The NFL’s official website ranks the Detroit Lions very high on a list of the most underperforming positional groups in the league last season.
Simply looking back at the numbers, the Detroit Lions were one of the better teams in the NFL last year. Finishing their season with a 9-7 record, Detroit was on the verge of making their third postseason appearance in the past four years.
And even when you look deeper into the stats, the Lions seemed to have a rather well balanced team in 2017. Detroit finished 13th in total offense, bolstering the league’s sixth best passing attack with the ultra-talented Matthew Stafford under center at quarterback.
Defensively, the Motor City posted the third most takeaways in the NFL last season racking up 19 total interceptions and 13 fumbles. This talented defensive secondary was led by first time Pro Bowler, cornerback Darius Slay, who just happened to led the league in interceptions with eight picks all by himself.
This Detroit defense was also anchored by one of the top rookies of the 2017 class, linebacker Jarrad Davis. Selected 21st overall, Davis racked up 96 total tackles, 2.0 sacks and an interception in 14 games for the Lions.
Unfortunately, the numbers also tell a different story about the Motor City in 2017. And the most depressing stat of them all is 76.3. That’s how many rushing yards the Lions amassed per game last year. And that was the lowest in the league.
In fact, Detroit’s rushing attack was so inefficient in 2017 that the league’s official website ranked it the fourth most underperforming positional group in the entire NFL last season. And the bulk of the blame landed on the shoulders of third-year starting running back Ameer Abdullah.
"“In 2017, few players at the position were easier to bring down than [Ameer] Abdullah. The former second-round pick gained an average of 3.17 rushing yards after defenders closed within 1 yard, ranking 45th out of 47 backs with at least 100 carries,” wrote Matt Harmon on NFL.com. “Abdullah likely has a place in this league as a change-of-pace back, but hopefully the fabled dreams of him being a feature back have come and gone as Detroit searches for a real solution to an annual problem.”"
Next: Lions 2017 season in review - Matthew Stafford
Although Ameer Abdullah’s time in Detroit is likely over, the Detroit Lions simply do not have a running back on their roster who can carry the load on a consistent basis. That will be job number one for general manager Bob Quinn, and presumably new head coach Matt Patricia, this offseason. The Lions must find themselves a transcendent running back or two. Luckily for them, the upcoming 2018 NFL Draft appears to be loaded with potential candidates.