Lions RB D’Andre Swift sets career high in rushing yards vs. Eagles

The Detroit Lions have been talking up running back D’Andre Swift quite a bit this offseason, and in the season opener, the third-year player out of Georgia backed up their words.

On the very first drive of the game, Swift broke out a 50-yard run to help spring the Lions’ to a quick 7-0 lead. The drive was capped by a Jamaal Williams 1-yard touchdown run.

But Swift did not slow or stop there. The Lions running game went toe-to-toe with the Eagles’ running game—one of the best in the league. Then early in the fourth quarter, Swift took a run up the middle for 18 yards, pushing his total at that point to 138 rushing yards. That’s the most of his career, eclipsing his previous high—136 yards—against the Cleveland Browns last year.

Swift also found the end zone earlier in the game on this nifty sweep play for a 7-yard score:

Swift was also a factor in the passing game, catching three passes for 31 yards, including a 25-yard gain that set the Lions up first-and-goal from the 1-yard line.

In the end, Swift finished with 175 total yards — 144 rushing, 31 rushing — not quite on pace for his 1,000 - 1,000 goal — but not too shabby.

While the Lions have plenty to clean up going into next week against Washington, they can rest easily know that their running game looks pretty darn good. The Eagles finished with 207 yards on 34 carries, and the Lions were right behind them with 181 yards on 28 carries — a whopping 6.5 yards per carry.