Detroit Lions: Rookies spark running game resurgence

Two rookies are at the heart of the running game resurgence for the Detroit Lions. And it has resulted in the most balanced Motor City offense in years.

2011. Adele’s Rolling in the Deep ruled the music charts. Game of Thrones premiered on HBO. Minecraft got its official release. And it was the last time a Detroit Lions running back rushed for 150 yards or more.

That player being Jahvid Best, a running back who had been a first-round selection the previous season for Detroit. Best rushed for 163 yards against the Chicago Bears in Week Five of that year. A week later, the young back would suffer a concussion and never play another snap in the NFL again.

It would be seven more years before the Lions would have a running back rush for more than 150 yards in a game. That player was rookie running back Kerryon Johnson. In a big 32-21 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, Johnson rushed for 158 yards on 19 carries.

Detroit’s second-round selection out of Auburn is no stranger to ending these kinds of streaks. Back in Week Three, Johnson rushed for 101 yards against the New England Patriots. It was the first 100-yard rushing game by a Lion since Week 13 of the 2013 regular season.

The century mark was last breached by former Lions running back Reggie Bush when he posted 117 rushing yards against the Green Bay Packers on November 28, 2013. That same year was also the last time the Motor City had a rusher record a 1,000-yard season on the ground.

Seven games into the 2018 regular season, Johnson has 444 total rushing yards on only 69 attempts. That’s a whopping 6.4 yards per carry, the second highest average in the NFL.

The rushing resurgence in Detroit is being led by the Lions top two selections in the 2018 NFL Draft. Johnson, of course, and first-round pick Frank Ragnow, a center out of Arkansas who has started all six games this season for Motown, shifting over to left guard.

Longtime sportswriter Peter King actually named Ragnow one of his offensive players of the week following Detroit’s big win over the Dolphins in his weekly Football Morning In America article on Monday.

"“You know why Kerryon Johnson had that 71-yard run in Miami on Sunday, the longest run for the Lions in seven years? A perfectly played, perfectly executed pulling block from Ragnow … After a tough start through two games, Ragnow, a first-round pick last April, has been solid for the Lions—and never better than he was Sunday.”"

According to Pro Football Focus, it’s been a rollercoaster season for Ragnow. After posting two terrible performances in his first two games as a pro, the 22-year has bounced back strong. Against the Dolphins, Ragnow posted his second highest grade as a pass blocker, but only his fourth-highest grade in the running game. The rookie offensive lineman also committed an illegal use of hands penalty in Miami that wiped a touchdown off the board by wide receiver Kenny Golladay.

Regardless, Ragnow was able to make the big plays when they counted, also making a key block to spring running back LeGarrette Blount for a two-yard rushing touchdown in the win over the Dolphins this past weekend.

The Detroit Lions running game is finally back on track. And it has two rookies to thank for it. With both Frank Ragnow and Kerryon Johnson growing into their respective roles in Detroit, expect to see more streaks coming to an end when it comes to the Motor City’s ground game.

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