Thanksgiving is a day to appreciate what you have, but for the Lions, Thursday's loss to the Minnesota Vikings highlighted what Detroit sorely needs to find: a running game.
The Lions failed to produce a 100-yard rusher against the Vikings, extending a streak that dates back an embarrassing four years, almost to the day:
Interesting stat. This Thursday’s game will mark four years since the Detroit Lions last had a 100-yard rusher. The last one was Reggie Bush vs Green Bay on Thanksgiving 2013. The stretch is 54 games or 216 quarters. #MINvsDET @NFLResearch
— B Tripi (@btripi) November 21, 2017
As usual, the Lions have relied almost exclusively on Matthew Stafford's arm this season, with running back Ameer Abdullah failing to make the leap most expected him to this offseason.
The additions of T.J. Lang and Rick Wagner in free agency were supposed to boost the ground game, but while the offensive line has improved in pass protection, the run blocking still leaves much to be desired.
And this issue is nothing new for Detroit.
The ghost of Barry Sanders - the franchise's all-time leading rusher - has lingered over the Lions, as they have just four 1,000-yard rushing seasons since his retirement.
Reggie Bush was the team's last 1,000-yard rusher, reaching the mark in 2013. Before Bush, the Lions' last 1,000-yard rusher was Kevin Jones in 2004.
Simply put, the Lions have been historically bad for a long time.
Stafford is far from a flawless quarterback, but Detroit has put too much on his shoulders for far too long. The veteran pivot has put up good-to-great numbers throughout his nine-year career, and has done so with just seven - seven! - 100-yard rushing performances from his teammates.
The Lions remain in the thick of the NFC wild-card race despite the loss to the Vikings, but if they don't find a way to finally break the curse, it'll be hard to see them making any noise come January ... again.
