GREEN BAY – In the league standings, the Packers and Lions’ running games can’t get any closer.

Green Bay is averaging 156.9 yards rushing per game so far in 2024, good for fifth in the league. Detroit is right behind it in sixth place with 156.7 points.

But the on-field trajectories of these two NFC North rivals, who meet Sunday at Lambeau Field as the top seed, are quite contrasting.

Starting with Detroit, the Lions have a two-headed backfield monster in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery. They split carries almost exactly — Gibbs’ 92 rushing, Montgomery’s 93 — and also combined for touchdowns (Gibbs six, Montgomery seven) for 1,006 rushing yards.

They are a classic 1-2 punch with a variety of body types and running styles.

Head Coach Matt LaFleur said Gibbs is a 5-9, 202-pound speedster and “home run hitter,” noting that he had TD runs of 45 and 70 yards in the Lions’ last two games.

Montgomery, meanwhile, is a 5-11, 230-pound freight train who is considered “one of the most physical backs in the league,” according to LaFleur. “You better have a fight plan when approaching this guy because he’s going to try to crush you.”

The Packers are quite familiar with both. Gibbs is only in his second NFL season, but during his college days at Georgia Tech (before transferring to Alabama), defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley faced him twice as a head coach at Boston College.

Hafley remembered Gibbs taking the first shot for a goal in one of those games and knew his professional future was bright. The key to slowing him down is to stop him and make him change direction, directing him to where the defense is more after him.

“It’s going to be about alignments, being precise, understanding the leverage you have to have on the ball carrier and then setting boundaries,” Hafley said of dealing with Gibbs. “You’ve got to set the edges and get the ball back. If this guy gets the perimeter and doesn’t have to stutter his feet, he’s got a chance to go.”

For Montgomery, this will be his 10th career game against Green Bay since his early years in Chicago. His best outing came in the first Packers-Lions game in Week 4 of last season; He had 121 yards and three touchdowns on 32 carries.

That kind of strong performance is what Josh Jacobs has provided so far for Green Bay as the offense’s most impactful free-agent addition before Gibbs found his footing as a rookie and became a bigger part of things.

Jacobs has carried the ball 145 times this season, tied with Baltimore’s Derrick Henry for the most in the league on one down. His 667 yards rank fourth.

Next on the Packers’ workload is second-year pro Emanuel Wilson, who has 51 rushes for 226 yards. He and newcomer Chris Brooks have complemented and spelled Jacobs when needed, but there’s no doubt who the feature is in Green Bay.

“Josh has been a steady force for us all season long, making quick runs of 4, 5, 6 yards, and then of course (we) just kept feeding him until he broke that big run,” quarterback Jordan Love said. , referencing Jacobs’ season-high 38-yard TD run last week at Jacksonville.

“He’s a very talented runner, he has a knack for making guys miss in the hole. He’s very hard to catch. Obviously the numbers might not be there in terms of touchdowns, but he plays a huge role in our offense and helps us move forward.”

But these goals can come. Prior to last week, Jacobs had just one rushing TD (he also recently got his first career TD) until he caught two touchdowns on the ground against the Jaguars as part of a 25-carry, 127-yard day that featured Love and backup QB Malik Willis in fact every one half.

No matter which QB is under center on Sunday, Jacobs will be ready to do whatever is asked of him. He missed practice Wednesday due to a tender ankle in the Jacksonville game and is officially questionable on the injury report, but he promised he’ll be ready to go.

In short, he thrives on 5-10, 223-pound work. In Willis’ debut against the Packers in Week 2, Jacobs did his best, rushing 32 times for 151 yards, becoming the first Green Bay running back with 30-plus carries in a game in 16 years (Ryan Grant, 2008).

His toughness and professional approach did not go unnoticed. The respect the 2022 NFL champion has quickly earned in the Packers’ locker room is evident.

“I don’t think I can point to another guy on this team who has practiced more, run more than him,” receiver Christian Watson said. “We see this every day.”

Watson remembers watching Jacobs at both Alabama and the Raiders and seeing “a physical back who could break any tackle,” and now that he’s seen it up close, “It’s a lot crazier.”

Watson, a dedicated outfield blocker in the run game who escorted Jacobs to the end zone on a 38-yard score last week, said it’s actually harder for a fullback like Jacobs to block because he never knows how long he’ll be on his feet.

“It’s a blessing to have a running back who can make big plays at any time,” Watson said.

Despite all the differences in the home games of these two teams, this sentiment holds true for everyone involved.