David Montgomery – Lions Lowdown

Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs ready to take on more of the load

Dan Campbell: He’s our bell cow now

ALLEN PARK — In Jahmyr Gibbs’ first three seasons with the Detroit Lions he was paired with veteran running back David Montgomery. Coach Dan Campbell called them the two-headed monster. They were close on and off the field.

Since the Lions traded Montgomery to the Houston Texans in March, Gibbs is now THE guy.

“He’s going to be our bell cow now. He really became more of that last year, but we’re going to hang our hat on him quite a bit. We’re going to do a lot of things we feel he does well,’’ Campbell said on Thursday prior to the Lions offseason workout.

Gibbs is good with the change, he’s used to carrying a load just like he did at Alabama before he was the Lions’ first-round pick in 2023.

“Growing up I’ve always been the person that’s always had the most carries,’’ Gibs said. “I’m not looking at it any different than any other year.’’

He said his preparation for the season will remain the same with consistency as the key.

Last season Gibbs started all 17 games and finished with 13 rushing and 5 receiving touchdowns. He carried the ball 243 times for 1,223 yards, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. He also had 77 receptions for 616 yards.

Expect to possibly see him running more routes come September.

“I’ve mentioned this before he can run everything we’ve got, he can run every scheme that anybody has ever run,’’ Campbell said. “He’s not just an outside runner, he’s not just a space runner, he can create his own space in the middle. Some of his biggest runs have been gap schemes right down the pike where he’s had patience and found it and guys blocked it up.’’

One other change for Gibbs is new offensive coordinator Drew Petzing who replaced John Morton who was let go. Campbell called the offense on game days to end last season.

“He’s really smart, he’s really strategic,’’ Gibbs said of Petzing. “He demands a lot of his players but he knows we can do it so that’s what he puts on us. It’s going to be fun.’’

The running back room has added new faces including veteran Isiah Pacheco who spent the last four seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs.

“He’s got a lot of juice, he’s very energetic, he’s a fun person to be around, he plays really hard,’’ Gibbs said of Pacheco. “He wants to do anything for the team that Dan tells him to do.’’

NOTES: Campbell announced that rookie WR Kendrick Law, a fifth-round pick, tore his ACL in practice on Tuesday and will be out for the season. The Lions added WR Kyre Duplessis to the roster.

Five reasons the Lions wrapped up the season with a 19-16 win at Chicago

The season finale meant something to coach Dan Campbell and it showed when they came back for a 19-16 win at the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Campbell’s words all week were not empty. He challenged his guys to play like it mattered and they listened.

“Good win by the guys, proud of them, that’s the way to finish. I didn’t expect anything different out of them just knowing the guys we had, but nonetheless I’m still proud of them,’’ Campbell said.

“It’s not the easiest thing – you get eliminated, it’s hard for some guys, you’re back out in the elements with a team that’s already clinched. But our guys fought from the beginning, we were up two scores, they came back, our guys didn’t bat an eye and we were able to finish it out. It was one of the best games we played as far as complementary football,’’ the coach added.

While it’s never good to finish the season out of the playoffs, the win gave them a 9-8 record for the season. It was their fourth straight winning season.

“I believe that things happen for a reason, right, wrong or indifferent. When something like this happens I believe it’s going to be for the best. It’s up to Brad (Holmes) and I to make it for the best,’’ Campbell said.

Five reasons the Lions won:

ONE: The run game made its return after missing in action for a few weeks and, like Campbell said early in the week, that is everything. Jahmyr Gbbs carried 19 times for 80 yards while David Montgomery picked up 42 yards on 8 carries. Gibbs also had 3 catches for 33 yards including a touchdown. Campbell said the offensive line really showed up and they were without RT Penei Sewell.

TWO: The defense played lights out, keeping the Bears off the scoreboard until early in the fourth quarter. This game meant something for Chicago which was aiming for the NFC’s second seed but they appeared to sleepwalk through the first three quarters. They had no answers for the Lions defense until they scored on a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Bears were held to 69 total yards in the first half and 270 overall.

THREE: Jared Goff had a real rhythm going from the first two drives when they had to settle for field goals. He kept it going throughout. One of his passes was tipped which led to an interception late, but the offense came back and set up a 42-yard game-winning field goal as time expired. Goff was 27 of 42 for 331 yards, one touchdown, one interception and he was sacked twice. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown finished with 11 catches for 1394 yards.

FOUR: Dan Campbell was at his best on play-calling. He was steady, not too cute and it worked. He knew the strengths of his guys on the field and made it work.

