After the Detroit Lions' loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 6, head coach Dan Campbell said he would like to "balance the backfield out" by giving more touches to David Montgomery. This was understandable following the second-worst rushing output of the season by the Lions. Montgomery had only four carries, while Jahmyr Gibbs had 17 in comparison. Knuckles did more with his touches, averaging six yards per carry, while Gibbs only averaged 3.8.
Fast forward a week, and Campbell may have to go back on his promise to get Montgomery more touches. The Lions did, in fact, balance out the backfield by increasing Montgomery's carries to 13 while Gibbs' stayed the same at 17. But Sonic had the best game of his career, looking completely unstoppable against the Bucs' defense. Gibbs not only averaged eight yards per carry, but he also added 82 receiving yards for a career-best 218 total yards from scrimmage, the most by a Lions player since Calvin Johnson in 2013, per ESPN Research.
Campbell May Not Be Able to Give Montgomery the Touches He Wants
While Campbell's desire to get Montgomery more involved and keep Gibbs fresh by not putting too much on him is understandable, he will likely find it harder now to split touches between them evenly. Last season, there was a similar effort, with Gibbs averaging 14.7 rushing attempts per game and Montgomery averaging 13.2. Even though Gibbs was significantly more effective and was arguably the best RB in the league, Campbell continued to feature Montgomery heavily throughout the season.
Montgomery's carries have declined to 11.1 per game, and Gibbs' have largely stayed the same. The 23-year-old, however, has once again been more impactful, averaging 5.1 yards per carry, compared to Montgomery's 4.6.
The two players obviously bring two different elements to the game. Gibbs has the speed and quickness, while Montgomery relies more on brute force and power to go downhill. There are certainly times when using Montgomery's size and strength makes more sense. His hard-running style and ability to break tackles and gain yards after contact are key for the Lions to move the ball. Montgomery's hard-to-tackle, physical style makes things easier for Gibbs when he has the ball on the next possession.
Yet, the Lions need to stop treating the two rushers as if they are the same caliber of players. Having Montgomery is a big luxury, and he is a big part of this offense. This doesn't mean, however, that he should get the same number of touches as the best running back in the league. After Monday night's performance, Dan Campbell will likely start feeling similarly.