Ameer Abdullah entered the NFL in a sea of hype as many expected the Nebraska product was expected to be a star in the NFL. However, a slow preseason caused the running back to enter the season behind both Joique Bell and Theo Riddick. The Lions suffered a bad collapse against the San Diego Chargers in Week 1, but the surprise of the game turned out to be the production from Abdullah who likely will not be entering Week 2 as the third string running back.
Abdullah was easily the most explosive player for the Lions on Sunday. Abdullah ended the day with 50 yards rushing and another 44 yards receiving with one touchdown. He beat out Bell who had 14 yards rushing while ranking second in receiving for the day. The rookie proved to be every bit worth the hype as fantasy owners could be very pleased with the young running back moving forward.
"Man, the guy had some shake and bake, man," wide receiver Calvin Johnson said, via ESPN.com. "The guy can get up and down the field for us. So I love when he has the ball because once he has the ball, I just look for the next guy to block. Try to keep him on his feet and get him to the end zone."
Johnson certainly saw a lot of Abdullah considering he was barely involved in the game. The leading wide receiver had exactly four targets on the game with two catches for 39 yards. Overall the passing game left a lot to be desired for Detroit, but the lack of attention to Johnson had many people scratching their heads. Johnson told the media that he is not the quarterback and simply trusts that Matthew Stafford is making the right calls. Head coach Jim Caldwell simply said they were reacting to what the defense showed.
"We have plays that we call. Plays have options, and we've worked out a progression to throw to guys that are open," Caldwell said, via MLive.com. "So it just kind of depends. You might find there are some games where he gets 10 balls, and some games he might get three balls, or two. It's just kind of how it happens with offensive football."
As a result, Eric Ebron and Golden Tate led the way in the passing game as they each had five targets a piece. Could this be a trend developing? It is no secret that defenses will gang up on Johnson, but it is also no secret that the receiver is talented enough to make tough grabs even when double covered. The Lions must work in Johnson more than they did in Week 1 if they want to avoid more meltdowns.