In the fourth quarter of the Detroit Lions' Week 8 game vs. the Minnesota Vikings, the fans at Ford Field erupted in a chant: "Vaki! Vaki! Vaki!"
It took running back Sione Vaki a moment to register they were chanting his name, having taken a second to catch his breath. He thought something sounded familiar, though, and gave a closer listen to the fans around him.
"Yeah, that was crazy! That's one of those full circle moments," Vaki said. "Like, dream come true type of moments."
Vaki had six carries for 39 yards in the fourth quarter against Minnesota, including a three-play stretch of a five-yard reception, 12-yard rush and 10-yard rush to get the Lions into Vikings territory. Three additional plays later, the drive resulted in a touchdown pass from quarterback Jared Goff to wide receiver Jameson Williams, which was ultimately the game-winning score that put Detroit up 19-15 on the scoreboard, 5-2 on the season and 2-0 in the NFC North.
The third-year running back finished the afternoon with 11 carries for 65 yards and one catch for five yards. It was his best offensive performance not just of the season but of his NFL career.
When the Lions drafted Vaki in the fourth-round of the 2024 NFL Draft, he joined a running back room with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. He had limited snaps on offense, playing primarily on special teams, but those first two seasons practicing alongside Gibbs and Montgomery on offense were invaluable to Vaki.
In high school, he played on offense then transitioned mostly to defense, playing safety in college for Utah. His first couple seasons at the next level in the NFL helped him settle into one position on the offensive side of the ball.
Running backs coach Tashard Choice tells the players in his room that the run game comes easy, but everything else that comes with being an NFL running back is where Vaki's seen the most improvement. He said that throughout his young career, he's seen his pass protection as a back advance and has gotten better keeping his eyes disciplined.
"I think I needed it more than anything," Vaki said of learning from Gibbs and Montgomery. "It was a little rough just the transition from being mainly a safety in college then to come to the NFL and being a running back. But I'm glad I had those two years (and) also having Craig (Reynolds) to show me the ropes on special teams. It helped me find a role and then it was just building it up from there."
Despite taking on a bigger role in Detroit's offense as the backup running back to Gibbs, Vaki said not much changed for him mentally heading into the 2026 season. Rather, he felt like no matter when he was called upon, he was ready to go.
"Choice prepares us like we're all (Gibbs)," Vaki said.
Ahead of Week 8 vs. Minnesota, Vaki said he and the rest of the running backs had a chip on their shoulders. In 2025, Detroit had just 65 and 68 rushing yards the two times they faced the Vikings. The preparation for Sunday's game felt personal for them. The coaches challenged Vaki, knowing that the run game would be important vs. a blitz-heavy Vikings defense.
Vaki was confident heading into gameday and felt even better seeing the results on the field. Likewise, he felt the trust and support from his team, whether it was shown through play calling from the coaches or his teammates not second guessing when Vaki's number was called.
Building and gaining more trust with his team was one of the most important outcomes from Sunday for the running back, proving he's a reliable backup who can give Gibbs a break without the offense needing to pump the brakes.
Offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said Thursday leading into Week 9 that Vaki brought momentum and energy to the offense. With the that side of the ball rolling, it made it easy for Petzing to keep giving Vaki touches, maintaining that spark and feeding into the energy at Ford Field.
Moving past the Vikings, Vaki also knows there's more meat left on the bone. There were a few runs where he felt like he had more in him, he said. Week 8 was just the beginning and set up a good foundation for Vaki to build on for the rest of the season.
"I just got to pick my damn knees up," Vaki laughed.
Seeing his own progression as well as the team's so far in terms of both performance and confidence has been his favorite part of the season. The work is far from over, but Detroit's offense has loved every part of it. They make sure to show it on the field on gameday, celebrating each other's successes no matter how big or small, and Vaki's glad to be part of it.
"It's exciting," Vaki said. "There's a lot of passion … it's all love for the game. It's fun when everyone's flowing together and you execute the plays when you're out there and understanding that you're part of that.
"You can just see the passion that we have as backs – or really anyone on the field – being able to be part of something like that and help the team win. There's always going to be doubters and haters, but I'm glad we're able to stay as tight as we are in the locker room."