FIVE: While the Lions had nothing to play for, you wouldn’t know it. They were out to win and it showed. It’s never good to end a season out of the playoffs, but it is good to show some real fight and signs of life in the season-ending game.

Five things to watch as Lions face Vikings in Christmas Day matchup; plus injury updates

Dan Campbell’s most memorable Christmas kids when he was younger was underwear – tidy whities – from his dad.

A win over the Vikings on Christmas Day is at the top of his wish list this year.

The LIons (8-7) are coming off two straight losses and still have a very slim chance of making the playoffs while the Vikings (7-8) have won three straight and are out of the postseason discussion.

His message to the team on this shortened week is to move forward.

Wide receiver Jameson Williams paints a picture of the locker room,

“Nobody is disappointed I don’t know – everybody’s head is high, we’ve still got a chance. Nobody is in there with a sad face, everybody is happy we get a chance to go to work and do something that we love doing,’’ Williams said.

“It’s not all about the bigger picture that everybody else makes it about. Some people play this game because they love the game. It’s not about the money or pleasing fans or pleasing anybody. As I’ve been looking around and analyzing everybody’s head has been high. We still feel like we got a shot at this,’’ he added.

Five things to watch:

ONE: Run the damn ball. In the first meeting the Lions managed just 65 rushing yards (3.3 yards per carry). It’s one reason they lost. They have lost all six games when they have rushed for less than 100 yards. It happened again on Sunday in the loss to the Steelers. It’s not on Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery – all 11 players on offense are responsible. “Everybody’s got to be on par. One time it’s one player here, whether it’s in the O-line or at another spot, it’s not just there. The backs are involved, receivers, tight ends. So, we just kind of took turns with – whether it was some of the combinations or we’re not honoring the ID, or maybe it’s not the right read,’’ Campbell said referring to the loss to the Steelers.

TWO: Stop the run. The Lions defense has had a miserable time stopping the run. In five of the last six games they’ve allowed more than 100 rushing yards and they lost four of those five. “As you guys know, the rush and coverage always go together. And we have not worked in unison for a number of plays. We’ve gotten hit on a number of plays,’’ Campbell said. “Some of that is – we play a certain style, right? And then if you feel like you’re not executing there, then you try to give some help in areas. Well, I kind of mentioned this last week, when you do that, then you expose yourself and others. And that happened a little bit (Sunday), we tried to play with a lighter box, and then we got hit in the run game. Some of them we missed some tackles that showed up. Where we fit, who the support player is, that showed. It’s obviously – it’s too much, man, it’s not sustainable.’’

THREE: Quarterback J.J. McCarthy has been ruled out with a hairline fracture in his hand. Max Brosmer, who has played in five games with one start this season, will get the nod. He’s completed 66 percent of his passes with 0 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. “If you give him time to see it he can throw it, he’s got receivers to throw to. I know that,’’ Campbell said. “The guy is accurate and so I think it really falls in line with anybody we play at this point. We have to disrupt him and we can’t let the run game get going. They’re going to lean on him, they’re going to use the run game because it will alleviate a ton of pressure and if we let them open the flood gates it’s going to be a long day for us.

FOUR: In the previous game the Vikings sacked Goff five times. Obviously adjustments have to be made. “We know in totality we have to be better, that’s us as coaches, we have to execute better. I go back to the game where we made so many mistakes all over the map, we’ve got to eliminate the errors,’’ Campbell said “Our backs are going to have to protect, they know that so is the O-line and so are the tight ends at times, chip and nudge. Sometimes you have to beat the rush with your receivers. And Goff has to roll. It takes everybody.’’

FIVE: Goff rarely has a bad outing. He needs another strong showing. “There’s going to be a ton put on Goff. He’s going to have a lot on his plate. He always has a lot on his plate. Nothing’s new there,’’ Campbell said. “But these guys present a lot of problems, a lot of challenges, it starts there. We have to play fast, we’ve got to play fast, we have to make sure we communicate – everybody is doing the same things.’’

LIONS INJURIES: OUT – Avonte Maddox and Giovanni Manu; QUESTIONABLE — Amon-Ra St. Brown, Taylor Decker, David Montgomery, Trystan Colon, Marcus Davenport, Khalil Dorsey, Tom Kennedy, Christian Mahogany, Alim McNeill, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Amik Robertson

VIKINGS INJURIES: OUT — J.J. McCarthy, T.J. Hockenson, Ryan Kelly and Jordan Mason.

PREDICTION: Lions 27, Vikings 24.