb into the stands to celebrate with Lions fans. Gibbs also had five catches for 37 yards in the 26-14 win.
“Every week, he’s just gotten a little bit better and a little bit better,” Campbell said, via Colton Pouncy of TheAthletic.com. “I thought last week was his best game and this week certainly surpassed that. And I think the more he gains his own confidence in his own abilities in this league, he’s just going to continue to grow and I think this was kind of the tip of the iceberg, if you will, for what he is able to do and going to be able to do.”
Gibbs’ workload might not have been so heavy had David Montgomery been available, but performances like the one on Monday will make it hard to dial things back for the first-round pick.
