Detroit Lions 2014 Mid-Season Report Card: Offense
Oct 19, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions running back Joique Bell (35) rushes for a touchdown during the third quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Will the Lions best running back please stand up?
Who is the No. 1 running back on the Detroit Lions roster?
Is it Joique Bell who has had issues at points throughout the first half of the season with securing the football? Or is it Reggie Bush who has had issues catching it out of the backfield? Both have stuggled, so to speak, and have also shown some bright spots at times.
Combined, the two backs have 484 yards rushing this season. Here is full list of RB statistics via NFL.com:
| Player | Att | Yds | Yds/Att | Long | TD |
| Joique Bell | 98 | 313 | 3.2 | 17 | 3 |
| Reggie Bush | 49 | 171 | 3.5 | 26 | 1 |
| Matthew Stafford | 26 | 45 | 1.7 | 10 | 2 |
| George Winn | 17 | 66 | 3.9 | 16 | 0 |
| Theo Riddick | 12 | 33 | 2.8 | 6 | 0 |
| Jed Collins | 4 | 10 | 2.5 | 3 | 0 |
The thing that jumps out to me initially is the lack of the big play. The Detroit Lions longest rush from scrimmage is 26 yards by Reggie Bush. That was back in week three vs. the Packers. Since then all three of the Lions top backs, Bell, Bush, and Theo Riddick have battled injuries.
That has allowed preseason, crowd favorite, and local hero George Winn to be signed from the practice squad.
If the Lions are able to get all three of their backs healthy during the teams by week, perhaps they’ll be able to reach the potential that we all know they possess!
With that said, I base my grade on this.
The Lions rank 31st in the NFL, averaging 3.1 yards per carry. On first down, that average dips to 2.72 yards. Not good enough.
Running Backs Grade: C-