Detroit Lions likely to utilize Jamaal Williams more without D’Andre Swift

As Week 13’s matchup with the Minnesota Vikings approaches, it will be a battle of two teams without their starting running backs. The Detroit Lions are without D’Andre Swift, and the Minnesota Vikings are without Dalvin Cook, who will miss a few weeks.

The Detroit Lions could see Swift be on the shelf for multiple weeks after a shoulder injury would knock him out of the Thanksgiving Day game. It’s not great for the Lions’ offense which is already struggling.

But, without Swift, the attention is going to be on Jamaal Williams, who the Lions signed this offseason to add some depth to the running back position. He was added into the team’s backfield after spending the last four seasons in Green Bay with the Packers.

However, in Sunday’s game, it’s going to be a lot of Williams getting carries and looking to pick up yardage on the ground. Without Swift to do the heavy-lifting of the team’s ground game, the Lions are going to utilize Williams a lot more than usual.

The Detroit Lions are going to rely heavily on Jamaal Williams on Sunday.

The run game is what has carried an already sour Lions offense in recent weeks. The hope will be that Dan Campbell can script the game to include some big plays from this offense, but it’s going to take some creativity.

Williams is not a horrible option, but he is not going to perform to the level of Swift. He’s played in nine games for the Lions this year, where he has 93 rushes for 388 yards with two touchdowns to his credit. He’s also got 23 receptions for 117 yards on the year as well.

In last week’s loss to the Chicago Bears on Turkey Day, Williams had 15 rushes for 65 yards with five receptions for 18 yards.  It may not be numbers of a consistent back, but he’s going to be a much more significant part of the game plan in Sunday’s game.

Besides Williams, the Lions are going to have to rely on players like Godwin Igwebuike and Jermar Jefferson to get the job done. The two have combined for less than 150 yards rushing on the season.

It’s going to be an ugly game for the Lions’ offense this weekend against the Vikings; however, when it comes to the run game, expect Williams to be the one with the bulk of the carries as the game goes on.