The Lions offense is wildly creative. That’s made possible by NFL’s best RB tandem

Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

I’ve said it offhandedly for weeks now: With David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, the Detroit Lions have the best running-back tandem in the league. While I came to that conclusion because of covering and paying close attention to Detroit, I had yet to actually examine their individual contributions and overall production.

Now that I have, let me tell you — the Lions have the best running-back tandem in the league and it isn’t close.

Montgomery was brought in by Detroit to be their lead back, which was evident at the beginning of the season, in particular. An injury forced Gibbs into an increased role after Week 6 but since Montgomery returned, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has figured out how to get both players involved.

Montgomery has 10 touchdowns on the season through 11 games. That’s a career single-season high and ranks fifth in the league despite Montgomery’s limited playing time. He’s second in rushing percent over expected, according to Next Gen Stats, at 45.4% and ranks 11th in rushing yards over expectation and rushing yards over expectation per attempt. Montgomery has 48 first downs this season by rushing, which is tied for the sixth-most in the league.

He’s a proverbial Mack truck on the field, breaking 16 tackles this season, which ranks seventh league-wide.

Yet with all that production coming from Montgomery, Gibbs has become one of the most exciting rookies in the NFL. Gibbs is tied for fifth in rushing yards over expectation per attempt, gaining 0.75 more yards per carry than he should on average. He has the most rushing yards after contact than anyone else, gaining an additional 2.4 yards on average after he gets hit. He’s also tied for the most rushing yards before contact of any qualified running back (3.3), according to Next Gen Stats.

These two players alone have played a massive role in Detroit’s high-powered offense this year (yet again). The Lions are…

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Publish date : 2023-12-22 14:53:27

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