Lions' Gibbs breaks another Sanders record — now he's chasing Tomlinson
· Yahoo Sports
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Late in the fourth quarter and already up by 24 points, Jahmyr Gibbs took the handoff left, redirected himself right after a teammate was driven back into his rushing lane, then outraced the only defender who had a chance at tackling him to the corner.
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He casually jogged into the end zone at State Farm Stadium for a short score, helping the Detroit Lions put the finishing touches on a much-needed 45-21 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Oct. 11.
It was ho-hum set of surrounding circumstances for a not-so-ho-hum moment. With the 3-yard rush, Gibbs officially set a new NFL record for most total touchdowns scored by a player under 25 years old (58), a high previously held by former Lions running back Barry Sanders.
Add it to the list of feats set by Sanders that Gibbs, who won't turn 25 until March, has reached.
"Hey Jahmyr, just wanted to congratulate you on breaking my record for the most touchdowns in NFL history by a player under 25," Sanders said in a video posted by the Lions. "Really happy for you and your teammates. You consistently create big plays, and I really love watching you compete. And the best part is you're nowhere near even done yet."
Gibbs is off to a ridiculous start in 2026 after receiving a mammoth contract extension in August that made him the highest-paid running back in league history, with an average annual value of $22.5 million. After his 207-yard performance against the Cardinals, Gibbs sits at 747 yards from scrimmage and nine total touchdowns.
Extrapolate Gibbs' production from Weeks 1-5 over a 17-game stretch, and he's on pace to post about 30 TDs. That's one score behind the all-time record for total touchdowns in a single season (31), which was set by LaDainian Tomlinson of the San Diego Chargers in 2006. He had 28 rushing scores and three more as a receiver.
"I'm trying to get that," Gibbs said of Tomlinson's record.
Gibbs would've had a chance to have one more touchdown Sunday had Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing not called a quarterback sneak for Jared Goff at Arizona's 1-yard line on fourth down. After Goff scored, Petzing went over and jokingly apologized to Gibbs, who later laughed when asked about the interaction and assured, "I'm not tripping over it."
"He’s unbelievable, he really is," Goff said of Gibbs. "We did a good job in the run game, and still probably didn’t do as well as we could, and he made a lot of guys miss in the backfield and got a lot after the first touch. Obviously, (he) caught the ball well out of the backfield. ... Gosh, he’s electric."
Often as casual about his records as he looks when scoring touchdowns, Gibbs has a tendency to downplay his individual performance. But his teammates know how special the start of his career has been, and they're hoping for much more in the future.
"History is history," wide receiver Jameson Williams said. "Jahmyr is a great running back, and he's doing a great job in his NFL career so far. I'm not sure if he's paying attention to any of that (the records), but I am. ... He's got a long career ahead of him. There's no wonder where he's going to put the record for the next person to try to come break."
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Lions' Gibbs breaks another Sanders record — now he's chasing Tomlinson