Pride of Detroit
Before Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs blasted through the New York Giants’ defensive line for a 69-yard, go-ahead touchdown on the first play of overtime, Amon-Ra St. Brown had a feeling. Gibbs had been nearly unstoppable on the day, rushing for 150 yards on just 14 carries, and St. Brown pleaded with Lions coaches to go right back to him.
“The craziest thing ever. Overtime’s starting. I told (receiver coach/assistant head caoch) Scottie Montgomery, ‘Scottie, let’s run the ball. Trust me, we’ve just got to run in,‘” St. Brown said. “Scottie’s like, ‘Yeah, I agree. Let’s do it.’ I told (running backs coach Tashard) Choice, ‘Just run it.’
Then, when they took the field, St. Brown told both Gibbs and right tackle Penei Sewell to be ready.
“I don’t even know the play at this point. I’m like, ‘Penei, we’re going right. Jahmyr’s about to score. We’re about to score,’” St. Brown said.
Gibbs heard it, and that’s all he needed to hear.
“He said, ‘Score.’ I was like, ‘Bet,’” Gibbs said.
Sure enough, the Lions called Gibbs’ number, and ran a play—duo—right behind Sewell, who made one of the key blocks to spring the Lions’ running back.
“He’s dang good at duo,” Jared Goff said of Gibbs. “We were running it behind Penei and Tate (Ratledge), and they are really good at that deuce block up to the backer. It’s been a good run for us, and that’s not the first time he’s taken that exact play to the house.”
Gibbs finished with 219 yards—a career-high—on just 15 carries. It clears his previous high (152) by a significant margin, and it’s the second-most rushing yards from a back in a single game this season, just behind Colts’ Jonathan Taylor, who rushed for 244 yards in Week 10.
Even coach Dan Campbell had a feeling Gibbs may call game.
“I had a good feeling, I think we all did, about Gibbs,” Campbell said. “He just—you could feel it today. We were blocking him pretty good, and it was just, it was a good job. And he finished it.”
