The Detroit Lions’ Week 8 victory over the Minnesota Vikings wasn’t just a massive divisional win, putting them within a game of the NFC North lead and keeping them perfect at 2-0 in divisional matchups. It also meant the 1972 Miami Dolphins could crack open their celebratory champagne again. But for the 2026 season, this game absolutely set the stage for the NFL to crown its first running back MVP since 2012, because Jahmyr Gibbs is officially the guy.
This Dude Is Playing Like a Legend
Seriously, if you’re over 40, you’re getting a front-row seat to one of the best running backs in NFL history. I’m not tiptoeing around the Barry Sanders comparisons anymore. Gibbs is doing stuff like *that* ridiculous run with some help from a Jared Goff block, week after week. This guy isn’t just playing at an elite level, he’s basically the heir apparent to Sanders. The preseason talk about him becoming the Lions’ bell-cow back was spot-on, and he’s proving it every single Sunday.
Gibbs is averaging the most yards from scrimmage among all running backs, with a staggering 149.9 yards. The next closest player, Kenneth Walker, is over 20 yards off that pace! He also leads the entire league in missed tackles forced, with 51 in just seven games, according to Pro Football Focus. To put that in perspective, last year’s leader, Bijan Robinson, finished with 86. Gibbs is on pace for 121, which would be the highest recorded figure in PFF’s stat tracking history. That’s not just good, that’s historic.
The Numbers Tell the MVP Story
It isn’t just the highlight-reel plays that are making the case for Gibbs as MVP; the numbers back him up big time. He boasts the fourth-best success rate among running backs at 48.4% across a massive 157 carries. Think about that workload! The three backs with higher success rates, Blake Corum, Christian McCaffrey, and Jaylen Warren, all have significantly fewer rushing attempts. Gibbs is not only efficient, but he’s also doing it with the ball in his hands constantly.
Now, here’s the truly Sanders-esque part: Gibbs has the most stuffed runs in the NFL with 33, meaning rushes for zero or negative yardage. He ranks 38th among 46 qualifying running backs in stuffed rate at 21.0%, according to SumerStats. In modern analytics, that sounds wild, but it speaks to his unique, explosive style. He might get bottled up, but then he’ll break off a massive gain. He’s already got 27 runs of 10+ yards and is second in total yards after contact with 559, ranking seventh in yards after contact per attempt at 3.56. When it comes to traditional box score stats, Gibbs is hitting all the benchmarks for a special season worthy of MVP consideration.
Gibbs is the frontrunner for Best in Show, and if he keeps this up, which is looking more and more likely, we’re watching the NFL’s next MVP. Get ready for a running back to reclaim that hardware!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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