Saquon Barkley’s big season with the Eagles has led to renewed talk that NFL teams can ride a running back to the Super Bowl. Or in the case of the Lions, perhaps ride two running backs to the Super Bowl.
Barry Sanders, who won only one playoff game during his Hall of Fame career with the Lions, told USA Today that he thinks the combination of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery can give the Lions a championship offense, revolving around its running game.
“They’re the best duo in the NFL and there’s no reason that’s going to change any time soon,” Sanders said. “If a Super Bowl is in our future, in our near future, you would think those two guys would be a big part of it.”
Sanders said he’s been a fan of Montgomery’s since before the Lions signed him, and that Gibbs showed when Montgomery missed time with a knee injury last season that he’s also more than capable of being a No. 1 running back.
“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,” Sanders said. “And then, you see what Jahmyr Gibbs was able to do last season, really from the time, the last two years that he’s been here, but I felt like last year was more of a breakout season for him.”
It was the Lions’ best regular season in almost 70 years, but it fizzled in the playoffs. If the Lions are ever going to get over the hump in the postseason, Sanders thinks it will be on the back of their running game.
