There were those who didn’t want Reggie Bush to sign with the Detroit Lions, afraid he’s coming at too much of a price, and actually being washed up as a feature running back. In this season so far and the combination with him and Jouique Bell, both as rushers and as receiving targets has proven quite the opposite.
The Lions lead the NFL in total yards per game (179.1) from the running back position. They are second in receiving yards (846) from their running backs and sixth in rushing yards (1,303). Bush has 854 rushing yards on 180 carries with three touchdowns. As a receiver he’s caught 45 passes for 448 yards, scoring two more touchdowns. Bell has rushed for 435 yards, getting a bigger role than he had last season, and catching 34 passes for 378 yards.
| RK | TM | G | RUYD | RUTD | RECYD | RECTD | TOTYD | TOTTD | TOT/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | DET | 12 | 1303 | 9 | 846 | 2 | 2149 | 11 | 179.1 |
| 2 | NO | 12 | 1101 | 6 | 991 | 6 | 2092 | 12 | 174.3 |
| 3 | DEN | 12 | 1441 | 13 | 597 | 2 | 2038 | 15 | 169.8 |
| 4 | SD | 12 | 1280 | 6 | 696 | 7 | 1976 | 13 | 164.7 |
| 5 | BUF | 12 | 1440 | 10 | 470 | 1 | 1910 | 11 | 159.2 |
Who would have thought the Lions offense can do something more than watch Matthew Stafford pass to Calvin Johnson? Reggie Bush might not be a running back like Adrian Peterson, taking the kind of punishment that a lone back draws to himself, but he’s made the Lions offense into an unpredictable one, giving Stafford an excellent passing target and finally making it a bit more three dimensional after so many years of going for the same thing over and over again.
Bush is projected to finish with 1139 rushing yards this season. If he does reach that goal, it’ll be the first time the Lions have had a 1000 yard rusher since Kevin Jones in 2004, and it’ll be a career high for yards in a season for Bush. Hopefully, it’ll also be enough to take the 7-5 Lions, currently leading the NFC North, to the postseason for the second time in three years.