INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 24: D’Andre Swift #32 of the Detroit Lions rushes for a touchdown during the first half in the game against the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on October 24, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
D’Andre Swift was one of the best players on the field for either team on Sunday, and Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell wants to feed him the ball even more.
On Sunday, the Detroit Lions held nothing back before ultimately falling short in a 28-19 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Before a successful onside kick and the first of two successful fake punts, running back D’Andre Swift opened the scoring with a 63-yard catch and run for a touchdown.
Swift finished the game against the Rams with 144 total yards, including a career-high 96 receiving yards on eight catches (10 targets). He topped 20 touches for the second time this season on Sunday, and shifting to raw opportunities (targets and carries) he has at least 20 in back-to-back games. He has at least six targets in six of seven games this season. A groin injury that has landed him on the injury report has been a non-issue on game days.
Dan Campbell wants to feed D’Andre Swift even more?
After the game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell joined the chorus singing Swift’s praises.
“He’s a stud. We’ve got to give him the ball. We can’t get him the ball enough.”
Swift has registered at least a 73 percent snap share in four straight games. That has at the expense of Jamaal Williams, who led the Lions in rushing against the Rams (12 carries for 57 yards) while playing a season-low 29 percent of the snaps. Williams has played 22 or fewer snaps in four straight games, in line with Swift’s uptick. There’s clear merit to the idea of Swift and Williams sharing the field more.
Swift is combining shiftiness and power at a level few backs in the league are right now, and he’s the Lions best offensive player. If not for a missed connection with Jared Goff on what would have been an easy touchdown, he would have cleared 100 receiving yards with two touchdowns through the air against the Rams. With so many of his touches coming in the passing game, it’s worth wondering if more carries are in order for Swift going forward.