The Detroit Lions managed to survive what was a truly hectic contest in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints, holding on for a 31-30 victory in overtime despite initially leading the contest by a comfortable 21-0 score.
However, the Lions, who were already shorthanded coming into the matchup, were dealt some troubling news on the injury front. Not only did starters Christian Mahogany and Blake Miller both miss Monday’s practice, but the club also announced that running back Isiah Pacheco won’t be available any time soon after undergoing surgery.
This is an especially troubling blow to Detroit’s offense, considering Pacheco was signed specifically to offset the loss of David Montgomery, who had himself quite the debut with the Houston Texans on Sunday.
Former Detroit Lions Running Back David Montgomery’s Debut With Texans Is Salt In The Wound
Montgomery, whom the Lions traded in early March to the Texans in exchange for a 2026 fourth-round pick, a 2027 seventh-round pick, and offensive lineman Juice Scruggs, made a sizeable impression upon Houston in their Week 1 setback against the Buffalo Bills.
Montgomery accounted for three of Houston’s four touchdowns on the afternoon; while he only registered 60 total yards on 20 carries, he made the most of them. He also racked up 19 receiving yards on three catches.
Considering that Houston’s running game was fourth-worst in the NFL last season, the fact that Montgomery has already made a considerable impact will only serve the Texans well moving forward this season.
However, following the game, Montgomery kept the focus on the overall team as a whole, saying that they’ll be better in their Week 2 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals at home.
“A lot of things went right, but there were enough things that went wrong that didn’t get us to win,” he said via Texans writer Aaron Wilson on X, formerly known as Twitter. “It’s game one. That was a good team over there, hell of a team. We’ve got a hell of a team, and this will bring us closer together and we’ll improve. We’ve got a relentless team, I’ll say that. So, this wasn’t our best ball, but we’ll improve.”
Seeing Montgomery already score three touchdowns through one game while the Lions deal with one of their key running backs being out indefinitely certainly adds salt to the wound.
The Lions Traded David Montgomery To The Texans
Montgomery admitted to not feeling well about being dealt shortly after arriving in Houston.
“Honestly, when I was in Detroit, I thought I was going to be there for the rest of my career,” Montgomery said during an appearance on the Deebo and Joe podcast with former NFL stars James Harrison and Joe Haden. “I love the city of Detroit. They showed me an immense amount of love. Coach Campbell, a dope coach.
“But when you get a little older playing the game, at a professional level, and you start to kind of see how things unfold, you gotta get met with, like, a tough decision. And I was met with that. And it was inevitable that it was happening.”
David Montgomery’s Huge Texans Debut Is Another Blow For Lions