With two touchdowns within the Detroit Lions’ 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 5, Jahmyr Gibbs surpassed Corridor of Famer Barry Sanders for probably the most touchdowns scored earlier than age 25 in his NFL profession.
Gibbs had 56 TDs coming into Sunday’s sport, one behind Sanders on that specific checklist. He would not flip 25 till subsequent March and the Lions had 13 video games remaining on their 2026-27 schedule. So the fourth-year star had loads of time overtake the Lions legend.
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The primary of Gibbs’ scores got here on a 1-yard run early within the second quarter. That completed off a 7-play, 54-yard drive that tied the rating at 7-7 after Detroit punted on their earlier 4 possessions.
Gibbs overtook Sanders for the highest spot within the fourth quarter. The Lions have been already forward 38-14 when he rushed on a play designed to go left. Confronted with a wall of Arizona defenders, Gibbs modified route — the kind of play that invitations some comparisons to Sanders — and dashed to the proper, outrunning everybody to the proper nook of the top zone.
The field rating says Gibbs’ TD was a 3-yard run, however he coated way more floor than that. It was one other instance of how a lot issue the Cardinals had making an attempt to corral the Lions’ star working again all through the sport.
Along with his 2 TDs, Gibbs completed with 151 yards dashing on 25 carries. He added 56 yards receiving on 5 catches, compiling over 200 yards from scrimmage in opposition to an Arizona protection that ranked twenty third within the NFL with 1,405 yards allowed (and twentieth with 470 dashing yards).
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5 video games into an already spectacular profession, Gibbs has recorded 46 dashing touchdowns and 12 receiving scores. He has 4,044 dashing yards and 581 yards receiving, rising because the dual-threat out of the backfield that the Lions envisioned after they chosen him No. 12 general within the 2023 NFL Draft.
Following Sunday’s efficiency, Gibbs ranks second within the NFL with 504 dashing yards and is tied for the league lead with 7 touchdowns.
Draft observers and Lions followers might keep in mind that Gibbs’ choice wasn’t seen favorably on the time. The notion throughout the NFL and those that cowl it was that working backs have been now not influence gamers value a excessive draft decide. Moreover, Detroit had signed free-agent working again David Montgomery, presumably to be the featured participant at that place.
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4 years later, nobody is questioning the Lions for drafting Gibbs with a prime 15 choice, nor for making him the highest-paid working again within the league with a three-year, $67.5 million contract extension throughout coaching camp this yr.
One query that continues to be by means of the rest of the 2026-27 season is how a lot distance Gibbs will put between him and Sanders — and different NFL greats together with Randy Moss, Emmitt Smith and Jim Brown. If he follows his profession averages of 14 dashing TDs and 4 receiving scores per season, Gibbs might put that file far out of attain.
