Lions RB Zach Zenner

Almost all year—at least since Ameer Abdullah injured his foot in Week 2—the Lions have been a team without a usable run game. Then, all of a sudden, Zenner added to his workload in Week 16 and ... voila! Detroit wasn’t able to maintain success against either the Cowboys or Packers, Zenner and the rushing attack shifting back to dormancy after halftime. But Zenner, with a mere 334 yards, nearly surpassed Theo Riddick (357) for the team lead.

The Lions are nowhere near as dynamic with Zenner in the backfield as they are when Riddick and Abdullah are healthy. However, Zenner did average 10.9 yards on his 18 receptions, so he is a threat. He’s also proven more effective running downhill than the Lions’ expected lead backs this season. If Detroit can hang around into the second half at Seattle, it will need Zenner—and a little ball control—to help bring an upset home.