As a fan, it can be frustrating to watch coaches whose gameplans seem to hold players back.
All we needed in order to see more D'Andre Swift was have Matt Patricia's job on the line? Shoulda thought of that sooner.
— M.G. (@MarcasG) October 18, 2020
Enter D’Andre Swift, who went into the Lions’ week 5 bye week with only 3 rushes-per-game, with just enough work in the passing game to get RB3/FLEX consideration.
But in the first game out of the bye, Swift saw 14 carries against the Jaguars, beating his previous season-high by nine. And with that, out-produced Adrian Peterson 8.3 yards-per-carry to Peterson’s 2.6. Finding the endzone twice didn’t hurt.
Meanwhile, Kerryon Johnson remained the clear third back on the totem pole.
D’Andre kept his usual role in the passing game, getting the most work out of the backfield aerial pie, seeing four of the seven total targets.
It seemed only a matter of time before Swift overtook AP as the 1A back for Detroit. They’re two players on opposite trajectories, at opposite ends of their careers.
Now, with Swift’s breakout performance, it begs the question, did coach Matt Patricia wait longer than he needed to unleash him, or was the bye week really just what D’Andre needed to catch up to the pro game?
And, will Patricia continue to roll with Swift? Hanging a 14-116-2 is an excellent sales pitch to continue seeing this kind of volume. Swift gets weekly RB2 consideration if it does in fact continue.
Antonio Gibson’s Volume, However, Not What We Were Sold
From one back who broke out this week, to another who’d been steadily rising, Washington coach Ron Rivera kept the good vibes rolling when talking about Antonio Gibson before their matchup with the Giants.
“We believe he can, and we’re going to see if he can handle it or not. He’s done some good things for us,” Rivera said. “Seventy touches in five games is really not a lot if you really think about it. That’s only [14] a game. This is a guy who we think can handle a little bit more of a load. We’re going to continue to work him and have him grow and develop as a football player.”
Gibson owners be like…
(meme credit to u/SmallArmsTRex)
Despite those comments, Gibson still only received 13 touches against the Giants, one less than JD McKissic.
It’s hard to say that Rivera sold us snake oil, though, since JD was more productive, producing 11 more yards on one less carry compared to Gibson. In fact, since Antonio’s week 4 breakout against the Ravens, he’s only averaging 2.85 yards-per-carry, and 2 yards less-per-catch than McKissic.
If any struggling by Gibson stalls the growth in volume that most are expecting, then his last two games should give us pause. We’ve seen the RB1 upside, but his floor is not an RB2 now. He has enough volume to remain in the weekly RB3/flex discussion at the very least.
How will Swift and Gibson fare in the Wolf’s updated Rest Of Season Rankings? Find out every Monday night on Facebook, Youtube, or Periscope.
