The Lions were missing their Pro Bowl center for the final 13 games of the season. They were missing their starting left tackle for the first eight. Their top two running backs missed eight games combined. For a few weeks, they were handing the ball to a dude named 'Netflix,' because that's what he was watching on his couch the day before he signed with Detroit. Even so, the Lions just put together their best rushing season in over 20 years.
"It’s big time," said second-year guard Jonah Jackson. "But we just look to build on it next year."
In terms of sheer volume, it might not look like much. The Lions were 18th in the NFL in rushing yards per game (111.7) entering the season finale against the Packers. But in terms of efficiency -- and isn't that what matters? -- the Lions turned back the clock to the 1990's. They finished the year averaging over 4.4 yards per carry for the first time since they were handing the ball to a dude named Barry.
That was in 1998. And that was with the greatest rusher in the game at the peak of his powers. Barry got almost 200 more carries than the Lions' leading rusher this season, D'Andre Swift. These Lions didn't need a bellcow to make hay. If it wasn't Swift, it was Jamaal Williams. When it wasn't either one, it was Craig Reynolds. Sometimes it was even Godwin Igwebuike. Whoever the team plugged in there, he gained yards behind a rugged O-line.
And how 'bout that O-line? It was supposed to be a force centered around Frank Ragnow. It was a force all the same centered around Evan Brown. It was supposed to be anchored on the left by veteran Taylor Decker. It was anchored all the same by rookie Penei Sewell on the right, only after he anchored it on the left. Jackson, in the words of Dan Campbell, proved he's a "staple" at left guard. Halapoulivaati Vaitai might have proved the same at right guard.
"Whoever we got in there (at running back)," said Jackson, "we’re going to block, run the ball, score and win."
For years, and years and years and years, the Lions tried building a ground game around the arm of Matthew Stafford. But their offensive identity always came back to the pass. Stafford's departure, for better or worse, allowed the Lions to recalibrate. Moving forward, this feels like a team that will be built on the run. The run, you may have heard, sets up the pass.
That's why Amon-Ra St. Brown was grinning when the Packers thought they had him stopped on what appeared to be an end-around early in the first quarter. The Lions had run that play with success the past couple weeks -- indeed, even their top receiver has been a good rusher. They lined up in the same formation Sunday. The Packers were ready for it. Except this time, St. Brown took the handoff from Jared Goff and reversed it to Tom Kennedy, who threw a 75-yard touchdown to Kalif Raymond.
"All that was off of Saint carrying the football like we have," said Campbell. "If you assume the (Packers) are doing their homework, there’s really two things you’re going to get out of it. So we used that to our advantage and it worked out great."
It was funny. Campbell was discussing the performance of Jackson after the Lions' win when he might as well have been describing their rushing attack. He called Jackson "a steady force." He called him "physical, tough and a good athlete." And then Campbell said he expects Jackson to be a "staple in this league for a long time, hopefully for us." The run game can be a staple for the Lions for the next several years.
Swift has the look of a star. On a better team in a bigger market, he would already be one. He was quiet on Sunday until he cranked up the volume in Ford Field with a 15-yard touchdown run that gave the Lions the lead with under two minutes to play. Swift credited his blocking for "making it easy." His speed makes it hard to stop. Once he got the edge he was gone.
Swift finished the season with 600-plus rushing yards and 4.1 yards per carry. Respectable numbers. But Swift doesn't want to be respected. He wants to be remembered, like Barry. Asked about the Lions establishing the ground game this year, Swift said, "I feel like we left a lot out there."
"Me personally, I feel like I left some stuff out there. But looking to get better. I gotta detail my work in the offseason and come back trying to take on that type of challenge. I wanna be that type of guy for this city," he said.
In three seasons under Matt Patricia, the Lions never finished better than 22nd in the NFL in yards per carry. They never finished better than 26th in four seasons under Jim Caldwell. They'll finish in or on the cusp of the top 10 in their first season under Campbell, who's made no secret about his belief in running the football. The Lions ran it well this year with spare parts. They can run it even better with some repairs in 2022.
The Lions might have an engine they can trust. Even in a passing league, a passing game can be fickle. A running game is less likely to fizzle. It can be counted on each week, each month and ideally each year. The Lions' running game still needs work. But when Campbell turns the keys next season, he can expect it to go. Is the Lions' offense building something special?
"Indeed," said Jackson, "especially in the trenches."