With all that was on the line in against the Minnesota Vikings last Sunday night, Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs stepped up big with 23 carries for 139 rushing yards, five catches for 31 yards and four total touchdowns (three rushing) in Detroit's 31-9 win. So when it came down to it, he was the no-brainer winner of NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 18.
"Gibbs blew open a defensive battle with a sterling four-touchdown performance that propelled the Lions to a 31-9 win over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night to clinch the No. 1 NFC seed for Detroit. Gibbs had 139 rushing yards and three ground scores to go with 31 receiving yards and one TD catch. It was a hat-and-T-shirt win for the Lions and a banner night for Gibbs."
-Grant Gordon, NFL.com
This is the first Player of the Week award for Gibbs in his career. He joins Kevin Smith and Jamaal Williams as the only Lions running backs to win the award since 2000.
Jahmyr Gibbs ended his breakout campaign in a big way
Gibbs had a full-on breakout in his second season, with 1,929 yards from scrimmage (1,412 rushing yards, 9.9 yards per receptions) with a league-high 16 rushing touchdowns and a league-high 20 total touchdowns. With David Montgomery (knee) out the last three games, "Sonic" stepped up big as the Lions moved to clinch the No. 1 seed in the playoffs (64 carries for 365 yards, five touchdowns; 13 catches for 122 yards and one touchdown from Week 16-18) .
Those 20 total touchdowns are also the Lions' new single-season franchise record, surpassing the previous record of 17 that was shared by Barry Sanders and Williams. The 16 rushing scores are tied for second in franchise history (Sanders in 1991, trailing Williams' 17 rushing touchdowns in 2022.
Gibbs is the sixth Lions player to win an NFC Player of the Week award this season. Punter Jack Fox (Week 3), quarterback Jared Goff (Week 4), defensive back Brian Branch (Week 6), kicker Jake Bates (Weeks 7 and 10) and wide receiver Kalif Raymond (Week 8) earned the honor previously.