The Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are treating fans to a divisional matchup with huge playoff implications. The weeks are quickly going by, and teams are running out of time. The Lions need this win to keep up in the NFC, but haven’t been at their best on Thanksgiving.
They are without Sam Laporta, and Amon-Ra St. Brown left the game. The offense hasn’t been its explosive self. Jahmyr Gibbs has to be the guy to carry the offense, but he has been quiet in the first half.
Jahmyr Gibbs’ Slow Start
Gibbs ripped off a couple of nice runs, but hasn’t replicated his electric Week 12 performance. He’s going to be the focus of the defense, but the Lions need to get Gibbs going if they want to win this game.
Gibbs isn’t hurt and has been out there quite often. He has eight carries for 32 yards in the first half. They are trying to get him going, but the Packers have held him in check for the most part. The Lions didn’t need to use Gibbs to find the end zone right before halftime after Jameson Williams took over with two big catches, including taking a screen pass for a touchdown.
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Gibbs is coming off one of the best performances of his career in Week 12. He ran for 219 yards on just 15 carries. He averaged an absurd 14.6 yards per carry. He wasn’t just a weapon in the run game because he added 45 yards on 11 catches. It was simply an unreal performance, and you can’t forget the three touchdowns, especially the go-ahead score.
Gibbs owns the third-highest impact score in PFSN’s RB Impact metric at 86.6. He’s a force to be reckoned with on the field, and the Giants learned that the hard way. Now, he needs to translate that into Week 13 against Green Bay. The Lions will be banking on Gibbs breaking a run for a big play to help them turn the tide in their favor.
With St. Brown questionable to return and Sam Laporta out, Gibbs will be relied on in the passing game. They have to get him involved and give him the ball in space because good things will happen. Whether Gibbs becomes a significant factor in the second half is irrelevant as long as Detroit can secure a victory.
The Lions cannot afford to fall 1.5 games behind the Packers. Detroit is not currently in the playoff picture, and the NFC is not slowing down. In Detroit’s biggest game, they’ve dealt with the unfortunate injury to St. Brown, but the NFL is unforgiving, and the NFC North team must find something to erase this three-point halftime deficit or their season enters serious jeopardy.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.
