The incomparable duo of Lions RBs Jahmyr Gibbs, David Montgomery

Is there an NFL duo of running backs like Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery? Lions RB coach Scottie Montgomery thinks they’re completely unique.

On Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 31 snaps on offense and David Montgomery finished with 30. Detroit Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery said that while the team values each player equally and in their own way, that sort of identical split was not necessarily intentional.

“I don’t even know how that happens in a game,” Scottie Montgomery said on Wednesday. “But they do work well together, and there are certain things that they both can do.”

And that last point is what makes the two unique. From the outside, it may look like Detroit has a “thunder and lightning” duo, with Montgomery responsible for the power running game and Gibbs the electric speedster who will kill opposing defenses on the perimeter. But that is a surface-level evaluation of each player’s game.

Scottie Montgomery was asked if he could think of any NFL duos in the past that remind him of David Montgomery and Gibbs, and he couldn’t think of any, because of how versatile each player’s skillset is. Gibbs is far more than the player with frightening acceleration.

“Some of the most impressive things that Gibby did this week was the interior runs,” Montgomery said. “That one run down there on the goal line, not the one he scored, but the one that got us the first down, that looked like a back that–we’re supposed to see the (253-pound RB) Christian Okoyes of the world running the ball.”

Here’s the play he was referencing, where you can see Gibbs square up, lower his shoulder, and pick up the third-and-1 conversion.

As for Montgomery, he’s got much more skills as a receiver than many give him credit for. While he only had 16 catches with the Lions last year (a career low), Detroit has made it known several times that it’s an often overlooked asset to his game, and one that flashed during joint practice with the Giants this preseason.

“I don’t know that I’ve seen a back like David, his size and his body type, that can make the play that he made at the Giants in practice,” Montgomery said. “There that was just an unbelievable down-the-field, over-the-shoulder contested catch. Those skill sets are unique, and I just don’t know that I’ve thought about a collection of backs playing together that can do the same things, but just do it a little bit differently.”

Is Montgomery better at bulldozing through tackles? Is Gibbs more of a threat on the perimeter? Sure, but both backs are capable of assuming both of those roles, allowing Detroit to not tip their hand when either is out there. It also allows them to run their overall game plan through both backs and share the load equally. That comes in handy both at the end of games, and it’ll come in handy at the end of the season, when they’ll need both players to be fresh.

“It’s really good to have those guys and look at them on the sideline and both are energized,” Scottie Montgomery said. “And you don’t have a guy on a knee with a water bottle just exhausted, and you know you have to go win the football game. The most important part of the game is the football, and that’s what you have to maintain in those situations.”

The lingering question every year is whether Detroit will regularly feather both backs on the field at the same time, giving defenses a headache trying to anticipate what they may do. Coach Montgomery didn’t quite tip his hand but made it clear it’s something they’ve considered.

“We’re trying to get our best players–without saying too much–on the field together,” he said. “And then making sure that we can finish. We have to finish games in this league. As you guys know, the last 5, 10 years there’s been so many games that have been decided by one touchdown, or one drive, or one opportunity. So in these settings, we need to make sure that when we get there, we’ve got the horses and carries to cross the finish line.”