The Detroit Lions are hosting the New York Giants in an NFC contest in Week 12. They've lost two of their last three games, including just by nine points in last week's defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The offense needs to pick it up in several areas, and getting David Montgomery more involved is at the top of the list. They haven't been able to get Montgomery going, and head coach Dan Campbell said he wants that to change. However, the problem is still prevalent heading into Week 12.
His confidence hasn't wavered, and he expressed that when speaking to reporters on Thursday. "We all know it's important to get the run game going and what we need to do, and we'll do just that," Montgomery said, according to ESPN's Eric Woodyard.
He added that he thinks they are close to hitting on some big runs, but since they haven't, it means that we have to dig deeper into why that hasn't happened. And last week, Kayode Awosika and Tate Ratledge's shaky play likely played a role in the lack of big runs.
David Montgomery Still Has Confidence Despite Underwhelming Run Game
In the loss to the Eagles, Ratledge had his worst game of the season. On Pro Football Focus, he had a 35.8 overall grade, 19.3 pass-blocking grade, and a 45 run-blocking grade. Awosika also had a disappointing showing, logging a 47.8 overall grade and a 48.4 run-blocking grade.
Taylor Decker, Graham Glasgow, and Penei Sewell all didn't have the best games either, but the guards definitely need to pick things up.
And this game against the Giants provides the golden opportunity to do so. New York's defense is 31st in the NFL in run defense (149.9) and 32nd in yards per carry (5.5). Just last week against the Packers, who lost Josh Jacobs in the first half, they rushed for 128 yards.
The Giants have struggled to stop opposing ground games, which should be a point of emphasis for the Lions. Heading into this matchup, Montgomery has recorded 493 rushing yards and five scores, but he has not been as productive as in years prior.
He's finished with less than 50 rushing yards in six games this season, and the underwhelming blocking up front has something to do with it.
Although his confidence hasn't been affected, the Lions need to get more production from Montgomery, along with Awosika and Rateledge. Luckily for Detroit, the Giants seem like the ideal opponent to break out against.