Detroit Lions

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

Published Dec. 22, 2023 9:53 a.m. ET

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 averaging 394.4 yards per game, ranking third behind Miami and San Francisco. Detroit is scoring the fifth-most points per game with an average of 27.3.

Detroit averages the second-highest rushing yards per game with 140.9 and has tallied over 100 yards on the ground in all but two of their games this year. Nine of their 10 wins have come when rushing into triple digits. Their single-game high came the night before Halloween on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders where, in the absence of Montgomery due to an injury, Gibbs rushed for 152 yards on 26 carries. Running back Craig Reynolds made up most of the rest.

The Lions rank fifth in rushing rate. They sit behind only the 49ers, (who run the ball 46% of the time) the Falcons, the Ravens and the Bears. Detroit goes to the ground on 41% of their offensive plays, according to nfelo. Yet, unlike those other teams, they don't tend to trot out multiple-back sets — at least on first down, anyway. While San Francisco puts 21 personnel out on the field a whopping 47% of the time, the Lions do it on just 6% of first downs. It means offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is using his backs interchangeably, and it's keeping them fresh. For as much as they run the ball, that's important.

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Detroit has no tendencies when it comes to play side, either, running to the left and right half the time each. That's likely a symptom of how much they trust their offensive line. Lions backs can run behind any of their linemen, though 46% of the time it's behind one of their tackles.

Perhaps because the Lions tend to still only put a single back on the field at a time, they often face light boxes by opposing defenses — especially Gibbs, who runs into a loaded eight-man box just 12.95% of the time, according to the NGS.

Both Montgomery and Gibbs heavily affect how defenses play — or can play — the Lions and it's translated into an almost certain playoff berth for the former lovable losers of the NFC North.

Running the ball also happens to be a sustainable way to control, if not win, games, which should bode well for that aforementioned postseason trip — especially with a play caller as creative as Johnson. Detroit has one of the most well-rounded offenses in the NFL and a lot of it starts with the best running-back tandem in the league.

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.