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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
ALLEN PARK, Mich. — Lions veteran David Montgomery turned to his rookie teammate Jahmyr Gibbs while the running backs were sitting next to each other on the bench.
“I can’t let you have it all,” he said.
After watching the No. 12 overall pick reach the end zone twice in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers, it made Montgomery hungrier.
“I want you to get one,” Gibbs responded, while laughing.
And that’s exactly what Montgomery did on Detroit’s next drive, bursting up the field for a 75-yard touchdown. He would end the game with 12 carries for 116 yards in his return to action after missing two games (ribs), helping the 7-2 Lions win 41-38 on Sunday.
For Montgomery, experiences like those are why he considers Year 5 to be his best season yet.
The veteran running back leads Detroit with 501 rushing yards and seven touchdowns. He said he feels the “best I’ve felt in my career.” And it’s good timing as he prepares to face his former team, the Chicago Bears, for the first time since signing with the Lions this offseason.
“I feel like I’m playing the best that I’ve played in my career up to this point,” Montgomery said during Wednesday’s practice.
While some may view it as a revenge game, Montgomery says it’ll be the “same” as any other game against Chicago, although he still communicates with many of his former teammates. He signed a three-year, $18 million deal with Detroit this offseason after spending his first four seasons in Chicago.
“I go to sleep at the same time the night before the game. I go to sleep at 10:15, fall asleep with a movie on, I’m good,” Montgomery said. “So, it’ll be the same this week. The usual.”
The running back tandem of Gibbs and Montgomery is a big reason why the Lions are off to their best start since 2014. Through his first six games this season, Montgomery’s seven rushing touchdowns are the most by a Lions player since Hall of Famer Barry Sanders in 1991.
His teammate Gibbs has also rushed for four touchdowns over the past three games.
Gibbs is hoping to see the same type of production against the Bears, with Montgomery serving a mentorship role. So far, Gibbs said he hasn’t made a big deal of the Chicago game at all.
“He’s like my big brother really,” Gibbs said. “As soon as I came in, he’s guided me every step of the way with anything I’ve needed help with, and he was there.”
Coach Dan Campbell describes them as a “two-headed monster.” Their partnership was part of Detroit’s vision, with both guys thriving in the ground attack. Heading into Sunday, the Lions have rushed for at least 200 yards in back-to-back games for the first time since 1997.
Although Montgomery is cool with many of his former teammates, not everyone is excited about the challenge of trying to slow him down.
“I’m not looking forward to it. In Green Bay, I hated going against him and watching him just break tackles,” said Bears receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, also the older brother of Lions star receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“I hated going against him and [Dalvin] Cook when I was on the Packers and just always watching them break tackles,” he told ESPN. “That was frustrating on the sidelines. Hopefully he won’t break too many tackles.”
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