The Green Bay Packers defense will need to account for rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs on Thursday night against the Detroit Lions. Gibbs was the 12th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Alabama, and it appears as if he is ready to break out for Detroit.
David Montgomery was limited in practice on Tuesday for the Lions with a thigh injury, and we will see if he plays on Thursday night against the Green Bay Packers. That may not matter because Gibbs could very well get the bulk of the carries for Detroit, and they will look to establish the run.
The Packers’ defense had problems with rookie running back Bijan Robinson in Week 2 for the Atlanta Falcons, and he’s only a rookie as well. Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell went onto 97.1 the Ticket on Tuesday to discuss how Gibbs struggled at the start against the Falcons in Week 3:
“We ran a lot of outside zone, and (he has to) hit that cut a little earlier and cut it upfield. There were a number of things in there where we felt we were really going to get some explosive runs, and that’s why you run them. You know it may take a minute to get them, but we expected to pop more than we got. We weren’t real clean all the way through the game like we really should be.”
Green Bay Packers Defense Needs To Be Ready For a Heavy Load of Jahmyr Gibbs on the Detroit Lions
Toward the end of the game on Sunday against Atlanta, Gibbs had some strong runs for the Lions, and hopefully, that can carry over for them. He had runs of four yards, 12 yards, and 21 yards behind left tackle. Jahmyr Gibbs finished the game with 80 yards on 17 carries and had 4.6 yards per carry. Dan Campbell loved what he saw and told 97.1 the Ticket:
“What fired me up more than anything was two of the last runs, he hit a 12-yarder and then a 21-yarder. And that’s in the fourth quarter after getting a bit of the load. I felt like, OK, here we go, he’s starting to find his way and get a little rhythm here. That was really encouraging for me. Because I think this kid’s pretty tough and I do think he’s got vision and he’s only going to get better with time. When this lightbulb really, really comes on, I think it is going to be something special. We’ll just keep coaching him up.”
Expect Jahmyr Gibbs to get a ton of carries for the Detroit Lions on Thursday night. They will want to try and wear down the Green Bay Packers’ defense. If Gibbs wears down the Packers’ defense, the fanbase will probably be calling for defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s job on social media.
If Green Bay is not ready for a heavy dose of Gibbs, then it will not be good. The number one focal point on Thursday for them is to stop the Detroit Lions run game led by rookie Jahmyr Gibbs.
