Sunday marked Gibbs’ third career game with three touchdowns and his second career game with 200 yards (tied for second most since 2023 behind only Jonathan Taylor’s three games).
“That dude is as good as they come in this league,” Goff said. “He stakes his claim throughout the league as one of the best players regardless of position. We’re lucky to have him. He’s so electric.”
Electric was the word of the day for the Lions, describing the game of the man known as Sonic.
Gibbs has proven that he’s not some jitterbug who needs space to thrive. On Sunday, he bounced off tackles, tore through linebackers, showed otherworldly poise before getting past a safety. The third-year pro is so fast that even graders can’t gauge the best angle to take him down.
Example: On Gibbs’ 69-yard TD run, his expected rushing yards were 7, according to Next Generation Stats. SEVEN. He scored 69 in a game that was analyzed for a touchdown 0% of the time and a first down 23.3%. It helps when the blocking is great, but Gibbs’ speed through the hole is on another level.
“Gibbs is electric,” coach Dan Campbell said. “When he found a crease, he was going to the house. It wasn’t about first downs and picking up a few yards. This guy is going to the house, and he’s got the juice to make it happen. He’s a big difference. He saved us today.”
The Lions’ offense hasn’t clicked in recent weeks, from offensive struggles to dropped passes from Goff to balls dropped from normally safe targets. The only thing consistently right has been Gibbs.
When the offseason discussion revolves around running backs, and the consensus is that they’re interchangeable parts of the football wheel, remember that’s not entirely true. Some are differences. Gibbs’ move is exhibit A.