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The last 100-yard rusher for the Lions

In the early game on Thanksgiving back in 2013, the Lions obliterated the Aaron Rodgers-less Green Bay Packers, 40-10. Matthew Stafford threw for over 300 yards, Calvin Johnson gained over 100 receiving yards, and Reggie Bush rushed 20 times for 117 yards. Heck, backup Joique Bell nearly joined him in the century club, with 17 carries for 94 yards.

Since then, the Lions have played in 68 games without having a 100-yard rusher: Detroit is one game away from tying the ’88-’93 Browns for the second longest streak in history without a 100-yard rusher, and five games away from setting a new record. The current mark is held by the 1960s Washington Redskins, who went 72 games without a 100-yard rusher until Bobby Mitchell on October 1, 1967 ended the streak.

Detroit selected Kerryon Johnson out of Auburn in the second round of the 2018 Draft, and the Tiger had 11 games where he rushed for 100 yards in his college career. How bad is the Lions streak? Since week 13 of the 2013 season, the Cowboys have had 34 games where a player rushed for 100 yards, and every other team has had at least four such games:

Team100-Yard Games Since Week 13, 2013
Dallas Cowboys34
Pittsburgh Steelers26
Seattle Seahawks21
Chicago Bears19
Buffalo Bills18
Los Angeles Rams16
Houston Texans16
Miami Dolphins15
Kansas City Chiefs15
Jacksonville Jaguars15
New Orleans Saints15
Green Bay Packers14
Minnesota Vikings14
New England Patriots13
New York Jets13
Philadelphia Eagles13
Denver Broncos13
Cincinnati Bengals12
San Francisco 49ers12
Arizona Cardinals12
Carolina Panthers12
Baltimore Ravens11
Los Angeles Chargers11
Tennessee Titans11
Tampa Bay Buccaneers10
Atlanta Falcons10
Cleveland Browns10
Washington Redskins9
New York Giants8
Oakland Raiders8
Indianapolis Colts4
Detroit Lions0

The Lions have a good chance of breaking the Redskins record. After all, in addition to Johnson, Detroit signed LeGarette Blount in the offseason, and Ameer Abdullah and Theo Riddick are still on the roster. At least initially, it will probably be running back by committee in Detroit.

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