Former Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery had a huge debut with the Houston Texans, but came out of the Week 1 game with a bitter loss — and a five-figure punishment by the NFL.
Montgomery was one of four Texans players fined by the NFL after the team’s 36-31 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The Texans defense failed to hold the Bills after taking a late lead, spoiling an otherwise stellar debut by Montgomery.
David Montgomery’s Unusual Fine
As NFL reporter Aaron Wilson noted, Montgomery was fined $11,491 for having an “unauthorized logo on cleats.”
The league found uniform violations with two other Texans players, handing Trent Brown a $5,971 fine for socks that didn’t cover his lower leg and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaiir a fine of $11,492 for wearing an unauthorized message on his eye black.
Texans defensive tackle Mario Edwards was also fined $8,923 for a low hit on Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
The Lions will now face the Bills, who pulled off the win in Houston in more than two decades. The teams meet on Thursday Night Football in the first game in Buffalo’s new Highmark Stadium.
David Montgomery’s Huge Debut After Leaving Lions
The Lions traded Montgomery to the Texans in March, landing offensive lineman Juice Scruggs and two Day 3 draft picks. The move allowed Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs to become the team’s featured back, while giving Montgomery the same opportunity in Houston.
Though Montgomery didn’t produce the biggest numbers on Sunday — rushing 20 times for 60 yards and adding three receptions for 19 yards — he found the endzone three times, accounting for three of the team’s four touchdowns.
Despite the bitter loss, Montgomery said the offense’s performance gave him hope for the rest of the season.
“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.”
Gibbs also did well in his new role as bell cow for the Lions. He had a career-high 29 carries, rushing for 154 yards and two touchdowns, adding five receptions for 50 yards.
The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy warned that the Lions can’t continue feeding Gibbs the ball at that rate for the rest of the season. The team is missing it’s No. 2 back with Isiah Pacheco facing a months-long absence, and Pouncy suggested the team need to find a replacement.
“Is this sustainable? No. Gibbs is 5-foot-9, 202 pounds. His 29 rush attempts were a career high, and while Gibbs said in the locker room he could have carried it 40 times if necessary, that’s just the hubris of a 24-year-old talking,” Pouncy wrote. He added, “They’ll need him fresh for a potential postseason run, should they position themselves for one. With Isiah Pacheco recovering from back surgery and potentially out until December, per ESPN and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Lions need to find a capable No. 2.”
Ex-Lions RB David Montgomery Hit With NFL Punishment After First Game