In 2023, the Detroit Lions almost had the seventh running back duo in NFL history on the same team to have 1,000 rushing yards in the same season. Jahmyr Gibbs fell 55 yards short of getting it done as a rookie, as David Montgomery had 1,015 yards on the ground.
Last season Gibbs had a breakout second campaign with 1,412 rushing yards. while Montgomery missed the final three games of the regular season and finished with 775 yards. One of these years the dual 1,000-yard rushing seasons thing may come together for "Sonic and Knuckles", but they have combined for 51 rushing touchdowns over their two seasons together.
Among running backs over that span, Gibbs has the third-most rushing touchdowns (26) and Montgomery (25) has the fourth-most.
The hierarchy of running backs in Lions history of course starts with Barry Sanders, and everyone else comes after the man who is fourth on the all-time rushing list with 15,269 yards. No matter what Gibbs does over the course of his career in Honolulu Blue, he will never usurp Sanders.
Sanders would never laud his own accomplishments, but he knows what good running backs look like.
Barry Sanders calls it as everyone sees it with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery
During a recent interview with Tyler Dragon of USA TODAY, Sanders was asked for his assessment of Gibbs and Montgomery.
"I think it's the best duo in the NFL," Sanders said. "You look at David Montgomery, he's been a great running back in the NFL for many years, and he just added to that coming over from the Bears and putting him with this Lions offensive line. And then, you see what Jahmyr Gibbs was able to do last season, really the last two years he's been here."
"I feel like last year was more of a breakout season for him (Gibbs), eclipsing a thousand yards and the type of exciting, dynamic plays that he's able to make with his speed, his vision," Sanders said. "So yeah, they're the best duo in the NFL, and there's no reason to think that's gonna change any time soon. You would think that if a Super Bowl is in the near future, that those two guys would be a big part of it."
Gibbs is regarded as a top-five running back in the league entering his third season, with Montgomery somewhere a tier or two below him. There is no better pair of backs in the league right now, all Sanders did was confirm what the world already knows.
Check out Sanders' full interview with Dragon below.
