STATS: Key stats for Lions vs. Chargers: Detroit’s outstanding offensive talent finds its footing.

examining four advanced metrics from the Week 10 Detroit Lions’ thrilling victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in the final seconds.

It proved to be the challenge it seemed on the surface to come out of the bye week with a road test—against one of the league’s best quarterbacks, no less. Riley Patterson’s game-winning field goal at the last second helped the Detroit Lions defeat the Los Angeles Chargers, but not before the two offenses put on a fireworks show for four quarters.

We’ll go through some of the advanced data provided by PFF to help us better understand the football the Lions have played thus far and what to expect in the upcoming weeks, as we’ll do every week for this Lions team throughout the season. After the Lions’ victory over the Chargers in Week 10, let’s examine the team’s statistical performance in more detail.

5.03 yards per route run

On the latest episode of the Pride of Detroit PODcast, I went ahead and anointed Amon-Ra St. Brown a top-five wide receiver in the NFL. Sure, it might be a little premature, and even if he isn’t quite there just yet, that isn’t due to any shortcomings in his game: there are just a ton of uber-talented wideouts across the league.

However, St. Brown deserves to be praised and honored for his effectiveness in this offense. He is a dangerous player the defense has to take into consideration before every play because of his ability to gain yards after the catch. In Week 10, his 70 YAC ranked second in the league among all wide receivers with at least five targets. St. Brown was his usual effective self against the Chargers, recording an astounding 5.03 yards per route run (Y/RR) to rank third among wide receivers with at least three targets in Week 10.

83.1 PFF offense grade

This isn’t so much an “advanced statistic” as it is a measure of just how effective PFF deemed Penei Sewell against Los Angeles. Sure, I could’ve highlighted his 100.0 pass blocking efficiency where he allowed zero pressures against the likes of Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack. Could’ve highlighted his pass-blocking grade (81.6) which was the second-highest grade among tackles in Week 10.

But because he can do it all, Sewell is the epitome of an elite offensive tackle. After finishing first among all offensive tackles in Week 10 with an 83.1 PFF offense grade, he is currently ranked second in the NFL with an 84.8 PFF offense grade through nine games. You’d be hard-pressed to find a football player more important to their football team than Sewell, even though quarterbacks receive the most attention for MVP awards because they touch the ball the most. Sewell is on track to be selected to the All-Pro team this season.

64.7% and 45.5% breakaway

When the Lions moved on from D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams this past offseason, there were questions about how much of an upgrade Detroit made by replacing them with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Week 10’s game against the Chargers was the first example of just how dangerous and unpredictable this offense can be with both of those guys in the lineup—especially in regards to big plays.

In terms of “breakaway percentage,” Montgomery (64.7% breakaway) and Gibbs (45.5% breakaway) placed first and third among all running backs in Week 10. This PFF advanced metric is computed by taking the yards gained on runs over 15 yards and dividing it by the player’s total rushing yards. Its purpose is to determine how much a defense should be concerned about the running back due to his ability to break a big play.

While the Lions have a formidable offensive line that can move opponents off their spots and open lanes for runs, both Montgomery and Gibbs have demonstrated a genuine ability to break big plays on numerous occasions. It just so happened that both of these guys demonstrated this ability during their fair share of carries in Week 10.