Lions running backs David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs make history once again in Monday night win against Ravens

Stop me if you've heard this before: Detroit Lions running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs have made history. Last night was not the first time it's happened and likely won't be the last for the dominant RB duo.

In their Monday Night Football win against the Baltimore Ravens, Montgomery and Gibbs made history by each tallying a rushing score in the same game for a league-record 11th time. They did so with ease against a solid Ravens defense, both finding the end zone twice, combining for 218 rushing yards and four touchdowns. 

The only other time the Lions had two players rush for two touchdowns in the same game came in 1936.

"They're both incredible, they both do everything right, they both block well, they both can catch, they both can run, obviously," quarterback Jared Goff said on Gibbs and Montgomery. 

Montgomery finished with 12 carries for 151 yards, including a massive 72-yard run and a 31-yard score in the fourth quarter that helped Detroit go home with the win.

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Jeff Kerr

"Seeing him having a big game like that is huge. It's awesome. It's great for him, but he's that type of player and [I] can see one of them doing it again next week," Goff said.

Their MNF win came with long drives both in time and yardage, and the Lions rushing for just over half (224) of their total offensive yardage (426).

"We expect to do that because we know we have a great O-line," Gibbs said. "We have a great [running back] room. It doesn't really come as a surprise."

Gibbs and Montgomery are any defenses worst nightmare. Their dominance is one we haven't seen at this level by a running back duo in some time.

To go back to the last time a team had two players log 250-plus scrimmage yards and three rushing touchdowns through the first three games of a season, you'd have to go to the 1960 Browns. The only other time it happened in NFL history, other than with the Lions this season, was with the 1958 Rams. 

Some wondered how the Lions offense would adjust after losing offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and transitioning to John Morton. In their season opener against the Green Bay Packers, Detroit's run game was limited to just 46 yards, but over the last two games they have found their rhythm again. In the last two matchups, they have over 900 total net yards and 90 points for the first time since 1950 as a franchise.

Last season, the Lions became the first team in history to have two running backs and two wide receivers finish the year with 1,000-plus yards each. Wideouts Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams, along with Montgomery and Gibbs, all hit the mark in 2024.