The Detroit Lions boast a top-10 rushing offense entering Week 6 of the 2024 NFL season, and the beauty of their ground attack is that's it two-pronged, with David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs both ranking among the league's top 20 rushers. The Lions' ball-carriers embrace the setup, too, with Montgomery revealing to CBS Sports HQ this week that he and Gibbs have their own nicknames for each other.
"We got a new name going around, Sonic and Knuckles, and I happen to be Knuckles," Montgomery said. "I like that one."
The nickname is a reference to the video-game characters Sonic the Hedgehog, who has supersonic speed; and Knuckles the Echidna, Sonic's rival-turned-friend who possesses brute strength.
"But me and Jahmyr, we go hand in hand," Montgomery explained. "And I think a lot of people kinda see it in one light. Like, Jahmyr is a guy who can just do this kind of skill and I'm a guy that does just this kind of skill. But anybody who really watches the tape, they can see I can move a lot better than people think I can. ... And Jahmyr, he's fast, he's shifty, but he's strong, too. ... You mesh those two things together ... I think the sky's the limit for us."
Montgomery, who added that former Lions great Barry Sanders was his favorite player growing up, technically leads Detroit's backfield with 63 carries, but he's embraced a near-even split of work with Gibbs, the 2023 first-round draft pick. The latter has averaged 5.3 yards per carry, leading the team with 285 yards on the ground during the Lions' 3-1 start, while Montgomery holds the slight edge in touchdowns (4).