Montgomery, a seven-year pro, recorded both a rushing and passing touchdown in the same game for the second time. The powerful runner once played quarterback at Cincinnati Mt. Healthy High School.
CINCINNATI — David Montgomery scored twice — once on the ground and once through the air — in his hometown, while Jared Goff tossed three touchdown passes as the Detroit Lions secured their fourth consecutive win, a 37-24 triumph over the struggling Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
.Montgomery, a seven-year veteran, tallied passing and rushing touchdowns in a single contest for just the second time. The hard-nosed back once lined up under center during his high school days at Cincinnati Mt. Healthy.
Montgomery — who rushed for 64 yards on 18 carries — had more than 20 family members and friends present, including his sister Kiki, who was left paralyzed in a February 2024 car accident. Before kickoff, Montgomery shared an emotional moment with her outside the Lions’ locker room.
Jahmyr Gibbs also found the end zone for the Lions (4-1), marking the 14th occasion the dynamic backfield duo of Gibbs and Montgomery have both scored in the same game — tying Dallas legends Emmitt Smith and Daryl Johnston for the most such performances in NFL history.
The Bengals (2-3) have now dropped three straight by a combined score of 113-37 since quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a toe injury in the second quarter of a 31-27 win over Jacksonville on Sept. 14.
Cincinnati fell behind 28-3 late in the third quarter before Jake Browning connected on two touchdown passes to Ja’Marr Chase to narrow the deficit.
Browning completed 26 of 40 attempts for 251 yards, throwing three touchdowns but also three interceptions. Chase finished with six catches for 110 yards.
With Detroit leading by one touchdown, Montgomery lined up in the wildcat on second-and-goal from the Bengals’ 3-yard line and surprised the defense by tossing a short touchdown to tight end Brock Wright, who was left uncovered in the end zone.
Moments later, Montgomery extended the Lions’ advantage to 28-3 with a powerful eight-yard run off left tackle with 5:43 to go in the third quarter. Two plays earlier, he appeared headed for a long score before Bengals cornerback DJ Turner caught him from behind at the Cincinnati 8 after a 19-yard burst.
Goff completed 19 of 23 passes for 258 yards. Amon-Ra St. Brown totaled eight receptions for 100 yards, while tight end Sam LaPorta added five catches for 92 yards, including his first touchdown of the season — a 10-yard grab where he somersaulted over cornerback Dax Hill into the end zone.
Goff’s other scoring throws were a 20-yard screen to Gibbs, who broke multiple tackles to extend the lead to 21-3 early in the third quarter, and a 12-yarder to Isaac TeSlaa in the final period.
A long-awaited breakthrough
Chase’s 15-yard touchdown catch from Browning in the corner of the end zone early in the fourth quarter snapped Cincinnati’s streak of 20 straight possessions without a touchdown, excluding kneel-downs.
Per NFL Next Gen Stats, the pass carried a completion probability of just 12.5%, making it the league’s most improbable touchdown of the season. Chase had only 0.6 yards of separation from cornerback Rock Ya-Sin and was 0.2 yards from the sideline when he secured the ball.
Chase struck again minutes later, hauling in a 65-yard touchdown to bring the Bengals within 28-17 with 10:22 left. He used a crisp double move to beat cornerback Amik Robertson, caught the ball at Detroit’s 22, and raced untouched to the end zone.
Safety secured
Detroit had an earlier safety nullified by a defensive holding penalty in the second quarter but earned one late in the fourth when linebacker Derrick Barnes sacked Browning in the end zone.
Injury report: Lions wide receiver Kalif Raymond exited with a neck injury during a first-quarter punt return and did not return. Left tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder) was inactive.
