Who Should I Start? Joe Mixon or David Montgomery

Saturday, January 18, 7:44 PM

Houston Texans running back Joe Mixon was one of the few bright spots for his team in a season-ending defeat to Kansas City on Saturday, during which he compiled 100 yards from scrimmage and scored his team's only touchdown. The former Cincinnati Bengal rushed for a game-high 88 yards on 18 carries, and also hauled in two of his three targets for another 12 yards. Unfortunately for Houston, its pass protection and kicking game were major letdowns, as the line allowed eight sacks and kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn missed two field goals and an extra point. It was a largely productive first season in Houston for Mixon, who hit 1,000 yards rushing and scored 12 regular-season touchdowns, but Houston's season concludes in the Divisional Round for the second straight year.

Sunday, January 19, 12:12 AM

Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery rushed seven times for 28 yards during Saturday's playoff loss to the Washington Commanders. He also threw a pass for 20 yards. Montgomery returned from a multi-week absence caused by a knee injury. As expected, he took a backseat to Jahmyr Gibbs, who had twice as many carries and also saw a whopping 11 targets. Montgomery's ability to convert in short-yardage situations makes him a special running back, but there's no denying that he lacks the shiftiness, receiving skills, and big-play upside of Gibbs. Nevertheless, the two continue to form the best running back duo in the NFL. Heading into 2025, Montgomery will have standalone value as a high-end RB3, and he'll also be a premier handcuff option in case Gibbs gets hurt.