GREEN BAY – In the league rankings, the Packers' and Lions' running games can't get any closer.
So far in 2024, Green Bay is averaging 156.9 yards rushing per game, good for fifth in the league. Detroit is right behind at 156.7, ranking sixth.
But how these two NFC North rivals go about it on the ground presents quite the contrast as they square off Sunday at Lambeau Field with first place in the division on the line.
Starting with Detroit, the Lions have a true two-headed backfield monster in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. They have almost exactly split the carries – Gibbs has 92 rushes, Montgomery 93 – as well as the touchdowns (Gibbs six, Montgomery seven) in combining for 1,006 rushing yards.
They're a classic 1-2 punch with their varied body types and running styles.
Gibbs is 5-9, 202-pound speedster and a "home-run hitter," Head Coach Matt LaFleur said, pointing out he's had TD runs of 45 and 70 yards in the Lions' last two games.
Meanwhile, Montgomery is 5-11, 230-pound freight train considered "one of the most physical backs in the league," according to LaFleur. "You better have a tackling plan when you go approach this guy 'cause he's gonna try to run over you."
The Packers are plenty familiar with both. Gibbs is in just his second NFL season, but back in his college days at Georgia Tech (before he transferred to Alabama), defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley faced him twice as head coach at Boston College.
Hafley remembered Gibbs returning an opening kickoff for a touchdown in one of those games and figured his pro future was bright. The key to slowing him down is to make him stop and change direction, steering him toward where the defense has more pursuit.
"It's going to be about alignments, being precise with them, understanding the leverage you should have on the ballcarrier, and then setting edges," Hafley said of dealing with Gibbs. "You have to set edges and send the ball back. If this guy gets the perimeter and he doesn't have to stutter his feet, there's a chance he'll be gone."
For Montgomery, this will mark his 10th career game against Green Bay dating back to his earlier years with Chicago. His best outing came in the first Packers-Lions game last season in Week 4, when he pounded his way to 121 yards and three TDs on 32 carries.
That type of workhorse performance, before Gibbs had found his footing as a rookie and become a bigger part of things, is what Josh Jacobs has been delivering for Green Bay so far as the offense's most highly impactful free agent addition.
Jacobs has carried the ball 145 times this season, tied with Baltimore's Derrick Henry for most in the league by a single back. His 667 yards rank fourth.
Next up in workload for the Packers is second-year pro Emanuel Wilson with 51 rushes for 226 yards. He and newcomer Chris Brooks have complemented and spelled Jacobs when necessary, but there's no question who's the feature back in Green Bay.
"Josh has been that steady force for us all season, just having those chippy runs, getting 4, 5, 6 yards and then obviously (we) just keep feeding him until he breaks that big one like he did," said quarterback Jordan Love, referring to Jacobs' season-long 38-yard TD run at Jacksonville last week.
"He's a very talented runner, has a knack for just making guys miss in the hole. He's very elusive. Obviously the numbers might not be there touchdown-wise, but he's a very huge part of our offense and helps us get rolling."
Those touchdowns could be coming, though. Before last week, Jacobs had just one rushing TD (while also getting his first career receiving TD recently) until scoring twice on the ground against the Jaguars as part of his 25-carry, 127-yard day when Love and backup QB Malik Willis played essentially one half apiece.
Whichever QB is under center Sunday, Jacobs will be ready to do anything he's asked. He missed practice Wednesday to manage a tender ankle from the Jacksonville game and is officially questionable on the injury report, but he vowed he'll be good to go.
In short, the 5-10, 223-pounder thrives with work. Back in Willis' first start for the Packers in Week 2, Jacobs was at his workhorse best, rushing 32 times for 151 yards – becoming the first Green Bay running back with 30-plus carries in a game in 16 years (Ryan Grant, 2008).
His toughness and professional approach haven't gone unnoticed. The respect the 2022 NFL rushing champ has earned in the Packers' locker room in a short time is evident.
"I don't think I could point out another person on this team who practices harder than he does, who runs harder than he does," receiver Christian Watson said. "We see it every day."
Watson remembers watching Jacobs with both Alabama and the Raiders and seeing "a physical back who can break any tackle," and now that he's seeing it up close, "It's a lot crazier."
A dedicated downfield blocker in the run game who helped escort Jacobs to the end zone on his 38-yard score last week, Watson joked it's actually harder to block for a back like Jacobs because he never knows how long he'll stay up.
"It's a blessing to have a running back that can make big plays at any moment," Watson said.
For all the differences in these two teams' ground games, that thought applies to all involved.
