The Lions enter Thanksgiving with an impressive 10-1 record, Detroit's success is largely due to its impressive running game. Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are both in their second year with the Lions, but they have formed one of the best running back tandems in the league.
A duo as good as this one deserves a nickname, and Gibbs and Montgomery have a good one.
Past running back duos have received nicknames including "Thunder and Lightning" or "Smash and Dash." Gibbs and Montgomery, though, have a more specific nickname.
The two are going by "Sonic and Knuckles," a modern nickname for a modern running back room. Here is how Gibbs and Montgomery got their moniker.
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Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery nickname, explained
Lions running backs coach Scottie Montgomery is the one who first gave the duo the nickname, which is inspired by the video game series "Sonic the Hedgehog."
In the series, Sonic is the main character. The blue hedgehog is known for his speed. Knuckles is one of Sonic's rivals, a red echidna known for his strength.
In the case of Gibbs and Montgomery, Gibbs, 22, represents Sonic as the faster of the two, while Montgomery, 27, is Knuckles due to his toughness and physicality.
"'As you can see, if you watch David, he is a huge fan of cartoons and Disney channels and 'Sonic and Knuckles.' And speed and then also the brashness of Knuckles," said Scottie Montgomery, via Benjamin Raven of mlive.com. "And, of course, I knew about it because I have children, right? So 'Sonic and Knuckles,' I think it works well. They love it, so I'm gonna run with it."
This nickname is a change from last year, when Gibbs and Montgomery went by "Peanut Butter and Jelly." But the shared nickname of "Sonic and Knuckles" gives a better idea of who the two are as players and how they complement each other.
"I would say it's pretty accurate, but I would say in some ways, we could change roles, depending on situations," Gibbs said of the nicknames.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell described the pair as "like brothers," with the elder Montgomery as the big brother displaying a protectiveness over Montgomery. Still, even though Gibbs sees those roles and the Sonic and Knuckles nicknames as accurate, he emphasized their versatility as well.
"We both can do everything, so it's hard for defenses to scheme up against us," Gibbs told ESPN. "I mean the production speaks for itself, too."
Having Sonic and Knuckles on your team isn’t all it’s cracked up to be 😆 pic.twitter.com/Vz2lVvUPNJ
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 26, 2024
CBS even featured the video game-turned-movie characters of Sonic and Knuckles in a video featured Tuesday on social media to preview the Lions' Thanksgiving game against the Bears.
Lions RB stats
| Jahmyr Gibbs | David Montgomery | |
| Games | 11 | 11 |
| Rushing Attempts | 154 | 145 |
| Rushing Yards | 886 | 632 |
| Touchdowns | 10 | 11 |
| Yards per Attempt | 5.8 | 4.4 |
Both Gibbs and Montgomery are in the top 20 in the league in rushing yards, and they are both among seven players in the NFL with at least 10 touchdowns.
Last year, Gibbs and Montgomery combined for 1,960 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns.
