Lions mailbag: How can Detroit cope with the absence of David Montgomery?
Because of David Montgomery’s injury, the Detroit Lions will be without a vital component of their offence. How will they react?
Running back David Montgomery will miss some time, according to Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, after suffering a rib injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Montgomery might be placed on injured reserve, according to Campbell.
That is without a doubt a big blow to the Lions offence. Montgomery was previously described by Campbell as “a big piece of who we are and what we have offensively.” There will be a change that must be made.
Will they simply start a fresh back like Jahmyr Gibbs, who appears to be on his way back from injury? Will they have to shift their whole attitude to become a more pass-oriented club, as they did in the second half against the Bucs? Can someone like Craig help?
Running back David Montgomery will miss some time, according to Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell, after suffering a rib injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Montgomery might be placed on injured reserve, according to Campbell.
That is without a doubt a big blow to the Lions offence. Montgomery was previously described by Campbell as “a big piece of who we are and what we have offensively.” There will be a change that must be made.
Will they simply start a fresh back like Jahmyr Gibbs, who appears to be on his way back from injury? Will they have to shift their whole attitude to become a more pass-oriented club, as they did in the second half against the Bucs? Can someone like Craig help?
On Tuesday, Erik Schlitt and I talked about what’s next for the Lions offence.
“Will they pass any more?” Maybe because that’s what the skill players around them prefer,” Schlitt speculated. “Maybe you’re going to see more passing, but fundamentally they’re still going to go into the game the same way that they did when Montgomery was injured earlier in the year, as well.”
Montgomery did not play against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4. While the game plan was geared towards their passing offence (33 passes, 28 rushes—kneel downs removed), they were able to divide large amounts of carries with their other backs, including Gibbs (17 carries), Reynolds (4), and Zonovan Knight (3).
However, there is one area where Montgomery’s absence may be felt, and it is a major one: the red zone. Montgomery has six running touchdowns this season, while Reynolds is the only other back with a single score.
“They’ve been such a good team at running goal line,” I went on to say. “We saw all of Jamaal Williams’ touchdowns last year, and David Montgomery was on pace to surpass them this year.” “What are they going to do now?”
We go into that topic in further detail, including what Ozigbo and Ibrahim bring to the table. The entire topic begins around 17:50 into the show.
This week’s other themes include:
- Is the lack of pass rush vs. the Buccaneers concerning? (2:50)
- What happened with Kerby Joseph vs. Tampa? (12:10)
- How important is pass-game coordinator Tanner Engstrand right now? (25:50)
- Under what circumstances would Ben Johnson stay in Detroit for 2024? (30:30)
- How will the Lions secondary adjust to a dangerous Ravens passing attack? (33:45)
- Which Lions players have played above your expectations in 2023? (39:00)
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