Jahmyr Gibbs’ most recent performance for the Detroit Lions had the former Alabama running back joining one-member NFL clubs that previously had been the sole province of LaDainian Tomlinson and Jim Brown.
In the Lions’ 34-27 overtime victory against the New York Giants on Sunday, Gibbs ran for 219 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries and caught 11 passes for 45 yards and one touchdown.
Before Sunday, Tomlinson had been the only player in NFL history to record a game with 200 rushing yards and 10 receptions. On Dec. 1, 2002, Tomlinson ran for 220 yards and three touchdowns on 37 carries and caught 11 passes for 51 yards in the San Diego Chargers’ 30-27 overtime victory against the Denver Broncos.
Over Detroit’s past three games, Gibbs has run for 400 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries and caught 19 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns. That’s an average of 9.54 scrimmage yards per touch.
Only one other player has averaged 9.5 scrimmage yards per touch across three games, with a minimum of 60 touches. Brown started the Cleveland Browns’ 1963 season by producing 489 yards and five touchdowns on 57 carries and 100 yards and one touchdown on four receptions. Brown averaged 9.66 scrimmage yards per touch in Cleveland’s three victories.
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“You can’t argue with everything that he’s able to do,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said of Gibbs on Tuesday. “He’s such a versatile player. And I go back to this: One of the reasons why -- well there’s many -- but that we loved him so much when he was coming out is that – man, forget the, which is a huge part of it, the ability that he has. He’s got some rare ability, but he’s smart. He’s a football guy. He can retain a lot of information. I mean, we put a lot on him now between the H and the F and playing the receiver and then he comes back to back. He can take all that on and knows all of it. Knows all those jobs, and it doesn’t slow him down.
“He’s got instincts. He’s an instinctive football player. He’s got unbelievable vision for a runner. He knows how to set up blocks, and then he’s got the explosiveness and speed to finish. So he’s got it all. And he can protect, so he’s an outstanding player. How can you not use the guy and get him some touches, get him a lot of touches?
“But also we got plenty around him, too. And we’re going to use those guys as well.”
Gibbs showed his “speed to finish” on his 69-yard touchdown run on the first snap of overtime against the Giants. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Gibbs reached 22.17 mph on the game-deciding touchdown run, the fourth-fastest speed recorded by a ball-carrier in the league this season.
The top speed belongs to Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor at 22.38 mph. Gibbs has the second-fastest speed at 22.34 mph and the third-fastest at 22.23 mph.
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“I mean, I wasn’t really thinking about carrying the team,” Gibbs said after Sunday’s game. “I just do whatever it takes to win. Whatever they call me for, you know, I’m willing to do. So, I mean, that was really my mindset.”
Gibbs set a career high for receptions against the Giants a week after he set a career high for receiving yards with 107 on five receptions in Detroit’s 16-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“I think I’ve always been able to do that,” Gibbs said of his pass-catching. “It’s just opportunities. I think they trust me a little bit more to be doing a lot more stuff, so I appreciate them for letting me do that.”
Battling by the Giants improved the Lions’ record to 7-4 for the 2025 season after Detroit had won four of its first five games.
On Thanksgiving, the Lions play the Green Bay Packers at noon CST at Ford Field in Detroit. FOX will televise the game.
At 7-3-1, the Packers are one-half game ahead of the Lions in the NFC North standings, with both teams trailing the 8-3 Chicago Bears.
Detroit lost to Green Bay 27-13 to open the season, then beat the Bears 52-21 in the second game of 2025.
The Lions close their regular-season schedule in Chicago. Between the Packers and the Bears, Detroit will play the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers and Minnesota Vikings.
“The NFC hooping right now,” Gibbs said. “They doing a really great job, so we just got to do our part and keep winning and find ways to win.”