Detroit Lions red zone rushing offense among best in the league since 2020

The Detroit Lions’ ground game could be quite good this year, but in one area of the running game they’ve already been among the best in the league over the last two years.

When thinking of things NFL teams do well, it’s hard to find much of anything the Detroit Lions have done very well in recent seasons. Last year, they had the league’s 31st-ranked red zone offense (46.7 percent, 21 touchdowns on 45 trips).

D’Andre Swift notably struggled running between the tackles last year, posting the worst yards per carry on runs up the middle (3.0) among 33 qualifying running backs (minimum 53 attempts). But in general has has shown a nose for the end zone, with 13 rushing touchdowns in two seasons (12 in the red zone).

Detroit Lions red zone rushing offense among best in the league lately

Per Jeff Risdon of Lions Wire, citing NFL Inside Edge data, the Lions have had the third-most efficient red zone rushing offense in the league over the last two seasons on a per-carry basis.

Since 2020, the Lions have averaged 4.4 red zone carries per touchdown scored (25 touchdowns on 110 red zone carries). Only the Baltimore Ravens (4.0 red zone carries per touchdown) and the San Francisco 49ers (4.1 red zone carries per touchdown), two notably good rushing offenses in general, have been better over that span. They are the only three teams averaging less than 4.5 red zone carries per touchdown over the last two seasons.

The presence of Adrian Peterson helped foster good red zone efficiency for the Lions in 2020 (66 percent touchdown rate; ninth in the league), as he had seven rushing scores. Jamaal Williams is good player, but he doesn’t bring the same short yardage force that even an aged Peterson did.

If nothing else, given last year’s struggles to cash in touchdowns, this data shows the Lions need to run the ball more in the red zone this year–a lot more. One of the best offensive lines in the league, fully healthy together like they weren’t for a single snap last year, should make that strategy more palatable.