The Lions have managed to have two different players rush for 1,000 yards this season.
Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs has 656 rushing yards in eight games this season, giving him 1,394 yards on the 17-game season. Teammate David Montgomery had 488 rushing yards in eight games, putting him on pace for 1,037 yards in the 17-game season.
Only seven teams in NFL history have had two 1,000-yard rushers. The first was the incredible 1972 Dolphins, where Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris both rushed for 1,000 yards. The 1976 Steelers (Franco Harris and Rocky Bleier), 1985 Browns (Kevin Mack and Ernest Byner), 2006 Falcons (Warrick Dunn and Michael Vick), 2008 Giants (Brandon Jacobs and Derrick Ward), 2009 Panthers (Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams) and 2019 Ravens (Lamar Jackson and Mark Ingram) also delivered.
At a time when NFL teams typically don’t invest in the running back position, the Lions went the other way, using the 12th pick in last year’s draft on Gibbs, despite signing Montgomery as a free agent a month ago. It’s rare for a veteran to return to an NFL team with two years left on his previous contract. It’s unusual, but it works in Detroit, where the Lions have a 1-2 punch that no other team can beat.
