Lions RB out with knee sprain

On By Littum

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The injuries keep coming for the Detroit Lions.

Running back David Montgomery suffered an MCL injury in his right knee Sunday in the 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills at Ford Field, a person with knowledge of the situation told the Free Press on Monday. The team is still gathering information about the extent of the damage and the next steps, so the person was given anonymity.

The news came an hour after news broke that defensive tackle Alim McNeill tore his ACL and cornerback Carlton Davis broke his jaw.

Montgomery played just 30% of Detroit’s offensive snaps Sunday, 24 total, according to Pro Football Reference. Montgomery limped off the field after staying inside to block in pass protection for one Lions fourth-down conversion in the second quarter. The Lions ran the ball just 15 times for 48 yards in the loss after falling into an early two-touchdown hole in the second quarter.

Montgomery returned to action in the second half, running once for no gain and catching four passes, but sophomore running back Jahmyr Gibbs did much of the work during the comeback attempt.

Montgomery, who signed a two-year contract extension in October, had shared the backfield duties with Gibbs to form one of the deadliest 1-2 running back combos in the NFL. Through 14 games, Montgomery has 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 185 carries.

Gibbs, who leads the team with 1,047 rushing yards, will be the featured back with Craig Reynolds and rookie Sione Vaki as backup options.

Gibbs and Montgomery were trying to become the first running back duo to each reach 1,000 yards in a season since Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams did it for the 2009 Carolina Panthers.

ESPN was the first to report Montgomery’s injury.

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