David Montgomery didn’t wait long to remind Detroit what it gave up.
One week into the season, the Lions’ old No. 2 back was already looking like a problem they no longer had the luxury of solving. Montgomery, now with the Houston Texans, delivered a sharp debut against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday: 79 yards from scrimmage on 23 touches, plus three total touchdowns - two on the ground and one through the air.
The yardage wasn’t flashy. He averaged three yards per carry and never really blew the doors off the stat sheet.
But the workload told the story. Detroit simply couldn’t offer him that kind of volume anymore, not with Jahmyr Gibbs lined up to take over the backfield and be paid like the lead runner.
That shift had already been in motion before Montgomery was dealt to Houston in March. A late-season dip in usage made it clear the Lions were moving in a different direction, and the trade fit the logic of the roster. The organization wanted Gibbs as the centerpiece, and Montgomery wanted out.
The plan looked clean enough on paper. Then the depth chart got messy.
Detroit signed Isiah Pacheco to fill the role Montgomery left behind, but the durability questions that have followed Pacheco in recent years showed up immediately. He opened the season on injured reserve, and head coach Dan Campbell said Jacob Saykors and Sione Vaki would share the backup work in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, and possibly beyond.
Gibbs handled his first true featured role the way the Lions hoped he would. He piled up 186 total yards, including 156 on the ground, on 34 touches and scored twice rushing.
But even in a huge game, the snap distribution hinted at a different issue. According to Pro Football Focus’ initial data, Gibbs was on the field for 57 of Detroit’s 77 offensive snaps, or 74 percent, while Vaki was the only backup to see meaningful action.
PFF’s numbers showed Vaki playing 22 offensive snaps to Saykors’ zero against the Saints. He managed 18 yards from scrimmage on three touches, including an 11-yard catch, but the outing was uneven and at times awkward. On one play, Vaki essentially blocked left tackle Penei Sewell on a snap that might have turned into a defensive touchdown for New Orleans, except it was ruled that Jared Goff’s arm was moving forward, turning it into an incomplete pass instead of a fumble.
That’s the backdrop now: Gibbs as the featured back, Pacheco unavailable, and the reserve situation looking thinner than expected. Montgomery’s debut in Houston only sharpened the contrast. It was enough to make Detroit’s old setup feel unfinished after just one Sunday.
In Other News...
Lions Escape Saints But A Bigger Concern Just Took Center Stage
The Lions left New Orleans with a win, but it came with a lot of noise attached to it. Detroit needed overtime to get past the Saints, and while the offense leaned hard on Jahmyr Gibbs, who piled up 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns, the bigger takeaway was how much the secondary struggled to hold up for much of the night. The defensive line did its part with five sacks, and special teams flashed better coverage with several key tackles, but the back end was exposed repeatedly.
Jameson Williams also had a rough outing with multiple drops, adding to the uneven feel of a game Detroit controlled only in stretches. For a team with bigger expectations than simply surviving close ones, the concern is less about the win itself than the way the Saints were able to test the Lions through the air. The front seven gave them enough chances to escape, but the secondarys performance is the sort of issue that tends to linger after the postgame celebration fades. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Suddenly Have A Joey Porter Jr. Question Worth Watching
The cornerback market suddenly has a name that would have to get the Lions attention. Joey Porter Jr. has reportedly asked the Steelers for a trade as extension talks have stalled, and Pittsburgh is at least willing to listen, even if its current asking price appears steep. For Detroit, it is the kind of opening that is hard to ignore: a young defensive back with upside becoming available, and a team that still has a clear need at the position.
Nothing formal is happening yet, but that is part of what makes this worth watching. The Lions have the cap flexibility to explore a move if the price softens, and Porters situation could become one of the more interesting fallback options on the market. For now, it is simply a question of whether the Steelers lower their demands enough for Detroit, or anyone else, to get serious. [Read more 🡒]
Lions Opener Already Brings One Early Concern Fans Will Watch
The Lions got off to the kind of start they wanted in Week 1, putting together an opening drive that moved through Jared Goff and Jahmyr Gibbs before ending in the games first touchdown. Detroit carried that momentum through the first quarter and held a 7-0 lead with the ball near midfield, a solid opening stretch in New Orleans.
Christian Mahoganys day, though, took an early turn when the left guard left in the first quarter with an injury and was replaced by Ben Bartch. For a team that values stability up front as much as Detroit does, it was the first thing to watch on a day when the scoreboard looked good and the bigger concern quickly became what the line might have to do without one of its starters. [Read more 🡒]