Under the four-year tenure of former head coach Jim Caldwell, the Detroit Lions seemed to have little interest in running the football. With quarterback Matthew Stafford entering his prime under center, the Lions’ leaned on the veteran passer’s arm and found success.
During Caldwell’s tenure, the Lions would post a combined 36-28 record (56.25 winning percentage), advancing to the playoffs twice in four years. And Detroit’s run offenses during that span never ranked higher than 28th in the NFL. In fact, the Lions possessed the worst rushing attack in the entire league in both 2015 and 2017.