NFL players are always excited about their first game. D’Andre Swift could not wait to make his NFL debut with the Detroit Lions. His first game was bittersweet.

Swift scored his first touchdown as a Lion during his first game and dropped the game-winning touchdown. Not the way he wanted to start his NFL career.

D’Andre Swift put up some impressive numbers in college

Swift attended the University of Georgia, and during his freshman year, he was the third-string running back behind two future NFL players in Nick Chubb and Sony Michel. As a freshman, Swift learned a lot watching Chubb and Michel, and when Swift got the opportunity to play, he made the most of it. During his first year, he appeared in 15 games and rushed for 618 yards with three touchdowns. He also had 153 receiving yards and a touchdown. Swift was named to the Coaches’ Freshman All-SEC Team. 

He made significant improvements during his sophomore year at the running back position. Swift started in five of the 14 games he played in and rushed for 1,049 yards with 10 touchdowns, which were both a team-high. Georgia saw Swift as a big-time running back in his second year, and they knew he could make big plays when he had the ball in his hands. 

During his junior year, he was named a team captain. He put together an impressive junior season, rushing for 1,218 yards with seven touchdowns. He was named to the Coaches’ All-SEC First Team and All-Sec Second Team by AP. In three years, Swift rushed for 2,885 yards and had 20 rushing touchdowns. He finished seventh on the all-time rushing list at Georgia. 

The Detroit Lions liked what they saw in D’Andre Swift

Detroit decided to select Swift in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft and signed him to a four-year contract. During the offseason, Swift had the opportunity to prove that he deserved to be a first or second option at Detroit’s running back position. Head coach Matt Patricia did not know who the starting running back would be during the offseason. 

Swift made sure that he would focus on becoming a better player and helping his team out in the best possible way during the summer. In an article from the Detroit Free Press, Swift talked about how he wasn’t paying attention to the depth chart and how he just wanted to get better each day. “Just trying to be consistent, put good stuff on film and have good day after good day,” he said. “That’s what I’m going to be looking for, just going out there and competing.” Swift impressed the coaching staff during the offseason, and he was ready to hear his name called once the season started.

D’Andre Swift will never forget his first NFL game

The 2020 season finally arrived, and Swift was ready to showcase his talents on the biggest stage. The Lions took on the Chicago Bears in Week 1 at Ford Field. Detroit started the game off playing well, and Swift scored his first touchdown in the second quarter. Things were going well for Detroit until the fourth quarter came.

The Lions blew a 23-6 lead in the fourth quarter as the Bears scored 21 unanswered points and took a 27-23 lead with the game coming to an end. But the Lions had an opportunity to win the game. During the final seconds of the game, quarterback Matthew Stafford saw an open Swift in the end zone and delivered a perfect ball to him, but Swift could not keep the ball in his hands as it fell out while he was in the end zone. That left many fans shocked and upset, and after scoring his first NFL touchdown earlier during the game, Swift had to deal with dropping the game-winning past.

This will be a lesson that the rookie will have learned in dealing with adversity. How he bounces back from this will be critical for the Lions. Swift is a talented player, and he has the potential to have a successful NFL career.