The Detroit Lions have one of the best running back tandems in the league with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, and the duo appreciates the ability to compete toward their goal of greatness.
In Week 3, the Lions depended on both Gibbs and Montgomery in order to put away the Arizona Cardinals 20-13. Montgomery did the dirty work in the red zone with a gritty one-yard score, while Gibbs was the recipient of a 20-yard gadget play in which he sprinted into the end zone following a lateral from Amon-Ra St. Brown.
No matter the way it happened, both players scored, which is always the plan according to Montgomery given how they push each other.
"Me and Jahmyr (Gibbs) got (a) friendly competition together trying to (not only) make each other better, but outperform each other. It helps being able to have a friendly competition with us trying to be the best versions of ourselves and I think we do a good job of trying to keep each other accountable. It helps and we're going to keep doing it."
"It raises the bar and the standard. (It raises) the possibilities of what we can be, and if we just continue to hold each other accountable, the sky (is) the limit. So I'm excited to see what's next (for us)."
In the ego-centric world of football, it's refreshing to see players motivated most by team success. Each can put up fantastic personal stats while also leading the Lions to important victories. The best news? There is still more room to grow.
David Montgomery believes Lions' offense will continue to improve
The Lions rebounded well on the ground, led by Montgomery's 105 yards with a touchdown. Still, he was not completely satisfied with the offense's execution.
"(It was good) just being able to get back on track. Last week, we kind of got away from (the run), but we got back on track running the ball (and) being consistent. There's some plays running and pass-wise that we kind of left out there, but we'll watch the tape. We'll clean it up."
For a Detroit offense that has become accustomed to being one of the elite units in the NFL, 20 points and 373 total yards is not enough to thrill Montgomery or anyone else. Fortunately for the Lions, their defense bailed them out with a stingy performance. As the offense continues to figure things out, Detroit's defensive strides are important.
In the meantime, count on Montgomery and Gibbs continuing to push themselves to greater heights. As long as that duo is trying to one-up themselves with game-breaking plays, the Lions will benefit.