The Detroit Lions were a tale of one running back in their 34-27 win over the New York Giants on Sunday when they were supposed to be a tale of two. While Jahmyr Gibbs had the best game of his young career at Ford Field in the overtime triumph, David Montgomery was M.I.A. and inconsequential.
Gibbs had 219 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 45 receiving yards, and a touchdown reception in Week 12. Meanwhile, Montgomery had 18 rushing yards on five carries and 19 yards on three receptions, which is far from what fans have been hoping to see after a recent quiet stretch.
One running back was indispensable. The other was a non-entity. Lions head coach Dan Campbell gave Gibbs his due postgame (h/t @nolanbianchi) while speaking to reporters, crediting the offensive line.
"He's electric. He's a game changer. Now, I'm going to give credit to that o-line," Campbell said. "I had a good feeling — I think we all did — about Gibbs."
Campbell clearly didn't have a good feeling about Montgomery, though. It showed in the number of carries. Detroit didn't need a platoon with Montgomery and Gibbs. The latter looks to be more than capable of shouldering the load in the backfield. And he's been the past two weeks, amassing 27 carries to Montgomery's 11.
Lions Clearly Don't Need David Montgomery to Win After Week 12
Through the first two months of the season, it was thought that offensive coordinator John Morton was the problem. Morton's play-calling was an easy scapegoat in his first season at the helm in the Motor City.
Now, though, with Campbell calling the plays, it's clearly a Montgomery problem. Having arrived in Detroit in 2023, the same year Gibbs was drafted, Montgomery was once a useful 1,000-plus-yard rusher in his first season. His play has steadily declined, though, and he's no longer the fit he once was. If the Lions can score 34-plus points without giving him the ball that much, why would they change anything?
The Lions' offense looks too good to shake things up, but an early postseason exit will necessitate change. As a team that's really struggled to string together decisive wins this season, it's not hard to imagine a second straight egg laid in the postseason at this point if an opponent catches Detroit on an off-day.
Montgomery may be actively playing his way out of the Motor City. He has two years left on his contract, according to Spotrac, but the Lions can get out of it with a post-June 1 trade/cut that would create $6 million in savings while only taking on a $2.3 million dead cap hit in 2026 and one of $2.4 million in 2027.
Gibbs is looking like the guy, and at this point, Montgomery isn't providing more than replacement-level play anyway. It's not a guarantee things will play out that way, but it becomes more likely the more Montgomery struggles to move the rock week in and week out.