Lions’ Offense Get Back on Track: Dan Campbell Confirms Return of Essential Player for Divisional Round
There are few teams in the NFL that have been hit by injuries like the Detroit Lions over the course of the 2024 NFL season.
Headlined by Aidan Hutchinson’s Week 5 injury that cost him the rest of the regular season, the list of injured Lions has been loaded with key players on both sides of the ball.
As recently as Week 18 they even had rookie corner Terrion Arnold and dominant right guard Kevin Zeitler suffer injuries in their win over the Minnesota Vikings.
Now it looks like the Lions may finally be getting some good injury news ahead of their Divisional Round matchup against the Washington Commanders.
On January 7, Lions head coach Dan Campbell said that he expected running back David Montgomery to return for the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
During a press conference on January 13, Campbell confirmed that Montgomery will be back for the clash with the Commanders.
“5’s a big part of us. He’s a huge part of us. And to me, he’s a bell cow. He’s a tone-setter. He’s a catalyst. There’s a place for him here, so there will be a place for him in this game,” said Campbell (via 97.1 The Ticket). “It’s going to be good to get him back.”
When Montgomery was injured in Week 15, he was diagnosed with a torn MCL. That injury was initially expected to keep him out for the rest of the season.
Just five weeks later he has recovered enough to give the Lions a boost in their efforts to win the franchise’s first Super Bowl.
Montgomery has been a perfect fit for the Lions since they signed him ahead of the 2023 season.
Last year he ran for 1015 yards and 13 touchdowns. This season he ran for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns and 12 touchdowns. He also added 36 catches for 341 yards before he was injured.
He has been a great complement for Jahmyr Gibbs in arguably the NFL’s best backfield.
His return will make life even more difficult for a Commanders defense that has struggled against the run throughout the season, allowing the NFL’s four-most yards per carry.
