Detroit Lions figured out running game Sunday. But will it continue?

When I’ve thought about the Detroit Lions’ mostly dreadful run game over the years, I’ve always thought about the same thing: Mikel Leshoure’s tattoo.

Leshoure was the snake-bitten Illinois running back the Lions drafted in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft. Not only was he drafted during the NFL lockout, he missed his whole rookie season with a torn Achilles tendon and was out of the NFL after three years and 17 games.

Worse yet, Leshoure got a Lions tattoo on his forearm right after he was drafted to commemorate the auspicious occasion.

Poor Mikel. He was supposed to be the power complement to Jahvid Best, whose own NFL career was over six games into the 2011 season because of concussion problems.

Poor Jahvid.

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I remember how much excitement there was about Best and Leshoure. How they were supposed to be thunder and lightning, shock and awe, the dynamic duo. Instead, they became the tragic twins.

And that tattoo has stuck in my mind as the saddest tattoo I’ve seen outside of Scotty P’s “No Ragrets” in “We’re the Millers.”

So here we are again. Hope has been restored in the Lions’ run game for the first time in a long time. At least for one game. Rookie Kerryon Johnson did the impossible on Sunday and became the Lions’ first 100-yard rusher in five years.

Five. Years.

And veteran LeGarrette Blount is no slouch. He brings an important power component that should work wonderfully in concert with Johnson. They combined for 149 yards in the 26-10 win over the New England Patriots.

But can the Lions continue their success in the run game the rest of the season? I think this is the question that will determine their success this year.

Here’s the short answer: Probably not. But maybe.

We have to remember the Patriots entered the game with the NFL’s 25th-ranked run defense. Now they’re ranked 31st, and that feels generous.

I looked at the Lions’ next seven games, through the Carolina Panthers game Nov. 18 at Ford Field, basically before they start facing division teams a second time. I think they’ll have a tougher time running the ball more often than not.

In the next seven games, I see the Lions mounting a pretty good rushing attack at home against Green Bay, Seattle and Carolina. But I don’t foresee much rushing success at Dallas this week, at Miami, at Minnesota or at Chicago; three of those teams have top-11 run defenses, and the Vikings rank 14th.

Here’s the good news. If Johnson and Blount stay healthy and the offensive line doesn’t fall apart, I think the run game will get better as the season goes on and Johnson gets more touches and more involved in the offense.

Blount likely will remain the putative starter all season and will maintain a sizable role in the offense because he’s helping evangelize Matt Patricia’s process and culture. He also will take some wear off Johnson on those up-the-gut runs.

The Lions’ run game may not be as consistently effective as we saw it Sunday. But it will be good and maybe even very good at time. At the very least, it should be the best we’ve seen it in a very long time.

Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com or follow him on Twitter @cmonarrez.