As we’ve noted before, the Detroit Lions have had an injury-ridden 2024 season with over a dozen key defensive players seeing their seasons cut short. The bad luck extended to the offensive side of the team as well when starting running back David Montgomery, who tore an MCL in his right knee during a 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, was feared to be gone for the season.
Notwithstanding, the Lions kept finding ways to win, clinching the NFC North with a 15-2 record. This Saturday, after enjoying a bye week during the wild card round of the postseason playoffs, they’ll face the Washington Commanders. And they’ll have one key player back in the mix: David Montgomery.
Montgomery, who missed three games due to the MCL injury, didn’t opt for surgery on the injured knee and decided to undergo a “pretty strenuous” rehab routine instead. Whatever recovery method Montgomery followed seems to have worked, as he went through a full practice on Tuesday and says he’s ready to pick up where he left off for the team.
âItâs refreshing,â Montgomery said, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN. âKind of to be back in the position to where I can help the team, yeah, I missed it, so happy to be back.â
The 27-year-old Iowa State alumni, who rushed for 775 yards and 12 TDs this season, allayed fears that he was rushing back from the injury just because the Lions made the playoffs.
âI wouldnât be out there if I wasnât ready,â Montgomery added, noting that he received three different medical opinions on the MCL before deciding to rehabilitate.
âI think the speculation that I was getting surgery or that was kind of the end-all, be-all. Nobody really ever knew,â Montgomery continued. âSo when it got put out, I didnât know that I was getting surgery. So the media told me, so it was news to me, but Iâm always pretty confident in who I am and how I prepare.â
The Detroit Lions and Lions fans are certainly happy to have him back.
“It’ll mean a lot,” coach Dan Campbell noted. “Five’s a big part of us. He’s a huge part of us, and to me, he’s a bell cow. He’s somebody that is a tone-setter. He’s a catalyst, so there’s a place for him. There’s a place for him here, so there’ll be a place for him in this game. So it’s going to be good to get him back.”
What do you think of the comments made by David Montgomery on being back for the Detroit Lions in time for the playoffs. Do you think he’s come back at the perfect time to help the team or are you concerned he might be rushing back? Let us know in the comments.
