LANDOVER, Md. – Of all the players on the Detroit Lions’ roster, Jahmyr Gibbs is typically the most soft-spoken one — brief with his words, never showing too much emotion after a loss or a win, always measured.
That changed Sunday night following Detroit’s 44-22 victory over the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium — a bounce-back win after admitting he and his teammates didn’t play the brand of football they’re used to during their Week 9 loss to the Minnesota Vikings.
“Yeah, last week we didn’t play even close to our standards. That’s probably the worst game we’ve played since I’ve been here,” Gibbs told reporters after the game. “We don’t want to ever put that on tape again. So pretty much tried to get back on our horse type of game.”
In that Vikings loss, Gibbs finished with 28 all-purpose yards and no touchdowns. But on Sunday against the Commanders, he bounced back in a major way — finishing with 172 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
Gibbs was a weapon in the passing attack, catching three of his four targets for 30 yards, including a 14-yard touchdown. On the ground, he finished with 15 carries for 142 yards and two rushing scores.
Lions coach Dan Campbell called Gibbs a “catalyst” for keeping the offense flowing throughout the game. Quarterback Jared Goff was more thorough, explaining how Detroit exploited Washington’s defense.
“Yeah, I think the way that they play on defense gives you a lot of chances to get the running back in advantageous matchups,” Goff said. “They do a lot of great things over there, and that’s one of their areas that they’re willing to be exposed on. And you got to expose them on it, and we did today, and I thought he did a great job out of the backfield as a receiver. And then obviously, the run game was incredible, too. But, yeah, he’s a unique weapon for us if we can use him like we did tonight.”
Gibbs’ first score came on the Lions’ opening drive, a 14-yard pass from Goff with 8:24 left in the first quarter to give the Lions a 7-0 lead after a Jake Bates extra point.
His second came with 9:41 before halftime — a 13-yard run that pushed Detroit to a 22-3 lead following a David Montgomery two-point conversion.
“I probably would’ve scored if it wasn’t for (Sam LaPorta and Amon-Ra St. Brown). I think it was the same touchdown if I’m not mistaken,” Gibbs said. “They pushed me in. Shout out to them. They always give me 100%, and vice versa, I’m always going to be there for them too.”
His final touchdown came with 12:54 left in the game — a 43-yard burst out of the backfield to give the Lions a 41-16 lead. Detroit’s offense clicked all game long, with Gibbs accounting for three of its eight scores.
“It’s really fun. Everybody gets the ball, everybody scores,” Gibbs said. “We all have fun dancing, whatever. Just like my little kids playing.”
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