Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs dominates through air and ground in Monday night win

• Jahmyr Gibbs did it all with the ball in his hands: The Lions standout racked up 11 missed tackles on first review, collecting 218 scrimmage yards.

• A rarely great receiving night: Gibbs caught all three of his targets for explosive gains, securing more than all of his total yards after the catch.

• The Detroit Lions downed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night: Dive into the PFF game recap for advanced stats, snap counts, early player grades and more!

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When the spotlight is isolated and the stage is the biggest, fans expect the NFL’s best players to flourish. Sometimes, that level of pressure in a primetime game can be overwhelming — but in other cases, it augments performance when given the chance to make an indelible impression. Such was the case for Detroit Lions superstar Jahmyr Gibbs on Monday.

In the Lions’ commanding 24-9 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — a showdown with plausible NFC seeding implications come January — Gibbs stole the show. The Lions running back accrued 218 total scrimmage yards, the most by a Lion since Calvin Johnson in 2013, and scored two touchdowns.

The box score metrics are impressive enough for Gibbs, but they become that much more transcendent when analyzing them with PFF data.

As a runner, Gibbs embodied the position’s holy trinity of characteristics: Efficient, elusive and explosive. He generated a 79.0 PFF rushing grade, his highest of the 2025 campaign. What powered that figure were his five first downs gained on the ground and nine missed tackles forced across his 17 attempts. Likewise, three of Gibbs’ attempts went for 10 or more yards, demonstrating his prowess as one of the league’s preeminent home run hitters.

Gibbs’ work as a receiver was arguably even better. The third-year stud caught all three of his targets for 82 yards, with each moving the chains. However, consider that Gibbs actually produced more yards after the catch (93) than his total yardage, as all three of those receptions came behind the line of scrimmage — at an average depth of target of -3.7 yards. That yards-after-catch total is tied for the fourth-best mark by any player in the NFL this year, trailing Bijan Robinson in Week 1 (107), Bucky Irving in Week 4 (105) and De’Von Achane in Week 2 (99).

More specifically, Gibbs procured a staggering 5.47 yards per route run, and his three explosive receptions molded an 84.8 PFF receiving grade. That’s pretty close to peak efficiency from a receiving standpoint.

Cumulatively, Gibbs generated a ludicrous 11 missed tackles forced. That’s the third-best total by any running back this year, behind Robinson — who’s already accomplished the feat twice.

All told, Gibbs is just the second NFL running back in 2025 with a 79.0-plus PFF rushing (minimum 15 carries) and an 89.0-plus PFF receiving grade, joining Jaylen Warren — who ironically also reached those benchmarks in Week 7. As the table below elucidates, the feat is rather rare for running backs.

RBs With 79.0-Plus Rushing and 84.5-Plus Receiving Single-Game Grades Since 2023, Min. 15 Att.

What renders the Lions one of the NFL’s best teams yet again was on display in the multiple prongs to their well-earned victory, from an injury-riddled secondary that shut down a potent Tampa Bay offense to another tremendous outing from Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Yet, Gibbs’ Herculean efforts on the ground and through the air truly separated himself from his teammates, even on an offense and team this loaded — which contextualizes how his night won’t be forgotten anytime soon.