By Moses Joshua 
As coaching changes ripple through Allen Park, the Lions find a reason to smile in the middle of a painful offseason.
The Detroit Lions didn’t reach their postseason goal, but Jahmyr Gibbs made sure 2025 wouldn’t be remembered as a total loss. While the organization wrestles with staff changes and a full-scale evaluation of what went wrong, their explosive young running back quietly etched his name next to two of the most legendary figures the league has ever known.
And that matters more than it might seem right now.
A Historic Feat Hidden Inside a Losing Season
Detroit announced Thursday that Gibbs tied Barry Sanders and Randy Moss for the most games with a touchdown in a player’s first three NFL seasons — 31 in total.
“31 games with a score for Jahmyr Gibbs,” the team posted on X.
That record-tying moment came in the season finale against Chicago, when Gibbs hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Jared Goff. It was a small snapshot of everything Gibbs has become for Detroit: a threat from anywhere, any formation, any situation.
The Lions may have missed the playoffs, but Gibbs once again proved he is one of the NFL’s most consistent finishers in the red zone — on the ground, through the air, and in space.
Pride in the Locker Room, Even After Elimination
The season could have ended with Detroit going through the motions. Instead, they closed it by knocking off the Bears — a divisional rival already locked into postseason position — and that effort didn’t go unnoticed by Dan Campbell.
“To have guys lay it on the line when you say you’re not playing for anything, that speaks volumes,” Campbell told his team afterward, via The Associated Press. “To do what you guys did, takes a certain kind of pride and respect for the guy next to you.”
That final performance, and Gibbs’ role in it, reinforced something the front office already knew: the core is still very real.
The Offensive Shakeup Begins
That belief didn’t stop Detroit from making tough decisions. Just days after the Bears win, the Lions parted ways with offensive coordinator John Morton following a season in which the offense never fully found its rhythm.
Campbell admitted during his season-ending press conference that he graded himself an “F” and was ready to reassess everything.
“We’ve got nobody to blame but ourselves. But I really don’t believe we’re that far off,” Campbell said, via NFL.com. “There’s a couple of things we can do, and I just want to make sure we go after it. I’m not saying we weren’t hungry, but let’s get that hunger back and we’re going to bring in some guys to compete.”
Campbell had already taken over play-calling midseason, but the numbers told a harsh story. Detroit went from one of the league’s most efficient attacks in 2024 to a unit that slipped badly in 2025, including a steep drop in third-down efficiency.
Why Gibbs Is the Constant Through All the Change
In the middle of all that turbulence, Jahmyr Gibbs is the one thing that feels non-negotiable.
The Lions still boast elite weapons — Gibbs, Goff, and All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown — and any incoming offensive coordinator will inherit a roster capable of rebounding quickly. But Gibbs’ record only underscores his value: no matter the scheme, no matter the circumstances, he finds the end zone.
Detroit may be tearing parts of the structure down this offseason, but the foundation is already in place.
And it wears No. 26.