Gibbs Delivers Legendary Performance as Lions Escape in Overtime

The Lions needed overtime and every ounce of offensive firepower they could muster, but they survived the New York Giants 34–27 on Sunday in a game defined by defensive struggles and one historic individual performance. Detroit’s defense stumbled throughout the afternoon, but running back Jahmyr Gibbs delivered one of the greatest outings by a Lions player, and arguably the most dominant performance by any running back in the NFL this season, to carry his team to victory.

Gibbs was nothing short of spectacular. The star finished with 15 carries for 219 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, along with 11 receptions for 45 yards and another score, giving him his second three-touchdown performance of the season. His previous career high in rushing yards was 152; on Sunday, he shattered it. Gibbs became only the sixth player in NFL history to record at least 950 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 375 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns through the first 11 games of a season.

His historic résumé continued to grow. Gibbs now has 44 career scrimmage touchdowns, tying Hall of Famer Randy Moss for the second-most before a player’s 24th birthday. Only Barry Sanders (47) has more prior to turning 24.

Gibbs also became the first NFL player since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger to produce the following numbers across any three-game stretch:

• 400 rushing yards

• 4 rushing touchdowns

• 180 receiving yards

• 2 receiving touchdowns

On Sunday alone, he delivered three explosive runs, 69 yards for a touchdown, 49 yards for a touchdown and another 49-yard burst, becoming the first Lions player since at least 1978 to record three runs of 49-plus yards in a single game. He joins Barry Sanders (1997) as the only players in franchise history with multiple 49-plus-yard touchdown runs in the same game.

Gibbs also became the seventh player in NFL history to produce 260-plus scrimmage yards, two rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown in a single outing. With 10 rushing touchdowns in each of his first three NFL seasons, he joins another exclusive club — only six other players in league history have accomplished that feat. His 264 scrimmage yards set a new single-game franchise record for a Lions running back.

To top it off, Gibbs recorded his 12th career multi-touchdown game, passing Billy Sims (11) for the second-most ever by a Detroit running back. He now has five career games with both a rushing and receiving touchdown, tying Sanders for the most in franchise history.

Simply put, it was a masterpiece, and without Gibbs, the Lions do not win this game.

But Detroit did have one other hero: kicker Jake Bates. After early-season concerns about inconsistency, Bates delivered the biggest kick of his young career, drilling a career-long 59-yard field goal to tie the game late in the fourth quarter and send it to overtime. The kick matched the longest in franchise history. Bates now has four field goals of 58 yards or longer, tying Matt Prater for the most in team history.

Given last week’s missed extra point and the growing concern among fans, Bates’ calm execution under immense pressure deserves praise, as does head coach Dan Campbell’s unwavering faith in him.

Despite Detroit’s defensive issues and the need for late-game heroics, a win is a win, especially in November with playoff implications on the line. The Lions now turn their attention to a massive Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Green Bay Packers, just four days away. If Detroit wants to keep its momentum rolling, it will need far more balance than it displayed Sunday, but with Gibbs playing at this level, the Lions have a weapon capable of changing any game.