Three times in their last five games, the Detroit Lions have put up less than 320 yards of offense and they've lost all three. Outside of Week 10 against a bad Washington Commanders defense, the offense has not looked good over those five games. It's becoming a legit concern, whether those closest to it want to admit it or not.
He has not been immune to an occasional dud amid the Lions' recent offensive struggles. But running back Jahmyr Gibbs has generally been very productive, as he has become the Lions' clear lead back this season with David Montgomery in more of a background role (for better or worse).
Through Week 11, Gibbs is top-10 in the league in rushing (732 yards), yards from scrimmage (1,066), rushing touchdowns (eight), and total touchdowns (10). If the offense was better overall, those numbers would all be better.
Jahmyr Gibbs has been as reliable as he has been good this season
While an overall lack of sharpness and execution has been a far bigger issue than turnovers for the Lions' offense through 10 games, Gibbs has taken his ability to avoid losing control of the ball (three fumbles over his first two seasons) to another level so far this season.
Gibbs has seen a total of 183 opportunities (carries and targets) this season. According to Ian Hartitz of Fantasy Life, as he subsequently noted, what is credited as a dropped pass can vary based on the source (Pro Football Reference has Gibbs with one drop, as an example), that is the most carries and targets without a fumble or a drop in the league thus far.
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Led by Gibbs, here is Hartitz's list of those who have yet to fumble or otherwise drop the football this season:
-Jahmyr Gibbs (183)
-Quinshon Judkins (177)
-Rachaad White (129)
-Zach Charbonnet (115)
-RJ Harvey (93)
-Bhayshul Tuten (71)
-Brian Robinson (65)
-Chris Rodriguez (61)
In the comments to that Twitter post, when it was brought up, Hartitz fully acknowledged the analyst jinx he may have put on Gibbs and the others on that list of non-fumblers. So if Gibbs fumbles in Week 12 against the New York Giants, Lions' fans know exactly where to direct all of their ire.
The preseason idea of Gibbs taking on a bigger role in the Lions' offense has come to fruition through 10 games, to pretty good effect. And any concern there might have been about an increased workload decreasing his level of ball security has also been put to bed.