Is Lions' Abdullah poised for prime-time breakout?

Seattle — Fullback Michael Burton described running back Ameer Abdullah last week in a way many Lions players have discussed star receiver Calvin Johnson over the years.

Whether in practice or games, Burton said, Abdullah does a few impressive things on a daily basis. Those eye-popping plays were common in training camp this summer, and Abdullah has already had a few in the first three games of his career.

But much like Johnson and other playmakers, Abdullah has yet to show his full potential in 2015 as the offense has struggled and been playing from behind for the most part this season.

"It's a long season, and I know I'm eager to show a lot more that I can do for this team," Abdullah said. "So, hopefully there's a lot better things out there for me than just a couple plays I made against San Diego."

Abdullah has 21 carries for 82 yards and seven catches for 72 yards, as well as two touchdowns this season. His rushing attempts are low in part due to the Lions ditching the run game early in all three games this season and the coaches' continued deployment of the inferior veteran Joique Bell, who has 20 carries for 22 yards.

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Coaches praised Abdullah's receiving skills for much of the offseason, and coach Jim Caldwell mentioned that as one of his impressive traits last week. Yet, when the Lions have gone to their hurry-up offense, Theo Riddick has been the running back of choice and performed well with 15 catches for 144 yards.

Regardless of which players have been on the field, the Lions offense has looked sluggish as it ranked 27th overall heading into Week 4. The offensive line has been problematic as the Lions rank last in rushing, but Abdullah said the running backs have to shoulder some of that blame, too.

"Not every play is going to be blocked perfectly," he said. "That's when we've got to make our own plays. We've got to make our mark on the game ourselves."

Having more touches would be the best way for Abdullah to have more impact on the game, and he could have more opportunities Monday night against the Seahawks (8:30 p.m., ESPN) with Bell out with an ankle injury. Of course, Seattle is allowing just 3.7 yards per carry, fifth in the NFL, so this might not be Abdullah's breakout game.

"He's a worker," Caldwell said of Abdullah. "Guys that have a good measure of talent and a strong constitution like he does, they find a way to continue to get better."

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Besides a game in which he got injured against Purdue, Abdullah had at least 15 touches on offense in every game during his junior and senior seasons at Nebraska. However, as a sophomore, he had a few games with single-digit touches and had a limited role on offense as a freshman, so not being the featured player in the Lions offense isn't a new experience. Abdullah knows that playing better as a team will give him and the other backs more chances.

"I know there's a lot more out there for this offense and I intend to be a big part of this offense," he said.

When Abdullah played against Burton's Rutgers team in 2014, he had a monster game with 19 carries for 225 yards and three touchdowns, as well as a 76-yard kickoff return, so the fullback has seen what Abdullah can do. Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has seen Abdullah impress in spots — a 24-yard touchdown run and a 48-yard kickoff return in Week 1 and a 16-yard touchdown catch last Sunday — and now the team hopes to see him truly break out soon.

"He's been explosive," Stafford said. "The couple times we've given him the ball in space and gotten him free, he's done a great job of making that second guy miss or whoever his guy would be in the play."

jkatzenstein@detroitnews.com

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