Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery had a vision when joining the team as a free agent last March, and that has come to fruition in his first year as the franchise prepares for their first NFC championship appearance in 32 years.

After signing a three-year, $18 million deal with the Lions in the offseason, the former Chicago Bears running back said he saw the rebuild Detroit was in the midst of and wanted to be a part of it. Now, Montgomery is a key weapon for a Lions team one win away from their first-ever trip to the Super Bowl and is a part of something special, just as he envisioned when he signed his contract 10 months ago.

“It’s special, man, it’s special,” Montgomery said when asked if this season has lived up to his expectations. “I think every day I wake up still being able to play, and play with these guys around me — it’s definitely special.”

Montgomery took over the role of the workhorse and power back out of the backfield, replacing Jamaal Williams, who left in free agency. During the regular season, Montgomery lead the Lions with 219 carries, 1,015 yards and 13 touchdowns, over 14 games.

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Montgomery set a career high in touchdowns this season, breaking double digits for the first time and came awfully close to passing his highest marks for attempts and yards. Montgomery said no matter what the numbers say, he is playing the best season of his career so far and is enjoying every second of it in the Lions locker room.

“(This is) the best season I’ve had,” Montgomery said. “Not from a statistical standpoint — I mean it is — from an emotional standpoint, from a love. It’s just been really, really fun and it’s been a blessing to be a part of.”

Part of the fun for him has been the support he’s felt from Lions fans. The fifth-year running back said he’s never seen anything like it as the passionate fans shower him and his teammates with love for squashing the bad vibes around the franchise and going on a run Detroit hasn’t seen since 1992.

“I’ve never been a part of or seen anything like it,” Montgomery said. “Like, just the way that this place, this city, you can feel how authentic it is. You can feel the love and warmth from the entire city.”

On top of loving his situation with the team and the city, Montgomery is playing with an extra amount of love at home, too. The running back celebrated his son's first birthday earlier this month, and he said being a new father has given him extra perspective outside of football that has given him extra motivation on the field.

No matter how he performs, Montgomery is happy when he goes home because he can look at his son and talk to him. He has embraced the responsibilities of fatherhood — like setting up a baby gate at the top of his stairs after Friday’s practice since his son just started walking — which has allowed him to better separate his life at work and life at home.

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“He’s added a lot of motivation but he also created a lot of perspective for me to realize that this game is very important, but it’ll never be as important as him,” Montgomery said. “I think, for myself, for a while I didn’t realize and I never knew how to separate home and ball. I never knew how to have a bad practice and go home and be happy about it.

“But having my son, when I have a bad practice or bad game or bad play, I go home and I look at him like I’m so… when I get home, I’ll be sure to save some of the things that I say so he can see how much he’s helped me and he’s only a year old. So I’m blessed and can’t complain.”

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Peanut butter and jelly

Montgomery has also embraced the role of a big brother this season. He has worked in tandem with rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs, who he called his “lil brother," to form one of the most potent rushing attacks in the NFL this season. Earlier in the season, Gibbs said Montgomery was “like my big brother” before the first matchup with the Bears and that they make each other better by competing against one another.

Montgomery said Friday that if he was in charge of voting, Gibbs would be the clear pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year after he was named a finalist yesterday while offering up an apology to tight end Sam LaPorta, who is also on the shortlist.

“I’ve never seen a rookie like Jah,” Montgomery said. “And just for him to be as composed as he is in high-pressure situations, that’s rare. So he’ll be playing in this league at a high level for a long time.”

Gibbs said the relationship between them has been the same since the opening week of the season, and nothing is changing to alter the duo, which earned the nickname of “peanut butter and jelly” from running backs coach Scottie Montgomery during the season for their ability to mesh seamlessly together, during the playoff run.

“We’ve played the same since game one,” Gibbs said. “We haven’t really like tried to do ‘oh this is playoff time, do this, do this’, we just try to be consistent.”

For the season, the Lions had the fifth-most rushing yards in the NFL (2,311 total for an average of 135.9 yards per game), fifth-most rushing yards per attempt (4.82), and set the franchise record for most rushing touchdowns by any Lions team, with 27 total, which also tied for the most in the NFL regular season. Montgomery and Gibbs carried most of that load, accounting for 1,960 yards and 23 touchdowns on the ground on 401 combined carries.

The duo will have their hands full, along with Detroit’s offensive line, against a stout San Francisco 49ers’ front seven. Led by All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, the 49ers’ defense ranks in the top three in points allowed and rushing defense. The 49ers gave up an average of 17.5 points per game (third in the NFL) and 89.7 rushing yards per game (third), just behind the Lions run defense at 88.8 yards allowed per game.

“Obviously, they have really good players over there so it’s going to be a challenge for us,” Gibbs said. “We are looking forward to it.”

College teammates turned opponents

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy seemingly took the NFL world by surprise after the former last pick in the 2022 draft emerged as a starter and led the 49ers to back-to-back NFC championship game appearances. Montgomery, however, is familiar with Purdy dating back to their one season together in college at Iowa State.

Purdy took over as the starting quarterback for the Cyclones early on in his freshman season in 2018, Montgomery's final season in college. He said Purdy’s path in college has been similar to the one he has had in the pros after surging up the depth chart and taking over at quarterback. Montgomery said Purdy, while quiet off the field, is a very vocal leader while playing.

“My junior year when he came in and kind of took the reins and he just ran with it,” Montgomery said. “He’s a different, special kind of human.”

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions 'special' season is what RB David Montgomery expected