Lions Film Review: How Gibbs Overcame Slow Start to Save Offense

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs is well-known to opposing defenses.

Now in his fourth NFL season, Gibbs has managed to quickly become one of the most explosive players in the league. Against a New York Jets defense that ranks among the best in the league early in the season, he was in for a tough assignment.

Led by former Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, who is very familiar with Gibbs dating back to his time calling plays against him in practice, the Jets had a solid plan for the running back. Gibbs had just two carries exceed 10 yards, with a third going for 18 that was called back due to penalty.

However, when the Lions needed big plays throughout the game, Gibbs was there to help them. He came up clutch in the second half, scoring three touchdowns including two on the ground and one as a receiver that would be the game-winner.

Here's a breakdown of Gibbs' three biggest plays in Sunday's game, and how the Lions managed to get him the ball in the biggest moments to help them move to 2-1 on the season.

13-yard reception

After a first-quarter in which Gibbs ran the ball just twice, the Lions got him involved through the passing game in the second. Here, coordinator Drew Petzing dials up a crafty screen pass designed to get defensive flow going one way, then get it back to Gibbs going the other.

The Lions utilize pre-snap motion from Amon-Ra St. Brown to get an extra blocker in the direction of the screen, as well as get the defense moving. On the snap, Jared Goff fakes a handoff to Gibbs and boots to the right, which gets the Jets flowing to the offense's right side.

However, Gibbs takes that fake into the left flat, and the offensive line drifts in that direct. Isaac TeSlaa runs his defender out of the play, while St. Brown does the same while maintaining blocking leverage. Gibbs makes the catch with a clear gap to run, and fortunately for the Jets the play-side safety does wind up making what is essentially a touchdown saving tackle.

17-yard touchdown run

In the third quarter, the Lions held a 10-7 lead as they drove deeper into Jets territory. Facing a second-and-4 from the Jets' 17, Gibbs delivered a highlight play that evoked memories of Barry Sanders.

This play is nearly a disaster. It begins as a zone concept with the entire offensive line stepping to the right and upfield. However, neither Juice Scruggs or Tate Ratledge block the play-side defensive tackle, which leads to Darrell Jackson Jr. having a clear shot at Gibbs four yards in the backfield.

The backside defensive end, Joseph Ossai, is left unblocked by design. Because it's a zone play, the Lions are blocking in a wall to the right. However, when Gibbs bounces back to the right, Ossai is waiting for him because he was left unblocked.

In a way that only Gibbs can, the running back shakes Jackson and Ossai to begin turning the corner going back to the left. Jared Goff and Jameson Williams do their best to block for the back, but Gibbs simply outruns the rest of the Jets' defense leading to an exceptional score.

11-yard touchdown reception

The Jets would rally to tie the game at 24 with just over four minutes remaining, but the Lions answered right back with a 49-yard completion from Jared Goff to Isaac TeSlaa. Gibbs was stuffed for a one-yard loss, then caught a short pass from Goff on second-down to set up a third-and-5 from the Jets' 11-yard line.

Detroit quickly gets out of the hustle and lined up in a trips formation, snapping the ball quicky to try to get the Jets caught off guard. New York's defensive call plays right into Detroit's play-call, leading to a game-winning score.

All three of the Lions' wideouts are running some form of a vertical route. Sam LaPorta appears to be running a crosser, while Isaac TeSlaa is running a deep whip route and Amon-Ra St. Brown has a corner.

This is designed to pick on the flat defender. If the defender were to have stayed with Gibbs, it would open up one of the routes from either TeSlaa or St. Brown. However, the Jets send a nickel blitz and drop their middle linebacker into coverage, who has no chance of getting over to Gibbs to cover him.

As a result, Goff throws hot into the flats for Gibbs, who has nothing but space with the Jets playing man-to-man and trailing the receivers running vertical routes. As a result, it's a race to the end zone featuring one of the NFL's fastest players.

Final thoughts

Through three games, Gibbs has made a strong case to be the Lions' most valuable player. He has notched over 300 rushing yards and six all-purpose touchdowns. While there are rightfully concerns about whether or not his workload is sustainable, there's no doubt he should have the ball as much as possible.

Even while his performance was without a signature 20-plus yard run, he ultimately came up huge for the offense several times over the course of the game.

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