Detroit Lions: 3 Standouts from Week 3 vs. Patriots

1. Kerryon Johnson

When you’ve thought about the Detroit Lions in recent years, what you’ve seen has been Stafford throwing the ball a ton on offense. Be it because they have played from behind often, because they’ve lacked talent at running back or simply because they wanted to put the ball in the quarterback’s hands, their rushing game has been almost nonexistent.

However, the Lions clearly had it in mind to try and work towards changing that this offseason. That began in free agency when they signed veteran bruiser LeGarrette Blount. It was made even more obvious in the draft, however, when Detroit then used the 43rd overall pick on running back Kerryon Johnson out of Auburn. Through his first two NFL games, though, the Lions had used him sparingly, giving him just five and eight carries, respectively.

With Detroit in the driver’s seat on Sunday night, Johnson and the run game as a whole were featured heavily and, lo and behold, the Lions had a rushing attack worth speaking of. The rookie had 16 totes on the day for 101 yards and, though he didn’t find the end zone, his impact was huge. With the Lions in control, they needed to control game flow and move the chains, and Johnson accomplished that.

What’s more, Johnson gave Detroit their first 100-yard rusher in 70 games. Seventy. Seven. Zero. After playing such a critical role in sealing a big win and eliminating that dubious rushing yardage streak, it’s impossible not to make the rookie a standout from this game.