Detroit Lions' running back duo a hit: 'Hard-pressed to find a better duo in the league'

This nickname might stick.

Detroit Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery compared his backfield to a sandwich Wednesday, saying David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs are "like peanut butter and jelly."

"Some people like peanut butter, some people like jelly," Scottie Montgomery said. "But a lot of people like them put together, so that’s kind of where we are with both of them."

The Lions have put together one of the NFL's best backfields this season, balancing the work between Gibbs and David Montgomery to rank sixth in rushing.

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Montgomery leads the Lions with 133 carries, 648 yards rushing and nine touchdowns, while Gibbs has 109 carries for 566 yards and five scores. Gibbs is third on the team with 41 catches, and he and Montgomery split backfield duties almost evenly in the Lions' three November games — when both were healthy for the first time since early in the season.

Since returning from a rib injury after the bye week, Montgomery has 41 touches for 285 scrimmage yards and three touchdowns while Gibbs has 46 touches for 280 yards and three scores.

"Things happen throughout the year but I thought that pretty much was the vision, not to get (David) hurt but to bring (Jahmyr) on kind of in that kind of capacity," Scottie Montgomery said. "It wasn’t to try to find out who was the best between the two of them, it was really to try to develop the skill set of both of them and then kind of grow it."

The Lions signed David Montgomery to a three-year free agent deal this spring and made him their feature back early in the season.

The veteran had 37 carries (to Gibbs' 14) in the Lions' first two games, missed one game with a thigh bruise then produced a monster 32-carry, 121-yard rushing game in Week 4's win over the Green Bay Packers.

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Gibbs, the 12th pick of April's draft, played almost as big a role receiving as rushing early in the year, but showed he was capable of handling a bigger workload while Montgomery was out with injuries.

Gibbs had 17 carries for 80 yards in the Lions' Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons, then keyed a Monday night win over the Las Vegas Raiders when Montgomery was out with a career-high 26 carries for 152 yards.

"I thought Jah stepped into (a bigger role) well," Scottie Montgomery said. "I think it was really good for him to just be able to play and get coached and go through (being the lead back). Just more time on task, and then now collectively having them both kind of since the bye week and both of them being able to get over 70 scrimmage yards apiece (in all three games) and just continue to put those two guys together. I think it's hard for it to be 50-50, but what (offensive coordinator) Ben (Johnson) has done is done a really, really good job of making sure that they’re both really, really involved."

Because their skill sets are so complementary — Gibbs is a home run threat and the more accomplished receiver, while Montgomery wears opponents down with his ferocious running style — both should stay heavily involved over the final six weeks of the regular season.

Scottie Montgomery said Gibbs has improved "night and day" with his blocking since early in the seasons, and the Lions are conscious of the number of hits both backs have taken while trying to keep both healthy for the stretch run.

"They’re both dangerous," Lions quarterback Jared Goff said. "They’re both really good backs. Hard-pressed to find a better duo in the league right now and those guys are doing a hell of a job. It’s fun to have them behind me and when I do have to check the ball down, being able to get the ball in their hands is a lot of fun, too. So they’re doing a really good job, and Scottie’s doing a hell of a job coaching them."

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions have PB&J backfield in David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs