DETROIT – After a long day, Lions right tackle Penei Sewell returned home to a pleasant surprise.

His two-year-old son Malakai portrayed Sonic the Hedgehog – but not the video game character. He imitated Sewell’s Lions teammate Jahmyr Gibbs.

“I bought a fluffy Sonic toy for my son because he loves Jah,” Sewell said. “One day I come home and he’s running with the toy and says, ‘DaDa, Uncle Jah’.”

Sewell’s toddler isn’t the only one who noticed.

22-year-old Gibbs, nicknamed “Sonic” for his speed and named after 1990s video game characters, and 27-year-old backfield colleague David Montgomery, nicknamed “Knuckles” for his strength, have made a name for himself as part of coach Dan Campbell’s “two-headed monster” backfield. Over the past two seasons, they have combined for 4,417 yards of offense.

With Gibbs and Montgomery, the Lions have two players who could serve as feature backs for almost any team in the NFL. But they say they have no problem splitting up the straps and have put aside egos and personal accolades in the hopes of helping the Lions win the franchise’s first Super Bowl – a quest that ended Thursday against Montgomery’s former team, the Chicago Bears, (12:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

They say they’re not sure how their new nicknames came about. All they know is that when the nicknames were brought to their attention online, they adopted them, even if the names don’t perfectly describe the players’ style on the field.

“I would say it’s pretty accurate, but I would say in some ways we could switch roles depending on the situation,” Gibbs said.

Sunday’s 24-6 win over the Indianapolis Colts was the latest example of their productive partnership. Gibbs and Montgomery reached the end zone a total of three times (twice for Gibbs, once for Montgomery), achieving a number of milestones along the way.

The performance marked the 11th time the duo each scored a touchdown in the same game (including the playoffs), which is the most games of that type by a running back duo in NFL history, according to ESPN Research. And with Gibbs’ second score of the day, a 5-yard dash late in the third quarter, he and Montgomery became the first duo in NFL history to each score 10 rushing touchdowns in consecutive seasons.

“It’s great to know that me and him are doing something really special and we just want to keep going and see where it ends,” Montgomery said. “We’re trying to be in the history books, and I say in the Super Bowl… we’re also trying to be in the history books because me and him can do something together, so it’s special.”

Gibbs agreed.

“That’s what we’re trying to do,” Gibbs said. “But most of all, we want the Super Bowl first, and if we get it, I think everything else comes with it.”

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SONIC AND KNUCKLES joined forces in spring 2023 and said there was an immediate connection.

In March of this year, Montgomery, a former third-round pick of the Bears in 2019, joined the Lions on a three-year, $18 million contract. A month later, the Lions selected Gibbs, a playmaker from Alabama, with the No. 12 pick before trading running back D’Andre Swift to his hometown Philadelphia Eagles.

“Since I was here for the first time. When we first started talking. I could see he was different,” Gibbs said of Montgomery. “He wanted the best for me and I wanted the best for him. We’ve been locked up ever since.”

“I don’t think it was a specific moment. That’s just who we are, naturally and for each other.”

The two enjoy taking part in friendly competitions to push each other from week to week. After Sunday’s win, Montgomery was aware that Gibbs (90 rushing yards on 21 carries against Indy) had come away with a team-best 886 rushing yards on 154 carries, compared to 632 yards on 145 carries.

“I have to get him,” Montgomery joked.

They also encourage each other. The duo scored three rushing touchdowns in the first half in a 42-29 win over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 4 on Monday night. As he got dressed after the game, Gibbs said without hesitation that they were the best running back tandem in the league and that it wasn’t “close at all,” even though Montgomery had appeared in all four games to that point Starting eleven was in place.

“We can both do everything, so it’s hard for defenses to go against us,” Gibbs told ESPN. “I mean, the production also speaks for itself.”

Campbell compared their relationship to that of siblings and said she pushed each player to be better.

“David and Gibbs are like brothers… David’s big brother and he doesn’t let anyone mess with him, that’s his type,” Campbell said. “Now he’s going to mess with him and if he does something wrong he’ll let him know, but he takes him under his wing and I think they’ve encouraged each other and he’s made Gibbs better and I think it helped him.” to.”

As for Gibbs and Montgomery, they say it clicked for them because they share the same goal.

“We both want to win and we are both selfless people. Jah is really selfless and humble and I like to see myself in the same way,” Montgomery told ESPN. “He’s special, brother. He is elite and I believe he will go down in history as one of the best to ever do it.”

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CAMPBELL ALWAYS HAS imagined having what he calls a “two-headed monster” in the backfield.

Before becoming Detroit’s head coach in 2021, the former NFL tight end saw running back duo Ron Dayne (781 yards from field) and Tiki Barber (1,725 ​​yards from field) known as the “Thunder and Lightning” – his 2000 helped New York Giants to a Super Bowl appearance against the Baltimore Ravens.

As an assistant head/tight ends coach with the New Orleans Saints in 2017, he also saw coach Sean Payton utilize running backs Mark Ingram (1,540 yards from scrimmage) and rookie Alvin Kamara (1,554 yards from scrimmage). making her the first running back to reach the Pro Bowl with the same team in at least four decades.

He kept these examples of Gibbs and Montgomery in mind when putting the duo together.

“To me they are the perfect combination,” Campbell said. “In my opinion it doesn’t get any better. You have everything you need from these two players, whether it’s running or passing.”

Sunday’s game marked Montgomery’s 25th game against the Lions. During that time, he has scored 24 rushing touchdowns, which is the sixth-most in NFL history for a player in his first 25 games with a team. Detroit is also 9-0 in games in which both Gibbs and Montgomery rush for a touchdown.

“When you have a common goal and a chance to win, one of the things you have to do is always be at your best,” Lions assistant head coach and RBs coach Scottie Montgomery said. “And one way to keep them at their best is to compartmentalize some of the things they do.”

But being part of a backfield duo isn’t always easy. Ingram said there are pros and cons to splitting carries with another elite running back. The benefits include a long career and fresher legs on the track. Disadvantages include the lack of personal accolades such as hasty titles and statistics.

“You have to be prepared to maximize your chances because you don’t know how many touches you’ll get or when the touches will come. You have to stay tight and loose on the sideline and be active in games even when you’re not.” “There’s no consistent touches, so that can be challenging and take some getting used to,” Ingram said. “Plus, when you’re the RB1 and you come back, you know that you’re going to wake up on game day and have a chance to get into the flow and get into a rhythm.”

“But when you’re switching in and out based on personnel packages, not only is it difficult to get into a flow and rhythm, but it also gives the defense a key to the tendencies when one player is in the game against another, so The coaching staff has to determine their own scout so that they don’t reveal tendencies about how each back is used.

Former NFL running back TJ Duckett formed a successful tandem with Warrick Dunn as teammates with the Atlanta Falcons from 2002 to 2005, where they combined for 6,296 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns in the regular season during their time together. Each accepted their role: Duckett thrived in short-yardage situations, while Dunn was a playmaker. But Duckett calls successful partnerships in the NFL “very rare.”

“At the end of the day, you’re taking food off people’s tables,” Duckett said. “The thing with Warrick was that he tried to make me better even though that could have jeopardized his place. … It worked out that way, but I was in different rooms and the dynamic was completely different.”

In Detroit, Gibbs and David Montgomery say they’re committed to keeping the good thing going.

And for any doubters who feel their partnership won’t last, Gibbs has issued a warning.

“If you all think that we’re ever going to turn on each other or be against each other, that’s not going to work,” Gibbs said. “You won’t get us, so just let it be known now, so don’t try.”