In a recent article for CBS Sports, Carter Bahns laid out the best running back tandems in the NFL. Last season, the Vikings had an underrated duo that underperformed, and it made us curious to see if they made the cut as we head into the new season.
As it turns out, the Vikings duo did not, but half of the NFC North did.
The Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions made the top ten, being ranked 8th and 7th, respectively. For the Bears, they have them ranked in the top ten due to their tandem of D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai. He argued their placement, writing, “D’Andre Swift just turned in the best season of his career, and he did so even while ceding 169 carries to his rookie teammate. What Kyle Monangai accomplished with those opportunities (racking up 783 yards and five touchdowns) set the stage for what should be a stellar career of his own. They combined to form the No. 3 rushing offense in the NFL, and if we know anything about coach Ben Johnson, it is that he can build the best one-two punch at this position. It’s too early to say Swift and Monangai are the next Gibbs and Montgomery, but any improvement in Year 2 together would move them closer to that tier.”
The Lions make the cut despite trading away David Montgomery earlier this offseason. In trading him away, they did replace him with former Kansas City Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. The monster in the backfield, though, doing a lot of the heavy lifting is Jahmyr Gibbs, who has become one of the best at the position in the NFL.
Bahns discussed the Lions’ ranking, writing, “The Detroit Lions are clearly all-in on Gibbs after giving him all 17 starts last year — and for good reason. He is a top-five most dynamic player in the NFL by total yards from scrimmage. Pairing him with Isiah Pacheco instead of Montgomery probably diminishes the backfield’s overall upside by a touch, but the newcomer is no slouch. Pacheco opened his career with 830 rushing yards in 2022 and 935 the following year, which is right about on par with Montgomery. If he rekindles some of that magic, the Lions won’t miss a beat on the ground.”
To round out the NFC North discussion, the Green Bay Packers, like the Vikings, were left out.
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason don’t get recognition from CBS Sports.
About the Author
