Coming into Sunday’s matchup at Heinz Field, the winless Detroit Lions were one of the low-end rushing attacks in football despite having a very talented backfield featuring Jamaal Williams, DeAndre Swift and emerging rookie Jermar Jefferson, ranking 22nd in successful run rate (44%) and 28th in offensive run game DVOA, per Football Outsiders.
Without Williams on Sunday, the Lions leaned heavily on Swift, special teams ace Godwin Igwebuike and Jefferson on the ground, leading to a monster performance as a team as the Lions rushed for 229 yards and two touchdowns on the ground as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense struggled with gap integrity, were slow to get off blocks and were rather woeful in the tackling department.