With David Montgomery ruled out for Week 7 due to a ribs injury, the Detroit Lions will call on Jahmyr Gibbs to lead their ground game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Gibbs sat out Detroit’s last two games due to a hamstring ailment. He returned to practice on Wednesday, and after being a full participant in Detroit’s final practice session of the week on Friday, he was removed from the team’s injury report.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has been watching film on Gibbs as of late, and there is much that impresses him about the former Alabama standout.
“We watched him in college, obviously, and he’s very talented, a very elusive, tough, hard running back,” Harbaugh said during a press conference on Friday.
“The snaps he’s taken so far for the Lions have been the same, and he’s very versatile. [He] can do everything they can do in the backfield, lines up as a receiver, a lot of screens — all those things.”
Gibbs has not been Detroit’s go-to running back this season. He has featured in at least 50 percent of snaps on offense just once in the ongoing campaign, which came in Detroit’s home win over the Atlanta Falcons when he tallied 80 rushing yards.
Now, Gibbs is set to be in for quite a test in Week 7 against a Ravens defense that currently ranks ninth in rushing yards allowed per game with a 97.7 average.