Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions’ win was anything but satisfying, but it did end with undeniable relief. Detroit returned to its gritty wheelhouse and outlasted the New York Giants in a game where they trailed for 57 minutes and 28 seconds — the most they’ve trailed in a game in the Dan Campbell era (83 games, including playoffs). The Lions have trailed for at least 48 minutes in 15 games under Campbell, and this was the only one they’ve successfully pried away from the clutches of defeat.
The Giants, playing without their QB1, RB1, and WR1, threw the kitchen sink at Detroit. They battled their butts off, landed the first punch, scored on two trick-play touchdowns, and dragged the Lions into overtime only to lose another one-score game—very reminiscent of those gritty 2021 Detroit Lions who punched above their weight many weeks.
The extra football on a short week with the Green Bay Packers looming on Thanksgiving could prove costly. Being dragged into the deep end by a frisky, wounded New York football team was far from ideal and the stock report—full of fallers—reflects that reality. And for Detroit, the takeaway is simple: more than ever, they need their core players to elevate down the stretch.
Stock up: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB
Gibbs delivered a performance worthy of folklore—full-on Simba saving Pride Rock levels of heroism. He was the best player on the field and produced one of the most dominant games by a Lions running back this century, and one of the best by any Lions skill player in franchise history.
A week after accounting for 41.9% of the team’s receiving yards, Gibbs led the team in receptions and accounted for 51.2% of Detroit’s total yards from scrimmage. His career-high 264 scrimmage yards were the third most in franchise history—more than Barry Sanders ever recorded in a game—and his 219 rushing yards made him just the second Lion ever (along with Sanders) to eclipse 200 rushing yards in a game. An incredible 145 of those 219 yards were rushing yards over expectation per Next Gen Stats.
Gibbs is a steroid-era slugger as a homerun threat. He made the most of every touch, recording three explosive runs—49 yards, 49 yards (touchdown), and 69 yards (overtime touchdown). Few players in football are more dangerous in space; once Gibbs hits the second level, angles cease to exist. His 73.3% rushing success rate was the second highest of his career and his best of the season. With the rest of the offense sputtering, Gibbs was the steadying force who dragged Detroit to victory and delivered one of the NFL’s standout individual performances of the year.
Stock down: Dan Campbell, head coach and play-caller
For the first time all season, Campbell lands in the stock-down department. His team trailed the 2-9 Giants 10–0 at the end of the first quarter and spent the entire game fighting uphill, barely forcing overtime despite multiple opportunities to seize control. Detroit was out-executed and out-coached for long stretches, just a week...
