Joique Bell's Late-Season Resurgence Proving Huge for Lions Offense

The Detroit Lions motored their way past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Ford Field on Sunday, racing to a 34-17 victory. Running back Joique Bell continued his strong late-season renaissance with another impressive outing, helping to spearhead the Lions' offensive attack.

Bell's numbers on the day aren't eye-popping:

Carries	Yards	TD	Catches	Yards	TD
18	83	1	5	50	1

Yet for these Lions, those are very good figures. Bell's 4.6 yards per carry will once again keep nudging his season average upward after a dismal early-season output.

This was No. 35's third game in four outings topping 80 yards on the ground. While that seems meager compared to guys like Jamaal Charles or Demarco Murray, it's very real progress for the Detroit offense.

According to Pro-Football-Reference.com, four of Detroit's top six rushing outings on the season have come in the last four weeks.

Bell is rounding back into form at just the right time. In 2013, Bell and Reggie Bush became the first duo in NFL history to each rush for 500 yards while also accruing at least 500 receiving yards.

2014 has been a decidedly different story. Bush might not wind up with 500 combined yards, as he entered Sunday under 200 in both rushing and receiving while missing all of five games and portions of four others with various injuries.

The former Heisman Trophy winner even left Sunday's win two different times as well, and his unreliability and ineffectiveness have left a gaping hole in the offense.

Fortunately, Bell is stepping in to do as much as he can to help fill it.

	Attempts	Yards	TD	YPA	Catches	Yards
Bell	182	664	6	3.64	28	268
Bush	61	217	1	3.55	30	177

Bell's five catches for 50 yards against Tampa Bay, compared to Bush's four receptions for just eight yards, prove the former is a big-play threat, too.

His touchdown reception (go to the 3:11 mark in the video below) might have been a little lucky, but it also shows attention and opportunism that Bush has just not demonstrated:

Bell displayed the relentless effort and grit that have helped make him a fan favorite on his one-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

"

Joique Bell somehow kept his balance here to score a TD. pic.twitter.com/FkYYQL2nW6

— Pride Of Detroit (@PrideOfDetroit) December 7, 2014"

Then there is Bell's 57-yard scamper on the next drive, a play which effectively flipped the field and realistically ended any real chance for Tampa Bay to claw back into the game.

Plays like that have been hard to come by for Detroit. Between the injuries to Bush, Bell and even third-stringer Theo Riddick (did not play on Sunday), and the rotating cast of linemen doing the blocking, long runs have been as scarce as snowfall in Miami.

"

RB @JoiqueBell breaks off a 57-yard run, the #Lions' longest rushing play of the season. #TBvsDET #OnePride pic.twitter.com/4JBjdjWDOx

— Detroit Lions (@Lions) December 7, 2014"

It should be abundantly clear to anyone and everyone that Bell is the "feature" back in Detroit, if such an animal can still exist in today's NFL of shared backfields and specialized roles.

While Bush's injuries have played a role in this, Bell is just the more effective player at this point.

"

Joique Bell is such a beast. Not sure there's much debate who the #Lions No. 1 back is after that 57-yard run. #TBvsDET

— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) December 7, 2014"

The Wayne State product has augmented his per-carry average quite a bit in the last five weeks:

• Weeks 1-9: 3.2 yards per carry, 11 broken tackles
• Weeks 10-14: 4.18 yards per carry, 10 broken tackles

His Pro Football Focus (subscription required) run grade was a weak minus-2.4 for the first nine weeks, but it has percolated up to a plus-1.3 over the four games leading into his impressive Week 14 effort.

The Lions will ride Bell for as long as he can carry them.

Based on his recent efforts, he could help lead them to a rare playoff berth. Keep in mind Detroit's final three opponents (Minnesota, Chicago and Green Bay) all ranked in the bottom third in opposing yards-per-carry entering Sunday, per Team Rankings.

The fourth-year Detroit running back could wind up topping 1,000 yards and reaching double digits in overall touchdowns if he continues his recent pace.

Those would represent a nice cherry on top of Bell's late-season Sunday surges.