Jahmyr Gibbs, despite a hat trick against the New York Jets, looked really bad and exposed in one area of his game that isn't likely to see improvement anytime soon: as a blocker.
He made several business decisions on the afternoon, getting out of the way of a few Jets pass rushers to avoid getting run over, or to avoid injury, or both. And, that's understandable: you're already logging a ridiculous amount of carries for Detroit - to much success - so why potentially sacrifice your health to help in pass protection against a defense like New York's?
That's where Sione Vaki came in. The third-year running back stepped up in pass protection for the Lions, offering some timely undercuts on Jets defenders to keep Jared Goff clean in the pocket as well as picking up a season-high 26 rushing yards on six carries.
After getting grief earlier this year, give Sione Vaki props for some excellent pass protection today. pic.twitter.com/kerUrSh0gv
— Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds (@JimmyLiaoMD) September 27, 2026
He looked night and day from his first two games of the season, and it's the exact version of Vaki that the team needs the rest of this season to avoid needing to bring in any additional running back depth behind Gibbs.
Vaki earned a greater role in Week 3 win vs. Jets
Ahead of this season, it was unclear what Vaki's role with the Lions would be, exactly. With limited training camp reps and preseason work due to injuries, it was surprising to see the Lions go with him over Jacob Saylors at RB2. But, their Week 3 win spoke to what the value is in playing Vaki behind Gibbs - he's a strong pass blocker, and clearly has some skills from his days as a safety to utilize on offense.
He also seems to have adjusted from his approach in Week 1 and Week 2 as a running back. In those first two games, he had happy feet - he kept shuffling with the ball in his hands to try and find any running lane possible, just to pick up one or two yards, if that. In Week 3, he was just using his strength to barrel through for 3-4 yard pickups, which were very valuable for keeping drives alive.
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With Saylors having potentially earned more looks as a returner for the Lions, Vaki could firmly take control of the RB2 role. We know Isiah Pacheco is likely out for the rest of the season, so the fight for that job is really up to Vaki to lose. If he can piece together more gutsy performances like the one he just had against the Jets, it's unrealistic that anyone can steal that job back from him.
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