Can Jahmyr Gibbs Catch LaDainian Tomlinson? Answering 4 Questions Lions Fans Are Asking

Sports admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

Can Jahmyr Gibbs Catch LaDainian Tomlinson? Answering 4 Questions Lions Fans Are Asking

Jahmyr Gibbs is already chasing history. The Detroit Lions running back piled up 207 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s 45-21 win at Arizona, and his 58th career touchdown broke Barry Sanders’ record for the most by a player before turning 25. Now fans want to know if he can catch LaDainian Tomlinson’s single-season mark of 31 total touchdowns.

He’s on pace to make it close. Gibbs has nine touchdowns through five games, and the 3-2 Lions have a bye before Green Bay comes to Ford Field on Oct. 25. That gives fans two weeks to chew on the record chase, a defense that looked like a different unit in the desert and a couple of injuries that will cost Detroit. Here are five questions Lions fans are asking.

Can Jahmyr Gibbs catch LaDainian Tomlinson?

The math says he has a real shot. Gibbs has seven rushing touchdowns and two receiving touchdowns this season, along with 504 rushing yards on 105 carries. Stretched over 17 games, nine touchdowns in five games works out to roughly 30, one shy of the 31 Tomlinson scored in 2006.

He isn’t shying away from it, either. Asked about the record after the game, Gibbs didn’t hesitate. “Oh, yeah, for sure. Yeah, I’m trying,” Gibbs told MLive afterward. His quarterback sounded just as impressed. “He’s unbelievable, he really is,” Jared Goff told the AP. “He made a lot of guys miss in the backfield and got a lot after the first touch. Gosh, he’s electric.”

Workload is the thing to watch. We noted last week that Gibbs was down nearly a yard per carry, and he answered with 151 yards on 25 carries in Arizona, plus five catches for 56 yards. Detroit has scored at least 25 points in every game this season, so the chances will keep coming. The bye should help him stay fresh for the second half.

Is more man coverage the fix for this secondary?

The Lions came into Sunday with the NFL’s worst pass defense, and Sheppard answered by letting his corners play more man. MLive noted Detroit had played man coverage only 15.6% of the time before this game.

McCreary said “we love playing man,” and he backed it up by tying Bryant Westbrook’s franchise record with six passes defended. Campbell called the coverage “sticky” and praised how disciplined the group was.

The grades are a little more complicated. D.J. Reed posted an 80.0 overall grade, according to PFF, after entering the week at 59.3. McCreary was targeted 18 times and allowed nine catches, which left him at 52.9 despite the record. Man coverage works when the pass rush gets home, and Detroit will need both against Green Bay.

Who is Keith Abney II, and does he keep starting?

Abney is a fifth-round rookie out of Arizona State, the 157th pick in April, and he’d been working at safety for only about 10 days. He made his first career start back in his college home state and intercepted Brissett on the final play of the first half. That made him the second-youngest Lion since the 1970 merger to record an interception.

“157, that’s been on my mind since I got drafted,” Abney told The Arizona Republic. According to PFF, he finished with a 59.9 overall grade and an 84.0 tackling grade, solid work for a rookie learning a position on the fly.

The catch is Brian Branch. Branch and center Cade Mays returned to practice Oct. 7, and the Packers game is the target for both. A healthy Branch starts. What Abney gave Detroit is a third safety it can trust, and this defense needed one.

How long will Devin White and Tom Kennedy be out?

White broke his forearm late in the first quarter. “I think Devin’s going to need surgery, broken forearm,” Campbell said, per Pro Football Talk. Trevor Nowaske and Malcolm Rodriguez picked up most of his snaps.

Kennedy’s news is worse. Campbell first described a knee sprain, but NFL Network reported Monday that Kennedy has an MCL injury that requires surgery and ends his season. He’d averaged 13.2 yards per punt return and 24.8 per kickoff return.

Amon-Ra St. Brown filled in on punts and ripped off a 31-yard return that set up a touchdown. Detroit probably doesn’t want its top receiver absorbing those hits all year, so a practice-squad option such as Dominic Lovett or Lawrence Keys could get a look after the bye.

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This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 1:05 PM.