David Montgomery's optimism has prompted the running back to decline surgery on his injured knee.
After consulting with several experts over the past few days, the Lions running back avoided needing to undergo surgery on his MCL, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported on Thursday. Instead, Montgomery will rehab the injury, and the hope is he can return at some point during the postseason if all goes well, per Rapoport.
Montgomery embarked on a quest this week to seek multiple opinions regarding the knee injury he sustained in Sunday's loss to the Bills, leading him to choose rehab over surgery. An operation would have ended the running back's season just weeks before the start of the playoffs.
Montgomery has formed one half of an incredibly dangerous backfield duo in Detroit, serving as the ball-carrying hammer alongside the lightning-fast Jahmyr Gibbs. The two have combined to rush for 1,822 yards and 23 touchdowns -- with Montgomery accounting for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns -- while also chipping in 736 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
With the Lions sitting at 12-2 atop the tightly packed NFC North and maintaining Super Bowl aspirations, Montgomery is choosing to keep the chance of a postseason comeback alive with the sole goal of returning to help his team finish off their historically successful 2024 season. There's no guarantee he will be able to come back healthy enough to make a difference, but the mere possibility of it appears to have been enough to convince Montgomery, making him the second Lion aiming for a late-season return after Aidan Hutchinson recently said he's on track to potentially make it back from his fractured tibia and fibula in time for the Super Bowl.
Detroit has been ravaged by injuries lately, losing Montgomery, defensive tackle Alim McNeill (torn ACL) and cornerbacks Carlton Davis (broken jaw) and Khalil Dorsey (leg) injuries in their Week 15 loss to Buffalo. They're not quite there yet, but after losing a number of key players on defense, the Lions are inching closer to the critical mass of healthy contributors necessary to make a deep postseason run.
A late-season collapse brought on by injuries would be incredibly disheartening for Detroit, a darling of the NFL who has frequently looked like the best club in the league and a favorite to win the NFC. If Detroit reaches Super Bowl LIX, it will be the franchise's first Super Bowl appearance in its history.
That alone is enough to sell at least one player on taking a relatively unconventional approach to dealing with a new injury with the same common goal in mind: win the Super Bowl.
