DETROIT — Lions rookie Kerryon Johnson was a sophomore in high school the last time the Lions featured a 100-yard rusher in a game.
That was Reggie Bush, who scampered for 117 yards at the Thanksgiving game on Nov. 28, 2013. That is a mighty long time ago.
Of course, Johnson knew the story and knew that many people were looking for him to break that obnoxious streak. In the win, he carried 16 times for 101 yards. His longest scamper was for 15 yards, so he had to work hard to reach that 100-yard mark.
“It’s a lot easier when you break a long one. But they’re a good team. They’re a good defense, they’re sound, they tackle, they don’t make many mistakes. So, we knew it was going to be a grind, but we were ready for it,’’ Johnson said. “We were ready for the grind and I’m going to say grind again. We grinded it out.”
(Photo courtesy of Detroit Lions.)
In the two previous games (both losses), the Lions fell behind and had to abandon the run game in hopes of catching up. It was different against the Patriots — the Lions took an early lead and never relinquished it.
“I think this was our most physical game that we’ve played so far,’’ Johnson said. “We came out, we made a decision to run it downhill and our O-line got behind it, we got behind it, and that’s what we started to do. We came out and both of us, me and LG (LeGarrette Blount), were both running the ball downhill at the beginning and we just carried it through the whole game, 60 minutes.”
The Lions ran for a total of 159 rushing yards, more than in any one game last season.
Of course last season they didn’t have Johnson, who was a second-round draft pick.
“I think (Johnson) just does everything well. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, he’s a smart player, he’s got good vision. He’s a slippery runner. He’s got probably a little bit more strength than people give him credit for, a little bit more speed,’’ Matthew Stafford said. “It doesn’t maybe jump off the page to you but when he’s out there he’s really efficient and does some really nice things.”
Johnson’s break-through game didn’t really surprise coach Matt Patricia.
“You know, I think Kerryon did, a lot of what we saw coming out. You know, a lot of what we liked from him that definitely shows up,’’ Patricia said. “But I think all those guys, all the backs, work really hard and think they all have something a little bit different that they provide for us. So, you know, just good team win. That’s the bottom line. That’s what it’s all about.”
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