Sonic will be going on solo missions for the rest of the 2024 campaign.
David Montgomery's season-ending knee injury thrust Jahmyr Gibbs into a potential workhorse role for the playoff-bound Detroit Lions.
"Yeah, we've got a lot of confidence in Gibbs," head coach Dan Campbell told reporters on Monday, via the team's website. "He's continued to get better and better as this season's gone and, when given the opportunity, he's made a lot of plays, he made some big plays for us yesterday. He brings the explosive element, he's getting better in the pass game, and then you see what he's able to do in the run game, so we have a ton of confidence."
In three games Montgomery missed in 2023, Gibbs took 54 of 78 running back carries. It's an instructive glance at what to expect the Lions to do moving forward despite the small sample size that it doesn't account for Gibbs' already increased workload in 2024, and each of those was a double-digit game.
Gibbs owns game-breaking potential. In nearly every other backfield, there would have been discussion about why he didn't see the ball more. Montgomery's bulldozing, chain-moving style silenced that chatter. We're about to see what it would be like with Gibbs in a workhorse role in key spots.
The Lions turned to Craig Reynolds as their No. 3 back last season, and he could be the next man up, particularly in goal line and short yardage situations. The wild card could be rookie Sione Vaki. He has just six rushes on the season, all coming in blowouts, but the Lions saw something in the former safety to make him a fourth-round pick.
Campbell noted the Lions must be cognizant of not overworking Gibbs.
"I think for him it's going to be, we've got to use and maximize the reps that we have for him, and be careful that we don't give him too much," he said. "We've still got to be able to be smart with him, but we need him -- we need him and that's the trick. So, those other guys, Craig's going to need to help us, which, he'll be ready, and Vaki, potentially, as well."
The Lions will use other backs, but it's the Gibbs show, particularly once the postseason hits.
