David Montgomery’s stunning knee injury recovery got help from the Lions’ No. 1 seed
By taking care of business and securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed on Sunday night, the juggernaut Detroit Lions are being rewarded handsomely for their efforts. The bye week Dan Campbell’s crew now has effectively lets a team ravaged by injuries get healthier for a hopeful run to Super Bowl 59.
And the Lions are already reaping the benefits.
On Tuesday, Campbell said he expects usual starting running back David Montgomery — who suffered an MCL injury on December 15 — to be ready for the divisional round two weekends from now. While we admittedly do not know the full extent of Montgomery’s injury, that is a stunning turnaround for a powerful professional athlete.
Montgomery will essentially be taking carries in the Lions’ dynamic offense again just about a month after suffering a serious knee injury.
Folks, that is wild. It also almost certainly wouldn’t be possible if the Lions didn’t have the NFC’s top seed and were forced to play a game on Wild Card Weekend:
https://twitter.com/ttwentyman/status/1876716007676432883
Just a few weeks ago, we were starting to lament a potentially lost dream Lions season due to a rash of injuries. Now, they have homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs and are slowly reintegrating key cogs back into their stacked lineup.
It goes to show you that the common NFL slogan of “Not For Long” also applies to doom and gloom. When you play the right way and have one of the league’s healthiest team cultures, the football gods will smile upon you and give you a break now and then.
The Lions have earned that as much.