Can Packers Prevent Thanksgiving Feast By Lions’ Game-Wrecker?

On Sunday against the New York Giants, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs made it seem like he had somewhere to be after the game ended.

Even though Gibbs rushed for 150 yards and a touchdown through four quarters, the Giants were able to take the high-powered Lions to overtime. Gibbs didn’t want to give New York any more hope, getting the ball on the first play of overtime and bringing it 69 yards to the end zone for what ended up being the game-winning touchdown.

When the Green Bay Packers play at the Lions on Thursday, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley made it clear how important it will be to stay disciplined along the defensive front against Gibbs.

“You can’t be out of your gap. You can’t run up the field,” he said on Tuesday. “If you’re supposed to be a three-technique and have the B gap, you better be a three-technique and have the B gap.

“If you’re on the backside, you can’t run up the field. You got to squeeze back and make sure there’s no huge holes in our rush lanes because, if he cuts the ball back in our A gap and you’re not there, there’s a chance he can score because he’s that fast. So, you have to be extremely sound and extremely disciplined.”

Gibbs has been one of the premier running backs in the NFL this season. Coming into the Thanksgiving game against the Packers, he is third in the NFL in rushing yards with 951 and third with 10 touchdowns, putting him on pace to finish with 1,470 yards and 15 touchdowns. With almost half his yards coming on runs of 15-plus yards, his yards-per-carry is legendary. He’s added 48 receptions and has 1,330 yards from scrimmage.

Gibbs has managed all this production while averaging only 14 carries per game, while David Montgomery is still getting 10 carries per game and managing 46.5 yards per game himself.

Last week against the Giants, Gibbs had arguably the best game of his career. He finished with a career-high 219 yards on 15 carries (14.6 yards per carry) and two rushing touchdowns. He was also a weapon in the passing game, bringing in 11 of his 12 targets for 45 yards and a touchdown.

A big day by Giants quarterback Jameis Winston, who threw for 366 yards and accounted for three touchdowns, and an interception thrown by Jared Goff kept the Giants in the game. Otherwise, the Lions likely would have run away with the game behind Gibbs’ incredible performance.

“You can’t argue with everything that he’s able to do,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said this week. “He’s such a versatile player. I go back to this, it’s one of the reasons why we loved him so much when he was coming out [in the 2023 draft] 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. Knows all those jobs, and it doesn’t slow him down. 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. How can you not use the guy and get him some touches? Get him a lot of touches? But we’ve got plenty around him, too. And we’re going to use those guys, as well.”

Green Bay Packers defenders tackle Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs in Week 1. | Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On the bright side for the Packers, they saw Gibbs early in the season and managed to almost completely take him out of the game. He had a season-low 19 yards on just 2.1 yards per carry and didn’t score on the ground or through the air.

Week 1 was the first of just four games this season in which Gibbs did not lead the Lions in rushing yards and just the second game of his career where he was held to less than 20 rushing yards. He has been kept out of the end zone three other times this season.

“Just swarming to the ball,” nickel Javon Bullard said. “Hats to the ball. We all know he’s a dynamic player but you got to swarm him, man. You can’t just think that one man is going to make that tackle. He’s proven to make guys miss in this league, so as many hats as we can get to the ball, the better we going to have success with him, for sure.”

Gibbs has historically not been at his best against the Packers, averaging just 50.5 yards per game leading up to this season and scoring one lone touchdown in their first meeting last season.

While the Packers have been able to stop Gibbs from being a game-wrecker in the past, he is having an historic season. He is on track to establish career highs in rushing yards, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

If the Packers’ defensive front is not disciplined against a player like Gibbs, he will be the one feasting on Thanksgiving. While the defense has had his number in the past, he has the athleticism, vision, elusiveness and pure speed to turn every play into a touchdown if given the opportunity.

“I think he’s become one of the, if not the, premier back in the league,” Hafley said. “He’s really good and it will be a challenge and it’s one that we’ll be ready for.”

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE DAILY PACKERS NEWSLETTER

More Green Bay Packers News