There is a perception out there among Detroit Lions fans that the team never ran the ball on third downs in 2019. While that’s not technically true, the data backs up the belief that the Lions ran the ball on the critical third down less than almost every other team.
Only the Washington Redskins ran on a fewer percentage of third-down plays in 2019. Washington also had fewer total third downs on offense, so the Lions finished 31st in both run attempts on third down (30) and percentage of third-down runs (13.6).
Chart courtesy of NFL Inside Edge
Interestingly, the Lions were pretty good overall on third downs. Detroit ranked 14th in the NFL in converting at 40.9 percent. Bo Scarbrough picked up the first down on four of his five third-down carries. Kerryon Johnson converted 4-for-7, while J.D. McKissic was 2-for-4.
Given the QB issues after Matthew Stafford went down, the Lions probably should have run more often on third downs.
