The Detroit Lions offense is on another level this season. Ranked 1st in the NFL in points scored, and 5th in offensive yards — the team boasts not only the No. 1 passer in the league in Jared Goff, but also a Top 3 running back and three receivers that rank in the league’s Top 30. While Goff undoubtedly deserves his flowers, Jahmyr is just getting his season ready by recording his Gibbths. but one that stands against the pinnacle of legends in the game.
Gibbs ran for his 7th touchdown of the season on Sunday, his second of the day — bringing his career total to an impressive 58 total touchdowns, just five games into his fourth season. It broke an NFL record held by the incomparable Barry Sanders, as Gibbs became the league’s all-time leading touchdown scorer for a player under the age of 25.
Perhaps the scariest part is that while Gibbs holds the record, he won’t turn 25 until March of 2027 — meaning he’ll have another 12 regular-season games to maintain his resume and make the record as untouchable as possible. No player has surpassed 50 total touchdowns before turning 25 since Todd Gurley in 2018, and before that Maurice Jones-Drew in 2009. It seems like one player every decade we have to put up these numbers, and it just so happens to be Jahmyr Gibbs’ season.
Gibbs is on pace this season to finish with 1,714 rushing yards, 826 receiving yards, and 31 total touchdowns. This would put him in the same company as LaDainian Tomlinson’s record-smashing 2006 season, when he finished with 28 rushing touchdowns. Gibbs’ year also eclipses Christian McCaffrey’s best all-purpose season as he finished with 2,392 yards from scrimmage and 19 touchdowns in 2018.
While Gibbs has been impressive, it’s also worth appreciating just how elite that entire 2023 running back class has been. Not only did it give us two of the best running backs in the NFL, but even deeper in the draft there were gems that came to define their teams.
The NFL is seeing a new wave of running back resurgence, and these four players are helping to define the era. At the top we have Bijan Robinson and Jaymyr Gibbs, both of whom are poised to hold the mantle as the league’s most dynamic all-purpose back. It’s great for anyone who loves smashmouth football, and the sky’s the limit as to how far their careers can go.