Dan Campbell couldn’t hold back his excitement as Jahmyr Gibbs tied Barry Sanders’ legendary record for the most touchdowns before age 24 — praising the young star with a bold declaration that echoed across the NFL: “There’s just not a cap on this dude.”
Jahmyr Gibbs has emerged as a scoring machine of historic proportions.
With a win needed to keep the Detroit Lions’ postseason aspirations alive and well, it was within the trusty arms and legs of Gibbs that they found solace in the form of a three-touchdown night to propel them to a 44-30 win over the visiting Dallas Cowboys on Thursday.
“He’s unique,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said of Gibbs. “He’s special.”
Gibbs, who had 19 touches for 120 scrimmage yards (12 carries for 43 yards, seven receptions for 77 yards) scored the Lions’ first touchdown on a 1-yard run and then put the win to bed with 10- and 13-yard runs in the fourth quarter.
“Everybody knows what he can do in the run game, and really, we couldn’t quite get him going the way we really wanted to in the run game,” said Campbell after Gibbs averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. “But yet, he did find some pay dirt on a couple of those.
The pass game stuff, he just continues to grow. The more we give him, and the more we work with him in practice, we just continue to try to open his horizons and give him a little bit more. Man, he just grows. He gets better and better, and then he gets in the game and the routes get crisper and crisper and he just gets going, man.”
Crucial as his touchdowns were Thursday, they were also historic, giving Gibbs 47 in his career, tying him with Lions legend and Hall of Famer Barry Sanders for both the most prior to age 24 and in a player’s first three career regular seasons. Including playoffs, Gibbs now has 52 touchdowns, passing Hall of Famer Randy Moss (51) for the most for any player prior to turning 24.
The 23-year-old dynamo’s scoring production stood out on an evening in which the Lions’ offense was in well-rounded form, getting massive contributions from an injured Amon-Ra St.
Brown, receiver Jameson Williams, quarterback Jared Goff, and Gibbs’ running mate David Montgomery, who scored on the ground, as well, marking the 14th game they’ve each scored at least one TD — fourth all time among running back duos.
“It was very fun and it’s been a minute,” Gibbs said of he and Montgomery both scoring, a feat no accomplished since Week 5 against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I think it’s been a minute, I don’t know but just keep each other fresh and just watch each other go to work. It’s always exciting to see.”
With a loss, the Lions’ playoff probability would’ve dropped to just 20%. On the strength of the win and Gibbs’ three TDs, it rose to 55%.
“That’s a damn good win,” Campbell said.
Gibbs’ showing Thursday was his fifth multi-TD game of the season and the 13th of his career, which is tied for the most through three seasons in the Super Bowl era, per NFL Research.
In the short time of two-plus seasons and 45 games, Gibbs has become consistently magnificent.
“He’s so good every week and does a great job in everything we ask him,” Goff said.
After his latest performance, Gibbs’ all-around numbers through 13 2025 games sparkle.
His 1,062 rushing yards are third in the league, his 474 receiving yards are third among running backs and his 16 scrimmage scores are second in the league.
In the 2023 NFL Draft, the Lions plucked Gibbs out of Alabama with the No. 12 overall pick. It was a much-scrutinized pick taking a running back so early, all the more so considering the Lions were a rebuilding franchise believed to have needs throughout the roster.
Now, though, the Lions are aiming for the postseason for the third time in as many seasons — or in each year Gibbs has been on the team.
Detroit improved to 8-0 this season when Gibbs finds pay dirt, its odds of triumph growing every time the talented runner gets six.
It’s been such a scintillating career start for Gibbs, but Campbell believes the best is yet to come for a player who’s demanding recognition as being among the very best at his position.
“There’s just not a cap on this dude yet,” Campbell said. “And there again, he works his tail off. He’s freaking smart, he’s instinctive, he’s a team guy. I mean, he’s something else. So, the sky is the limit for him. He’s just getting started now. He’s just getting started.”
