Best Bet: Jahmyr Gibbs Beats Down Bears' Defense
The development of Detroit Lions rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs has significantly benefitted the offense.
Detroit's vision of having two talented running backs that can eventually wear down the opposition has started to come to fruition, giving the coaching staff confidence the team can meet its lofty goals this season.
Gibbs has averaged 68 rushing yards per game and 5.4 yards per carry.
Play Michigan writer Drew Ellis believes Gibbs will be able to continue contributing at a high level in Ben Johnson's offense.
"The Lions are facing a Chicago Bears defense that has been pretty solid against the run. Chicago is giving up just 76 rushing yards per game. However, Dan Campbell and the Lions are determined to run the ball. It is their identity and what makes their passing game effective," Ellis tells All Lions. "The Lions had over 200 yards against a Chargers team that was a top-10 rushing defense prior to facing Detroit. Gibbs has shown what he is capable of in the last three games. Campbell and Ben Johnson showed last week he is going to see a similar workload to David Montgomery going forward. With around 12-16 carries, I think Gibbs is easily able to get at least 42 rushing yards (-115). He’s broken a 20-plus-yard run in three straight games. So, just feed him the ball with this offensive line."
Predictions: Bears-Lions
Despite the Bears showcasing a stout rush defense, Detroit is going to continue to fine tune its scheme in order to run the football.
“I think every week, for us, we’re always going to look for the best ways to run the football," Johnson told reporters. "That doesn’t change. I don’t know, it’s a good question. I don’t know that we’ll necessarily lean one way or the other. It’s kind of the feel of the game once we get into it, but during the course of the week, we come out, ‘Hey, we feel like this is the best way to attack them in the run game. This is our complements off of it in the passing game.' And, it marries together here towards the end of the week. I probably have not fully formed that vision in my mind yet, until I see it in practice.”