If you've felt like the Detroit Lions' run game still hasn't really hit its stride, it's not just you - the numbers reveal a bit of a stalled ground attack, as well.
Per Pride of Detroit's Jeremy Reisman, the Lions' stuff rate through Week 8 is at 20.9 percent - that's good (or bad, I suppose) for 4th in the league, and it's killing a ton of the Lions' momentum despite holding the 5th-highest rushing success rate in the league over that same time.
This is a bit worrying heading into a matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, who have a 31 percent run stop success rate this year. Detroit's run block success rate of just 72 percent needs to see a major boost against this defense to keep pace with their own run game, and to keep Minnesota's defense honest.
Lions' run game must get established early against Vikings
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the Vikings' defense is historically great this year. They've completely shut down opponents, making even the Chicago Bears' offense look pedestrian. Of course, there are a few asterisks worth point out about Minnesota's now-six game winning streak:
Week 1: vs. Green Bay Packers
This win was probably their most convincing. The Packers' own struggles in their secondary were exposed by Carson Wentz, while their defense took care of shutting down Jordan Love. The Packers' run game was held to 66 yards.
Week 2: @ Chicago Bears
Here's where things get dicey. This game was played in torrential downpour, and Caleb Williams went down with a hamstring injury halfway through this game. So, yes, Chicago was held to just one field goal, but the weather and Williams' injury played a huge role in this contest. Chicago still rushed for 134 yards in this game, just couldn't get into the red zone.
Week 3: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay's offense was dead on arrival in this contest before Baker Mayfield dislocated his thumb on a desperation heave to end the game. The Buccaneers were held to just 57 rushing yards total in this game, which once again helped to mask Minnesota's own struggles on offense.
Week 4: vs. Miami Dolphins
Respectfully, it's the Dolphins. And, again, Minnesota only scored 15 points.
Week 5: @ New Orleans Saints
The Vikings stifled the Saints in this one, and helped to continue to kill their offense which had built some momentum off of their season opening loss to the Lions. This is another team with a severe lack of a run game, and they posted just 55 rushing yards on the day in this loss.
Week 7: vs. Indianapolis Colts
Another team held to 10 points that, I'd argue, could probably just hold themselves to 10 points this season. Jonathan Taylor, a superstar running back, still rushed for 95 yards.
Takeaways from Vikings' 6-0 season so far
So, one common theme throughout this win streak is that the Vikings aren't invincible on the ground. They've got a killer defensive front, and don't always have to blitz to make you second-think your moves on offense, but it also isn't a world-killer on the ground. It'll be other means through which defensive coordinator Brian Flores might be able to neutralize Jahmyr Gibbs.
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Gibbs is a multi-dimensional threat on the ground, which includes his abilities as a solid pass-catcher in the Lions' offense. If folks recall, Gibbs was totally taken out of the pass-catching equation against the Vikings last year on Christmas Day, putting quite the coal in everyone's stocking as a result.
Establishing the run is going to be key to getting Gibbs going enough to draw attention away from Detroit's passing game, which - on paper - should thrive behind Jared Goff. Diversifying the play calling a bit to allow for Gibbs to lean on his speed around the edge of the line should be a point of emphasis for offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, as he's about to embark on his biggest challenge yet: looking good against the best defense in the NFL.
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